By all accounts Brad Linard’s upbringing was the American Dream. Born and raised in Pennsylvania by his parents Jay and Sharon Linard, who were high school sweethearts. Sharon was a stay at home mom raising him and his brother Jayson while his father was an accountant at an aluminum company. Jay worked his way up from the bottom to the top. Becoming the CEO of one biggest aluminum companies in the world. Brad grew up in an isolated white conservative upper middle class neighborhood. He went to Tufts university in Boston where he majored in mechanical engineering, psychology and biology. It was also the first time he actually he had close interactions with Black people and other people of color. He also knew it the right time to finally come out to his parents. Ironically his mother wasn’t as happy with him being gay while his father took it quite well. In fact it was at his father’s urging who told him to pursue his dream of a life in the arts, singing and dancing by saying he should go to New York City. After arriving in New York in the ‘90s he took dance classes at Broadway Dance and landed gigs singing at Joe’s Pub. He even recorded a whole musical soundtrack for a musical that never happened.
During that time through his parents he met the famed interior designer Steven Shadley, who would become his mentor. “Although I loved his work, I didn’t want to be an interior designer. That seemed like the gayest profession ever. I was sensitive about being labeled. But I realized I was passionate about it and got an advanced degree from Parsons in interior design.” says Brad. He joined Shadley’s design firm and was there for 14 years. Towards the end he did my own thing which was encouraged and then decided to open his my own firm. His first client was a doctor in Houston,Texas. But it was through Shadley that he met most of his celebrity clients. Such as Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Diane Keaton and Ryan Murphy. During that time he met the love of his life and future husband Alex Johnson.
A Caribbean- American, celebrity personal trainer whose clients included Luther Vandross. In 2005 Brad and Alex Linard (who took Brads last name) moved to Harlem and purchased an abandoned brownstone on Mount Morris Park West. They renovated it with the idea that they wanted to have a family. Through many attempts at invitro they welcomed their first born, a son they named Graydon 2009 followed by their daughter Elliot in 2015. They quickly became involved in a few Harlem community organizations.
In 2017 Alex connected Brad with Chef Carlos Swepson, who had recently opened a small southern style popular restaurant BLVD Bistro on Lenox Avenue. Chef Carlos wanted to expand to a bigger location at the corner of 116th street and Frederick Douglass Blvd. Brad was asked to design the new space but decided to take it a step further by becoming a partner. “I totally believed in his vision and loved his food.” said Brad. Then in the fall of 2018 the unthinkable happened Alex died suddenly leaving him emotionally wrecked and instantly a single dad to raise two bi-racial children. But really shocked him was that through this difficult emotional time the amazing support he received from the village of Harlem. SomethIng he feels that he wouldn’t have received from anywhere else. It was then he got even more involved in his community, supporting establishments like Harlem Haberdashery, known for their upscale clothing boutique by the same name and their charities i.e. The Masquerade Ball and Take Care Of Harlem. He had now truly embraced a rich culture for which both of his children were born into. The best part though was how Harlem had embraced him and his family which was therapeutic for his healing process.
And now as a Harlemite in this climate of racial divide, with worldwide protest, he committed to helping his Black brothers and sisters in the fight against police brutality, discrimination, reparations, and equality as an ally. What he discovered was ally ship is how you see life. Brad states, “It’s not a trend, or club and just can’t check off a list it’s deeper than that, it’s a true understanding that racism is everywhere, its systemic.” He truly feels we need all hands on deck. That certainly includes white people who he believes are why we have the racism in this country against Black people, people of color. People who don’t look like Brad. He feels, one of the main ways is to reach our goals is you have to reach allies. That after the marches and protests its the economic structure that needs to be redistributed to decrease the wealth gap between Blacks and whites. And with the overwhelming numbers of white people now focused on this problem, not just in America but around the world he is encouraged that true change is possible. “Moving to Harlem 15 years ago, has been a incredible education for me. I am here for my children, my Black friends , my community. But it’s not upto Black people to educate white people about police brutality, the murders, the racism, the injustice that Black people have had to endure in America since its inception. That’s upto white people. I know my father would not have been given the opportunity to be the head of a major company had he been Black. Had he been my husband or even looked like my children. What I have learned when helping my Black friends, is to not only do what they need me to do. But to learn to listen and sometimes just shut the fuck up.” says Brad. Spoken like a true ally.
