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Date: 8/30/2021
HOLYOKE – The city of Holyoke sparkled with extra enthusiasm on Aug. 7 during the ‘Sneaker Mixer’ at the Paper City Clothing Company. Lining the streets with vibrant clothing and local vendors, the communal event celebrated Paper City’s recent storefront redesign in collaboration with the YouthWorks program. YouthWorks is a state-run initiative that features high school students working alongside local businesses to gain valuable experience.
The redesign represents the infusion of a spirited new perspective. Backed by funding from the MassDevelopment Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Creative Catalyst Grant, nine students were guided by store owner Carlos Peña, alongside staff members Fernando Goffe and Katy Moonan, in an extensive program that quickly grew into a labor of love for both parties.
“We want to support and spread knowledge to them, these kids are the future of our community,” Goffe said, who directed the students throughout the event. While the students were initially aiding the store in day-to-day tasks, the idea to redesign the store sprouted from the young students’ resistance to the original design.
Peña explained that the younger generation did not see the store fitting their modern sensibility, but he and his team were happy to address the issue. “The youth told us we needed to change everything about the store. So, we handed it over to them,” Peña said. Students worked diligently Tuesday through Saturday to create a space in their image, reworking Paper City into an area where their peers could buy and trade clothing items.
Each day would start with a boardroom meeting where mentors would connect with the students about their lives. “Sitting at that table and speaking on the same level helps them open up and be more comfortable,” Peña said. Students would then work to paint, clean and curate the space while also vending in the Holyoke Food Market.
The mentor’s allowed students to take command of the store as they worked to paint, clean and curate the space.
Since the store opened in 2016, Paper City has operated as a beacon of social enterprise. Peña and Goffe said they dreamed of a space where they could positively impact the community since their nostalgic college days at UMass Amherst. “I saw that kids did not have an outlet to produce art or to be artistic, with theater and the arts always being the first to go [in budget cuts],” said Peña. Along with creating a place where youths could host artistic gatherings, the store establishes its sense of community through a distinct mixture of custom apparel and original designs.
The original designs act as a loving homage to the local area while also symbolizing the group’s idealistic goals within the community. They range from proud celebrations like “Bestern Mass” to thoughtful mantras like “Forever Growing.” “People overlook the importance of human connection and growing in the connections they form,” Goffe said in his explanation of the “Forever Growing” design.
Paper City’s efforts to empower a younger generation has stuck with some members. “We have the power to change what we want with the event, so we are giving it our own twist. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make clothing but have never had the chance to and they’re helping me out with that,” said group member Jhendry Payamps.
The Paper City Company are creating more events to engage the community this year, including a youth open-mic night and their annual holiday pop-up shop. The store is located on 358 Dwight St. Holyoke and can be reached at 240-8307.