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| Women
at the East African Women’s Center love to sew. In addition
to sewing for their families, the sewers make handbags for women,
clothes and crayon bags for children, and aprons. For the past two
years, these handmade items have been sold at Twice the Gift. Twice the Gift is the holiday store that was started three years ago by the Pohlad Foundation. The concept is that gift recipients AND local nonprofit organizations benefit when holiday shoppers buy their gifts at Twice the Gift. After being located in Gaviidae Center on the Nicollet Mall for two years, the shop moved into the IDS Tower in 2009, and Partnership Resource Inc. took over the management of the store. The store was open from October through December in 2009. The Women’s Center was asked to participate in 2008 and again in 2009. In 2009, 65 nonprofits participated and the Women’s Center ranked 13th in sales. The women from the Women’s Center were thrilled to have a place to sell their products and to learn about the retail business and the store management loved the Women’s Center. Says Dan Reed, Director of Marketing and Development for Partnership Resource Inc., “They brought a whole new dynamic to the organization with outstanding products that |
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| “The store was a beautiful place in the middle of downtown Minneapolis, and it was a very amazing experience to bring what we sewed there to sell. It gave us encouragement to continue to improve our sewing,” says sewing aide, Qabul Said. |
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people
loved and added a dramatically positive presence in the store.”
This year, the Women’s Center had our own “day”
at the store. Women from the Center took shifts in the store, making and serving Somali tea, and talking with visitors. Dozens of the Center’s friends came to shop that day, and the Women’s |
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Center earned $950 dollars in just one day. Reed says, “At one point I was working the cash register with one of the women from the Center. We were just comfortably working side by side. These women’s willingness to bridge into other cultures was really invigorating, making even customers who maybe weren’t used to their customs feel at ease.” |
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At
“our” day at the store, dozens of the Center’s
friends-from our community and the community at large-came to
shop that day, drink Somali tea, and visit. |
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