By Sigourney Bell and Erial Malone<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NABJ JSHOP Reporters <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the outside, Tamica Banks\u2019 brainchild is located off the beaten path at a nondescript business park in Mountain Brook, Ala., a small Birmingham suburb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But tucked inside a small office lies SoulSistah3.0, an African-inspired clothing boutique full of colorful patterns, jewelry and oils seeking to become a staple on the local fashion scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Banks, who founded her business in 2017, told NABJ JSHOP she was inspired to create SoulSistah3.0 as a way to help her mostly female customers connect with their African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She strongly believes that Black women are influential to modern fashion not only by style, but also by beauty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe inspire the culture,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Banks said her inspiration for SoulSistah comes from frequent visits to Ghana to collaborate with a team of women to help choose fabrics and create the vibrant hand-made designs that drape on the store\u2019s sales racks. Banks often sells her wares at local events, by customer referrals and through social media sites like Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She sees her business as a sign of independence, not only for Black women in Birmingham embracing their African identities, but also as a way to financially help the Ghanaian women she collaborates with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Banks hopes she can someday work on SoulSistah full-time and move from its tiny space and expand into a big storefront in downtown Birmingham. She also wants to be able to offer scholarships to young women seeking to create their own businesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour paths build a brighter future,\u201d Banks said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more information, follow SoulSistah3.0 on Instagram at soulsistah3.0_.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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