Our History

Alicia Kossick made her first order with artisans in Mexico - after falling in love with their handcrafted skirts and belts.

Kossick begins selling at pop-ups and truck shows - eventually, starting the Hampton Classic (2014) and the NY Gift Show / NY Now (2015)

When Kossick learned that the women often used their earnings to feed their families—leaving little for quality materials—she saw an opportunity for sustainable impact. She began no-interest micro-lending funds upfront, ensuring both material integrity and income stability for the artisans.

We started our shading project, which went from planting shade trees and donating Polished Coconut hats to our local community most vulnerable to the extreme Florida sun.

We open our first brick-and-morter shop in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Participant in "10,000 Women" sponsored Goldman Sachs

Finalist for the Tory Burch Foundation Grant

We relocated across the street from our first location.

Polished Coconut donated land for a composting station run by @back2earth.io in West Grove. Largest composting in Miami. 100+ families diverted their food waste saving 2,000 pounds from the landfills.

We opened shop starting with architectural preservation of the Grove. We restored 3600 Grand Avenue and named her the "Abaco" out of respect to the neighborhood and its roots

Honored to be 1 of 100 chosen to dialogue through photography in the #silenceproject, where Miami citizens are highlighted for their social impact done peacefully. The project emphasized importance of soft power - where silence brings us above fighting words, misinterpretations or mistranslations.

Among the booths of Hermes and other exceptional brands, Polished Coconut earned First Prize for Best Booth. Brook Shields presenting the award was a highlight.

Passionate about food insecurity, we welcomed a community fridge off the side of our shop. We empower neighbors to support neighbors with access to free, healthy food. PC went weekly to pick up Trader Joe's donations - over the years, this effort has fed thousands.

Preservation and appreciation starts with education.