Downtown Brooklyn has long been a place where ambition meets opportunity, where culture, commerce, and community come together to shape what the neighborhood becomes next. At the center of that energy are women entrepreneurs who are building businesses rooted in purpose, resilience, and creativity. Their work goes beyond transactions. It creates space, tells stories, and helps people feel seen.
Founders like Courtney Gayle, Michelle Cadore, and Casey Burry represent that spirit. Each has taken a different path, but all three have built something meaningful in Downtown Brooklyn while staying deeply connected to their values and their communities.
Building Confidence and Starting Over: Courtney Gayle of Naked Perfection Spa
Courtney Gayle did not begin her career with the intention of becoming an entrepreneur. Raised in Brooklyn in a West Indian household, she started out in retail before transitioning into aesthetics, searching for work that felt more aligned with her interests and sense of purpose.
Her time in the beauty and dermatology industry gave her valuable experience, but it also exposed her to high-pressure and, at times, deeply challenging environments. In 2018, she lost her job—an event that marked a turning point not only professionally, but personally and spiritually.
“I prayed for a way out,” she says. “I just didn’t realize that was it.”
What followed was a period of grief, uncertainty, and rebuilding. Without a business background or a clear roadmap, Courtney began building Naked Perfection Spa from scratch. But as she describes it, this journey was never hers alone.
“My faith carried me through every stage,” she explains. “There were moments where I didn’t have the answers, but I trusted that God would make a way.”
She started in a coworking space, renting just two days a week and filling every available hour with clients. At the same time, she taught aesthetics, balancing multiple streams of income to sustain herself while nurturing what she had been called to build.
Eventually, she secured her own space—only to be met with another challenge when the pandemic forced her to close while expenses continued. Once again, it was her faith that anchored her through the uncertainty.
“There were so many moments where things didn’t make sense on paper,” she says. “But I had to keep faith—not in myself alone, but in what God was doing through me.”
Today, Naked Perfection Spa operates out of 292 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn, serving a growing clientele from Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. Her most in-demand services include laser hair removal and HydraFacials, along with chemical peels, microneedling, eyelash extensions, and brow grooming.
Courtney has built her business around transparency, trust, and purpose.
“I don’t believe in inflated pricing or fake discounts,” she says. “People deserve honesty.”
For Courtney, the work is about more than results. The name Naked Perfection reflects a deeper philosophy—helping people feel confident and whole without hiding who they are.
“People come in with insecurities,” she explains. “My job is to help them feel as free as possible from that.”
Now operating in a larger space with room to expand, she is focused on growing her team, fully utilizing her treatment rooms, and launching a fragrance line. Through every phase of her journey, one thing has remained constant: her faith.
“This isn’t just a business,” she says. “It’s part of my purpose.”
Her story is one of resilience, reinvention, and unwavering belief—a reminder that sometimes starting over is not the end, but the beginning of something greater.
For new clients, Naked Perfection Spa offers special promotions: 25% off laser treatments with promo code LASER25, and 20% off non-laser treatments for first-time visitors with code WELCOME20. For those looking for more, there’s a monthly membership called ‘Stay Ready’ which includes full-body laser hair removal, a HydraFacial, and brow maintenance for $700 a month.
Creating Platforms and Possibility: Michelle Cadore of DA SPOT NYC
Michelle Cadore has built her work around one central idea: access. Who gets seen, who gets supported, and who gets the opportunity to grow.
As the founder of DA SPOT NYC, she has created a space where independent creatives, particularly those from underrepresented communities, can showcase their work and connect with a wider audience. What began in 2017 as a small 100-square-foot shop in Dumbo quickly grew into something much larger.
At the time, the founding team recognized a major gap. Less than one percent of brands carried by major retailers were owned by diverse founders, and Black entrepreneurs received a similarly small share of venture capital funding. DA SPOT was created as a direct response to that reality.
“Our mission has always been to create a platform where underserved brands can gain visibility, access economic opportunities, and connect with a collaborative creative community,” Michelle explains.
Within six months, the store expanded from three brands to more than twenty-five. By the end of 2019, it had grown into a 1,100-square-foot space in Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point, housing over fifty brands. Over time, DA SPOT has showcased more than two hundred brands and supported hundreds of creatives through retail and events.
The business has also expanded into custom production, working with major clients including Lululemon, the New York Knicks, Pfizer, and Sesame Street. It serves as a registered vendor with the New York City Department of Education, offering entrepreneurship and creative programming to local youth.
Michelle’s work extends beyond Brooklyn. She has facilitated national programs such as the Atlanta Hawks’ Shoot Your Shot Business Pitch Training Program, helping entrepreneurs develop and refine their ideas. DA SPOT has also appeared in film and television, including Power Book II: Ghost and a Spike Lee project, further cementing its cultural relevance.
At the core of her personal journey is the mindset behind her affirmation brand, YES I AM.
One of her most recognizable statements reads, “Keep the Seat. I Want the Whole Damn Table.”
“That shirt represents my personal journey as an entrepreneur,” she says. “Before launching my own brands, I hit a glass ceiling. Creating my own opportunities is what led to YES I AM and DA SPOT.”
The products she creates are designed to help people express confidence and purpose, turning fashion into a form of storytelling.
For Michelle, Downtown Brooklyn is deeply personal. Having spent much of her life in the area, she sees its diversity and energy as essential to the success of her business.
“Even as the neighborhood evolves, there’s still a need for spaces that celebrate creativity and bring people together.”
Through DA SPOT, she continues to build that space, while looking ahead to expanding production capabilities, strengthening partnerships, and developing accelerator programs for emerging entrepreneurs.
Photo: Will Hughes
Curating Connection and Storytelling: Casey Burry of Take Me With You
Casey Burry’s path to entrepreneurship was shaped by a desire for connection. After college, she worked in academia and higher education, including a program in Colombia where she collaborated with local artisans. That experience left a lasting impression and influenced the direction of her career.
She went on to work across art institutes, experimental galleries, corporate collections, and historical design spaces. Over time, she noticed a growing disconnect between institutions and the artists themselves.
“The higher I climbed, the less connected I felt to the artists.”
That realization led her to create Take Me With You, a retail concept that blends art, design, and hospitality into a single, immersive experience.
The business began as a series of pop-ups before finding a permanent home at 63 Bond Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The store focuses on handmade goods, fine art, and functional pieces, with a strong emphasis on women makers and independent artists.
Casey’s approach to curation is both intentional and intuitive. Some pieces come through deep research and long-term relationships, while others are discovered unexpectedly, like finding a ceramic bottle stopper through an online search or collaborating with herbalists to create a custom tea line.
Recent highlights include partnerships with artists and makers whose work reflects a range of cultural influences, including artisans from Mexico and local Brooklyn creatives. Each item in the store carries a story, connecting the buyer to the maker in a meaningful way.
Take Me With You is not just a place to shop. It is a space to experience. Visitors can explore themed collections, attend workshops, and engage with curated exhibitions that change over time. The store also offers custom gift boxes for individuals and corporate clients, further extending its reach.
Casey describes her approach as process-based, experiential, and relationship-driven. Her goal is to create an environment where people can slow down, discover something new, and feel connected to the objects they bring into their lives.
Travel, craft, and emotional resonance continue to shape her vision. Whether highlighting Brooklyn-based artists or international makers, she is focused on building a space where creativity and storytelling are at the forefront.
Looking ahead, Casey plans to expand in-house collaborations, host more thematic exhibitions, and continue elevating both local and global artisans.
Building Something That Lasts
What connects Courtney Gayle, Michelle Cadore, and Casey Burry is not just that they are entrepreneurs in Downtown Brooklyn. It is how they approach what they are building.
Each of them has faced moments of uncertainty, whether it was job loss, systemic barriers, or a lack of fulfillment in traditional career paths. Instead of stepping back, they chose to create something of their own.
Their businesses reflect that choice. They are spaces where people can feel more confident, more connected, and more inspired. They support not just customers, but communities.
Downtown Brooklyn continues to evolve, but entrepreneurs like these ensure that it remains a place where independent voices, creative ideas, and bold visions can still take root and grow.
Together, they are not just running businesses. They are shaping culture, creating opportunity, and building something that lasts.
