INDIANAPOLIS — After more than a decade of creating custom clothing for sneakerheads like himself, Ronald Williams was done.
“I actually had decided to quit doing this the day that I got the email from them,” Williams said.
Inside that email was an invitation to interview for a retail space inside The Stutz. It was an opportunity from Indianapolis’ St’Artup 317, a retail accelerator program that connects Indy-based entrepreneurs with real estate.
A move to The Stutz promised to help Williams address two of the biggest challenges facing his clothing brand Nate Redd — space and foot traffic.
“I’m really, really grateful,” Williams said. “I needed it.”
Williams is taking over the retail space previously occupied by the brand WDRFA. But Williams isn’t the only new entrepreneur that’s moving into The Stutz.
Husband and wife duo A’Bryanna and D’Angelo Williams are also bringing their business to the historic building. But it’s not the first time they tried to call The Stutz home.
“In November, we came here to try to get a spot upstairs for our manufacturing and it was not necessarily affordable for us at that time,” A’Bryanna Williams said. “So to be able to come back and interview for this space, and then pick us, it's literally full circle,and it's amazing.”
The Williams’ own HBH Professional, a line of custom-made hair care products. It’s a business that grew out of A’Bryanna’s work as a cosmetologist.
“I kind of created a name for myself in the city [for] taking care of hair using products, having to mix and cocktail different products,” A’Bryanna said.
It was work A’Bryanna grew tired of and so she went back to school to eventually build her own product line. That’s where D’Angelo’s background in logistics came into play.
The pair is excited to grow their brand from inside The Stutz.
“This is an amazing opportunity for small businesses,” A’Bryanna said. “You’ve got to just take a chance on yourself and believe in yourself. We did and this is what came from it.”
Nate Redd and HBH will occupy the retail spaces for approximately the next 9 months.
You can learn more about St'Artup 317 by clicking here.
