Updated: 13:30
As with other commercial areas, the St. Paul skyway has seen an increase in businesses closed in the past two years.
Retail stores and restaurants closed by the dozen as the pandemic kept customers away.
But for clothing manufacturer Rammy Mohamed, this crisis has given rise to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Rammy Mohamed works on a sewing machine at Ramadhan Designs on Friday in St. Paul.
Kerem Yucel | MPR News
“I was one of those lucky refugees who got to settle in the beautiful city of St. Paul,” Mohamed said.
Rammy Mohamed immigrated here from Oromia, a region in East Africa, in 1999. This Muslim American, a University of Minnesota graduate, quit her full-time job three years ago and started designing clothes in her basement.
So when she got the chance to sell her clothes in a store, she didn’t think twice. Ramadhan Designs transformed from a URL to a real life boutique. At the store, customers can shop for everything from handmade sweaters to elegant dresses.
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Rammy Mohamed works a dress on a fictional model for his upcoming fashion show.
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A ruler, fabrics and sewing threads are on display at Ramadhan Designs on Friday in St Paul.
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The fabrics and sewing threads are on display at Ramadhan Designs in St. Paul.the next slide
“I’ve always dreamed of a place like this, but it’s a small business, so there’s no way you can afford a place like this, let alone a historic building like the Wells Fargo location,” Mohamed said.
Mohamed was helped to realize his dream through a program created by the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance.
The program, called Grow Downtown, works with entrepreneurs like Mohamed. The idea is to fill vacant storefronts with businesses and match entrepreneurs with available vacant properties. They then negotiate a six-month free rent agreement to help entrepreneurs get their business started and see if they can make it a success.
Joe Spencer is the president of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance. He says 25 percent of the storefront and skyway businesses his organization tracks have closed permanently or temporarily during the pandemic.
“When you go through vacancy after vacancy, it really is like a blow to your impression of our downtown and your experience of downtown,” Spencer said.
Rammy Mohamed works a dress on a fictional model for his upcoming fashion show.
Kerem Yucel | MPR News
He says matchmaking between businesses and property owners has been successful so far, even if the rent-free portion of the program only lasts six months.
“It was an amount of time that we thought property owners might be comfortable with and an amount of time that business owners could help them get back on their feet,” Spencer said.
Mohamed spends hours in his sewing workshop. Basquiat and Monet books sit on the table alongside shelves of unique handmade pieces. Mohamed’s designs are influenced by his culture and religion.
“I have to represent where I come from and what I am and who I am,” Mohamed said. “I am a black woman who is also a very proud Muslim.”
Mohamed’s designs are crafted with edginess and modesty in mind: long, loose-fitting garments designed in bright colors and various fabrics.
“I made sure we had hijab-wearing women to be represented in the fashion industry. I was the first designer to show up at Minnesota Fashion Week with women in hijabs,” she said.
Rammy Mohamed poses for a portrait at Ramadhan Designs.
Kerem Yucel | MPR News
For Mohamed, it’s an opportunity to get out of his basement and interact with people who are likely to buy his pieces after meeting him. The all-glass storefront allows passers-by to catch a glimpse of the process.
Mohamed would also like to make his store visible and accessible to young people.
“I’m reaching out to middle school and high school students to come and see and fall in love with the art of making their own clothes,” she said.
Mohamed is the first entrepreneur in his family. She says that this could change the trajectory of her life.
“I want to create a factory here in the Twin Cities that will clothe all the women and men in the world,” he said.
If all goes well, Mohamed says she could become a permanent tenant. But if not, she’ll go back to making clothes in her basement.
Correction (November 23, 2022): An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance. The story had been updated.
Source: news.google.com