In Black America; Lamonica Davis (Handmade Scarves)

From the University of Texas at Austin, KUT Radio, this is In Black America. I wanted to categorize the skies because like you said, you have birds of paradise to orchid and the iris collections. They're based on detail. All of the stars are great, but some of the iris collections are, they may not have as many different yarns in it or more simple style that would be the iris collection and then going up. The orchids got a little more detail than the iris and then the birds of paradise which is the top collection, it's just like sky's the limit, whatever I may just go really crazy. It didn't make something go shawled or wrapped as they're caught and those would be in those birds of paradise collections though.

What I did was I wanted to name the collections based on those facts. The Monika Davis owner of Miracle on 16th Street. After the American women started businesses at three to five times the rate of all businesses between 2006 and 2009. New research published recently by the Small Business Administration indicates that women drove much of the growth in African-American entrepreneurship. African-American women owned over 547,000 companies in 2002, up 75% from five years before when the Census Bureau last counted. The number owned by men rose a smaller 29% to over 571,000. For the first time since the government began counting, African-American women now likely own more companies than their male counterparts, assuming growth rates stayed constant after 2002. African-American women like all female owners still lag behind men by some key measures. Majority of their companies are part-time ventures, often run from home at night or on weekends

to supplement their income. This 5% had employees versus 10% for African-American men and your revenue average 39,000 versus 114,000 for African-American men. For many years, David had been making her handmade scars for family and friends. Now she has decided to create her most 16th one-of-a-kind designs for the rest of us. I'm John L. Hanson, Jr. and welcome to another edition of In Black America. In this week's program, Lamanica Davis, owner of Miracle on 16th Street, in Black America. To me, when you have a quality product, people will buy what they like if they think they're getting their money's worth. And it's just how it is, even with myself, even though I may scale back in one area if it's something that I really want, then I'll get it. You know what I mean? I too stay focused on the fact that because we have to cut back on so many other things, a lot of times people still want to do things for themselves.

And whether they buy a scar for their own personal use or they may say, oh, well, my mom would love this or my favorite aunt would love one of these or, you know, something to give somebody a really nice gift. It's something out here available and it's one of a kind. And it's handmade. Lamanica Davis is part of a fast-growing movement in this country, African American women who are starting their own businesses. For many years, she crocheted for the love of the craft. She found out it was therapeutic and allowed her to relax and focus on nothing but the project. When she began making scarves, she never knew how it was going to turn out. Davis would design and choose the colors as she went along. Her main interest was coming up with a unique color combination, even when something as simple as a stitch pattern, the right color combination can make the scar amazing. One day while sitting in a room making one of her most 16 scarves, she realized that what she was doing for family and friends, she could share her creative talents with everyone.

Between 2002 and 2008, the number of firms owned by African American women increased by 19 percent. Twice as fast as all other firms. According to the Center for Women in Business Research, they generated $29 billion in sales nationwide. Analysts say entrepreneurship is the next frontier for these women. They have degrees, work histories, and increasingly management and sales experience. Recently in Black America spoke with the Miracle on 16th Street, Lamanica Davis. Well, Detroit is a good place. It's just like very similar to other major cities. Of course, we have our challenges, but people overall are, it's almost like they, I don't really know how to put it, but very protective of the city because we get such bad publicity. But there's been a lot of growth. I actually live in an area where they did the redevelopment in building brand new houses in condos in certain areas near the old Tiger Stadium or the old train station.

So, I'm actually a part of that process. And they're currently building the downtown area, which is where I work now. And like I said, unlike any other major city there are challenges for some reason. We get a lot more pressed in some of the other places. Your former mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, is now serving time for not abiding by some of the stipulations that were set out for him to be on probation. What would take on his marrow ship? Well, actually, I was pleased with Kwame. The things that he was bringing to, well, how can I say, the things that he got started or the different, the housing from one thing. And he was doing a lot of good things. I just think Kwame got, he lost his focus. And you know, being a young mayor and whatever life he had before or friends he had before then, I think he had a problem with separating the high position that he had with just his regular everyday life.

But a lot of what he did was totally self-inflicted. You recently opened up a business or I just became aware of it that you designed and make one of a kind scarf, Kwame. When did you become interested in Kwame? You know, I thought about it and I've always been crafty for like a better word in middle school. I learned we had a sewing class where they actually had a lab with sewing machines and teachers which they don't have now. I had wood shop and all the things that they don't even think about having anymore today. But I had, like I said, sewing class days to make my clothes in middle school and make things for my nieces. But I remember watching my sister mail book crochet, not crocheting, but knitting little skirts and tops for her Barbie dolls. She loved Barbie, right? I used to watch her knit that, knit those and she taught me how to knit.

I watched her. But I never really liked knitting because it's not forgiving, meaning if you make a mistake it's really complicated to fix it. So in my middle school class we had a teacher who would crochet. So I started doing that and like I said, I've always been a latch hook or paid by numbers or something like that, so I started the first thing I made was an afghan and a blanket for my daughter when she was really young. And as I was making the blanket, I'm like when I got a little ways through when I first started it, I said, oh this could be a good scarf. So I didn't make the blanket and just like wrapped around my neck so this is a cute scarf and I really just took off from there. And I really think I got started because at that time my mother passed and that was totally traumatic for me. I'm the youngest of five and I was still at home with her so I was just in a frenzy just all the time.

So I found that it was relaxing. As I was doing it, it allowed me to calm down and any stressful situation, I grabbed some yarn, I grabbed some yarn and that's really where it took off from and it's been on ever since. Can you explain to the technique of crocheting? It's not like knitting, so. Right, right. With knitting you have two, I don't want to call them stick, two knitting needles that you use and knitting is a little to me a little more complicated. And again, like I said, it's a little less forgiving when you make a mistake or something but with crocheting, there's only one hook and if you make an error, you just pull that little stitcher loose and keep going. So that was easier for me. I did knit some things and then I said, okay, now this is too much but the crocheting is quick. I can make a scarf while watching a movie or just I made one recently on my way to Mississippi. You know, it's just anywhere I go I take it because if I have a free moment, then I can

do it. And I don't know, I just love it, it's like I'm at work and I'm thinking, okay, when I get home, what am I going to, what colors am I going to put together, how am I going to do this? So the technique is easy and I've tried over and over to teach it to my daughter when she was, she's 21 when she was around 14 but you probably know that 14, they're not interested in crocheting or knitting or anything like that. I said, come on now we can do this together. She might have made a couple of circles and just lost interest in it. I know she regrets that now but see, I couldn't get her interest and that takes me to a point I mentioned to a friend of mine that I know because I'm always in the craft stores and I order my yarn from all over the country and I noticed that we as black people don't involve our children in crafts. They might be in getting anything else but they're not getting in crafts and so I wonder why because I could be in this craft store and see them, the kids, the mother, the son

and the aunt or whoever picking out different crafts, not necessarily crocheting things but just all kinds of crafts and it bothered me because I don't know anyone who, any African American person, other than maybe two or three who actually have their children or get their children involved in that and I never could figure it out and I don't know if anybody could help me with that but I don't know why that's one of the things that we never do. If you can't pass it on then because like I said one craft leads to a professional something, a professional designer or decorator but you have to, it's like anything it has to be input, has to be put into the child as a young person for them to even have something to fall back or look back on and say oh well my, whomever used to do this, it just doesn't happen anymore so I tried, I tried to get everybody into crafts but they kind of look at me because I did balloon decorations that was another thing and all of that goes into being

able to coordinate colors or styles or all that can, it all plays in the same game but I love the scarf. Don't give up on us yet. No I won't. When did you realize that this hobby could turn into a business? Well probably since, let me see I wanted this is 2010, 2002, what I used to, I started really getting into it I would say then and what I would do is I would through the spring and summer you know make scarves I do I crochet every day, year round and at the end of the year I would have a scarf show either I would rent a facility, the first one I had at my home then I rented a facility then I did one at the facility called the Rock Financial Show Place in Novi, Michigan and it's a really huge thing that they have a Christmas show every year so I did that and then I'm still thinking okay this is just a hobby, just because I love to do it and everybody would, I'd have people come back to me every year, okay

well I need a 2007 model, my scarf is a 2005 and I need one of this, so as people you know just the group of people that knew about my scarf and who purchased them from me they would keep coming back, okay I need another one for this season, my other one is a 2000 whatever model you know so and then I sat down and I said okay I can do this, this is what I love to do, this is what I do all the time, why not not just limited to the friends and family that I know in my area, you know there are people all over who like one of a kind things and some people buy things just because they're one of a kind and I noticed I did a lot of research I went to high-end stores I went to the other stores and they have things that are beautiful, not quite as nice as mine in my opinion, but they have, I could go to the store here in Neem and Marcus and they have scars and what have you but there's 20 of them on their rack, so if you think okay each Neem and Marcus or Macy's has 20, so

you could easily walk into somewhere and somebody has your things on and so I said well one of a kind and plus when I after I make one I can't make the other one because I get bored, I can't make an identical one, because my creativity in my mind is going okay, what do I do? Yeah absolutely and I never know what it's going to turn out to be when I start, I have no plan when I start it, so that's the problem I could never say well okay let me design this and somebody because I design it in my head as I go, I may do two rows and then say oh and looking at all my yarn which I have probably as much as a craft store, but I just look and say I should put this color because I love color and I love putting colors together that people would normally think don't go together, so I said oh I'll grab this color and then I might do a few more rows, different changes to stitch and they say oh let me get

this and put this in there, so that's how I come up with the design, I don't do it ahead of time, I might have an idea of what colors I want to put together, but what it's going to turn out to be at the end I have no clue when I start, so to make the same thing over and over I tried that once and halfway through and I'm like okay I can't do this again, I got another idea, so there came the idea to just do one of a kind which is more special to people because people are intrigued by the fact that they will never have to see anybody else with that on. How did you come up with the name Miracle on 16th Street or most 16, how did that come to be? The Miracle on 16th Street I was sitting when I decided to turn this into a business and share it with everyone, I said okay I have to come up with a name, not just a fly by a night name, just anything I said, it's got to have meaning to it and my favorite movie has always been one of my most favorite movies is Miracle

on 34th Street, the Christmas film, and I love Christmas, I love the holidays, so I said Miracle on 34th Street and then I thought about it and I said what I live on 16th Street, so and it just popped in my head, Miracle on 16th Street, this is where I perform my miracles and it just clicked and my girlfriend said oh that's a good name, she said but you need to call your scars, MO16, so later on you have that to be the design of your scars, somebody can say oh I have an MO16, you got one and this isn't as so, and that's how it came to be, it was perfect, it was perfect, it had I not lived on 16th Street, I may not have even thought of that but it just clicked all at the same time and then there's a bead that I put, that I sew into everything I make, the signature bead that I sew into every item that I make, whether it's a hat, a scarf, a blanket, or anything, and that just, it's like my tag, instead of putting a tag on there with my name on it, because

a lot of people will cut off a tag when they buy something, so I got to think of something that they won't remove and I look through maybe thousands of beads and that was the ones that to me just fit all of my scars, so anyone who ever purchases anything that I make will, that be signature bead is in there. Now you have, I assume three distinct styles in which you crochet, bird of paradise orchard and iris, could you explain those, the difference between the three? Well the bird of paradise, which, well first let me explain why I picked those, I went through, I wanted to categorize the scars, because like you said you have birds of paradise with the orchid and the iris collections, now they're based on detail, all of the scars are great, but some, the iris collection are, they may not have as many different yarns in it or more simple style that would be the iris collection and then going up the orchid

that's got a little more detail than the iris, and then the birds of paradise which is the top collection is just like sky's delimit, whatever I may just go really crazy and make something go shawls or wraps as they're called and those would be in the bird of paradise collection, so what I did was I wanted to name the collections based on those facts and I couldn't think of, you know I look at different designers that you have Polo, Ralph Lauren has different collections and what have you, and so I said okay let me find something unique, I almost used jewels instead of flowers, but then I looked up every flower and I looked up the definitions of each flower and it was just, it just fit because the flowers it was giving the, what the meaning of them, if each flower was and bird of paradise is my favorite flower, so it gave the definition and what it, what that flower stands for and that's how I determined the different groups of flowers or the names I would say, they

kind of go with the designs of the flower, of the scarves. Now when someone orders a creation, a scarf from you, you have no idea of what that scarf will look like other than selecting from the three categories as far as what the detail of the scarf is going to be, I assume the consumers letting you do what you do. Oh absolutely because I don't, I'm not taking orders, I'm doing what I do and I'm presenting it to everybody to see what I do and hopefully they will see something in the collection and I know they will, it's something in there for everybody, you know the person who's very ultra conservative, who doesn't like a lot of fly ash or a lot of color, their items in there that are simple, there are really colorful but classy items in there for people who like color or who may have a certain coat or outfit because a lot of the scarves can

be worn not necessarily with a coat but with an outfit like you put a turtle neck on and wear a scarf with it so some of them are designed for that and so pretty much and I tried to on the website the developer who did an excellent, excellent job arranged it so that you can get a close-up view, you know because you see the picture but you're able to click on it and get and pull up or zoom in as they say on the item so you can even see the the type of stitching even though most people wouldn't know what stitch it is but it'll give you an idea of what it's going to look like when you get it in the mail and I'm very particular, very probably, oh I don't know, very particular about detail so very meticulous so I make sure that and presentation is everything so I'm going to package it nicely it's going to be sent to you in a nice clean new box because I've ordered things and got a box that looks like somebody just re-look like they cut it to that size and taped it

up but no it's presentation means a lot to me because I'll also when I'm sending out the scarves I packaged them in a to sheer organza bag with a drawstring and I wrap it into tissue and I put it in the bag and then I put it in the box with tissue paper and this bag is a bag that people can use to store their scarves over the spring and summer so you don't just because their handmade you have to treat them delicately is not like they're made on a machine that you get at the stores where you can just toss it and most people just toss it in the closet for the after the winter is over but I give them instruction on how to fold it wrap it back in the tissue a piece of tissue paper put it back in the bag that I'm supplying you with and put in a drawer on the closet or what have you in this will extend the life of your scarves because you can't treat it like a scarf you buy at the store because it's not made on a machine and it's delicate. You have measurements which in which you go by or the person submits to you as far as

how large they want the scarves to be. Like I said right now I am positioning myself to try to create or design scarves that people will buy that are already that I've already made at some point I mean if it's a really really big deal or if somebody really really really wants something I would consider doing that but I'm not more or less advertising that I would do the special ones but I will but what I'm really trying to get them get have happened is for people to know my the quality of my items and right because they're buying it site unseen so my point is to order one that you like off the website at that point you can see the quality and the texture and everything and how much I put into it and the church member of mine says you're going

to do well because you do this with love and that was so amazing that she said that she said there's love in this it's not just a business it's not just money because when I was making them before if somebody liked I was like okay well here you know you can have this one you can and I did that because I wanted to see them they were happy and I was happy to see them with my scarves on when I you know when I go to church and see them or whatever and my my ultimate goal and all of this would be to go somewhere and see somebody that I absolutely don't know with one of my scarves on that's the ultimate thing for that would be the ultimate for me how did you come up with the I guess the concept or work with the designer of the website because it's an interesting website you like it and how does how does one find your website my web address is www.moll16thstreet.com so that's moll16th and then the word street spelled out and then the designer was amazing

I was how long would it take for you to be satisfied with with the design wow it took us took us some months to get this exactly where we because you know people and I said this has been a truly a learning experience I think this is probably the biggest part of the whole thing but let me back up a minute I was talking to my niece one day in February January February and she was going she was on her computer and she was going through her web pages and this and this and I saw a design and I said oh that's nice who did that she said oh that's my friend he does this he designs you know websites or he's a web designer and not necessarily just the web he has a company now jcorp and I she said I'm a call and so she called him on the phone and we talked at that moment we met and at that point it was on after that he's fantastic and we sat down and created the logo so there's a ball of yarn with M.O. dash 16 miracle on 16 street underneath

and that's my official logo and so we played around with it he came up with the ball of yarn the one in the number 16 I had him change it to a crochet hook to represent a one so you know it took us a few times to come up with that and then he designed it because what you can't do in my opinion is when you dealing with a person that is creative you can't be on their back all the time for lack of a better way to put it you have to let them do what they do. Lemonica when we hear about the economy and you living in Detroit and some of the problems is it is experiencing what gives you faith to go forward in this endeavor? Well in that that did come into play I thought about that a lot to those people are buying or making purchases based on not like they used to you know at some point people would just go and getting and buy stuff and stuff they didn't need or so everybody's scaling

back but to me when you have a quality product people who people will buy what they like if they think they're getting their money's worth and it's just how it is even with myself even though I may scale back in one area if it's something that I really want then I'll get it you know what I mean so I tried to stay focused on the fact that because we have to cut back on so many other things a lot of times people still want to do things for themselves and whether they buy a scarf for for their own personal use or they may say oh well my mom would love this or my favorite aunt would love one of these or you know something to give somebody a really nice gift it's something out here available and it's one of a kind and it's it's handmade so if we can get back to that to any degree then that would be great. Namanika Davis owner of Miracle on 16th Street a one of a kind handmade scarf business located

in Detroit Michigan. If you have questions comments or suggestions ask your future in black America programs email us at lowercase jhanson at kut.org also let us know what radio station you heard us over the views and opinions expressed on this program are not necessarily those of this station or of the University of Texas at Austin you can hear previous programs online at kut.org until we have the opportunity again for technical producer David Alvarez I'm Johnny Ohanson Jr. thank you for joining us today please join us again next week. CD copies of this program are available and may be purchased by writing in black America CDs kut radio one university station Austin Texas 78712 that's in black America CDs kut radio one university station Austin Texas 78712 this has been a production of kut radio