Taylor Swift’s Wedding Guests Don’t Know Ceremony Location — Yet
Rhode Island
Providence startup founder looks to build equity for Black-owned brands, one gift box at a time – The Boston Globe
How does this fit into your own background?
Professionally, I’ve come up in the digital startup world and have worked in the gifting industry. I’ve always worked in e-commerce and the digital payment space. A few years ago, I also launched a blog called Crumb Snatched, which is a food blog I created out of a need I saw to write Cape Verdean recipes for Cape Verdean Americans. I’ve learned a lot of new skills running that blog that are helping me with Boxed in Black. And, I also do some freelance consulting on the side that helps me sustain myself personally.
Your brand focuses on “premium and ultra-high end” products. Why is that?
There’s this notion that if a business is Black- or brown-owned, then everything is handmade or they’re very small. I wanted to bring to light that there are some beautiful, established brands out there that are founded and championed by people of color.
Right now, we’re mostly selling premium products. “Luxury” means different things to different people. We’re not yet “ultra-high end” but will get there as we grow.
Are there any local brands you’re featuring in the boxes?
We don’t specifically focus on New England-based products.
What are some of the brands you’re spotlighting?
We have a brand called Nopalera, which is owned by a Latin-American woman that has created a beautiful line of Mexican skin and hair care products. Cloth & Paper is a luxury stationary company that sells planners and other desktop essentials that’s Black-owned and founded. Teaspressa is owned by a woman who is Black and Korean who creates tea that honors her heritage in a really beautiful way.
Do you have investors? Have you done any fundraising?
I’ve been able to fund this mostly by myself with the help of a five-digit investment from a family member. I’ve won two pitch competitions, received some grants, and expect to win a third grant by the end of this year. I don’t have any formal investors, angel investors, or venture capital firms that are involved. I don’t want to dilute my equity too much, and I have not at all thought of having any sort of “exit plan.” I’ve actually been told that my business is not venture backable, but I don’t think we know enough about what this business can be to say that definitively. With that being said, I’m certainly not threatened by or discouraged by the fact that some in the venture capital world do not want to be involved.

What challenges are you facing?
Managing everything myself. I have a designer that helps with web design, but it’s really hard to consistently promote your brand, get it in front of people who are your target audience, focus on business development, and create all of the content.
What are your goals for the next year? What about the next five years?
For the next year, I want to grow my email list. I also want to roll out a gifting tool so people can create their own gift boxes.
My primary goal is really building out the business to business relationships for the corporate gifting side of the company. I’d like to hit $1 million in revenue by Year 3. If not by Year 3, then definitely by Year 5. I know it’s not an easy goal, but I think the company has a lot of potential to get there.
The Boston Globe’s weekly Ocean State Innovators column features a Q&A with Rhode Island innovators who are starting new businesses and nonprofits, conducting groundbreaking research, and reshaping the state’s economy. Send tips and suggestions to reporter Alexa Gagosz at alexa.gagosz@globe.com.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
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Rhode Island
Video: Massive great white shark feeds on dead whale off the coast of Rhode Island
SEE IT: A great white shark feeds on a dead whale off the coast of Rhode Island, as the large creature comes across a whale carcass floating in the ocean.
RHODE ISLAND – It’s not often you can get so close to such a dangerous beast like a great white shark, but that is exactly what one boater was able to do in Rhode Island.
A large 15-foot great white shark was spotted feasting on a dead whale in the ocean off the coast of Rhode Island.
STAY SHARK SMART: WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU HEAD INTO THE WATER
Despite a reputation for inhabiting waters in Australia and South Africa, great white sharks can be found in temperate waters around the world, as their habitat preferences can change as they age, according to National Geographic.
Mexico, Great White Shark (Carcharodon Carcharias); Guadalupe Island.
(Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Video footage shared by Ian Shilosky shows many birds hovering around the whale carcass, trying to get a nibble without getting too close to the 15-foot beast.
SEE IT: SPERM WHALE CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN RARE ENCOUNTER OFF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST
The shark shows off its brutal strength, ripping large chunks from the whale with its 2 to 3-inch razor-sharp teeth, before diving underwater to consume its meal.
“White shark sightings are few and far between until a whale dies and then they seem to appear out of nowhere as this one did,” the Atlantic Shark Institute said on social media.
Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), attacking tuna bait. Neptune islands, South Australia. (Photo by Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
(Auscape/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
The great white shark grows slowly, with males maturing at around 26 years and females at around 33, according to NOAA.
These creatures range in age from 30 to over 70 years old, and they can weigh up to 4,500 pounds.
DEEP-SEA DISCOVERY UNCOVERS ONE OF THE LARGEST KNOWN WHALE GRAVEYARDS ON THE FLOOR OF THE INDIAN OCEAN
Great White Shark breaching at Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa
( Chris Brunskill Ltd/Corbis / Getty Images)
Adult great whites usually swim along shorelines where there is a known food source, such as seals or sea lions.
12-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN BOY ATTACKED BY SHARK WHILE VACATIONING IN THE BAHAMAS
As the largest predatory fish in the world, great white sharks tend to eat a variety of fish, rays, squid, seabirds, sea turtles, dolphins and more.
Rhode Island
Lego convention returns to Warwick
WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island’s Lego Fan Convention Returned to the West Warwick Civic Center.
Professional Lego artists from around the country displayed their creations and connect with fans.
There are meet and greet opportunities with Lego celebrities too.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (2)
Fans can also show off their own skills in the event’s Brick Pits.
Rhode Island
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 1st Choice for Wedding Was Rhode Island: Why They Pivoted to NYC
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce initially had their sights set on a marvelous coastal wedding, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly.
“Taylor and Travis really wanted their wedding in Rhode Island, and June 13 was the date, but security wouldn’t have worked because it could get out of hand with that kind of scale of an event,” an insider says.
Though everything was initially being planned in Rhode Island — where Swift, 36, has a mansion in the lavish Watch Hill neighborhood of Westerly — the insider notes the pop star had booked multiple venues from coast to coast on different dates.
According to the source, “Ocean House [in Westerly] was planned at one point, and then plans changed to New York.”
The insider, meanwhile, tells Us that Swift’s security “had to assess all the venues to see what made sense.”
“Rhode Island wasn’t great because the nature of the access and the perimeters were too difficult to secure,” the source explains. “So the main issue with Rhode Island ended up being security.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Getty Images
“Everything was being planned in Rhode Island,” added a source. “And so many people wanted to come that plans had to change because it became bigger.”
Swift and Kelce, 36, are now rumored to be tying the knot at Madison Square Garden in New York City over the July 4 holiday weekend. While the exact location and date of the nuptials have not yet been confirmed, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to hint at the wedding taking place in the city during a June 15 press conference earlier this month.
“I am fully confident in the work of the NYPD, as well as our state partners, in delivering that safe experience,” he told reporters. “We are the biggest city in the country. We are used to big events, and we are incredibly excited for the [World Cup]. We know it coincides with the Knicks’ [NBA] Finals run. We know it coincides with July 4, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding — all happening at the same time — and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”
Additionally, a permit was filed with NYC in June, the mayor’s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed to Us after The New York Times reported on a permit to close the streets surrounding MSG from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3.
City sources also confirmed to Us that the Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO), which issues the permits, is in touch with the NYPD regarding a possible influx of street and pedestrian traffic.
Though Swift and Kelce’s Rhode Island wedding plans fell through, the “I Knew It, I Knew You” singer’s Watch Hill mansion had an uptick in action last week when security was spotted swarming the area. A group of unidentified women were reportedly seen on the balcony wearing matching robes — three in black and one in white — sparking speculation about a bachelorette party.
A woman who appeared to be Swift’s childhood friend Abigail Anderson Berard was also seen on the property with her 2-year-old son.
Meanwhile, Travis celebrated what was perceived as his bachelor party in Los Angeles and San Diego. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother, Jason Kelce, as well as Travis’ teammate Patrick Mahomes and others, were spotted at a Chris Lake concert, a Dave Chappelle comedy show, a night out at the members-only Bird Street Club and more.
Swift and Kelce began dating in the summer of 2023 and got engaged in August 2025.
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