Mrs. Zainab Karie, owner of Hijaz Clothing and Merchandise, received her first loan from ADC in 2007 after starting her business in 1997. Before this, Mrs. Karie moved to Minnesota from Kenya with her six small children. She then went on to open her small business while raising her children as a single mother.
Mrs. Karie started working with ADC in the early days of the organization. Through our business and financial literacy class and technical assistance, she learned how to operate her business and has received numerous loans over the years as her business has grown.
Mrs. Karie has faced many challenges and barriers over the life of her business. Being an immigrant, woman of color, and single mother she has had to weather many storms, but she said, “Hers and her children’s lives depended on the success of the business. It was the only option”.
Mrs. Karie’s main dream for Hijaz and the future include potentially purchasing and moving her business into a large space. Her advice to other business owners at any stage is to being willing and ready to adapt and to have a lot of patience, businesses do not start and grow overnight, but if you work at it you will reach your goals.