FAIRBORN, Ohio — A town once considered a ‘sundown town’ to keep people of color out is now home to a new African boutique. The shop’s owner said she wanted to create diversity.
Sylvia Chess’ brand-new boutique is filled with traditional African clothing. It’s a boutique that stands right in the middle of small downtown Fairborn, a town that she said where something was missing.
“When I moved here, I just felt like that there was nothing downtown for people of color or minorities. so I just said, ‘let me open up something that will bring a level of diversity here’,” said Chess.
It’s a level of diversity that she said the town didn’t always allow.
“We already know that for one was one of the last sundown towns in Ohio,” said Chess. “A sundown town is when you are in an area where Black people are not supposed to be out in public or wherever after the sun goes down.”
That’s why when she opened the African Utopian Boutique last month, she included a section in the shop on Black history.
“It’s kinda like an aha moment for a lot of people… so it says a lot to me that Fairborn has really grown to where it used to be, to where it is today,” said Chess.
She said the boutique is only a part of what she’s doing to try to create more diversity.
“I wanted to open up a CDL school to help individuals with learning disabilities such as ADHD, dyslexia, or any vulnerable population that want to learn how to get their CDL and, you know, have a sustainable income. so my background is in transportation and that’s what I want to do. I also want to open up a center for diversity and inclusion, so we did,” said Chess.
She bought the building next door to teach classes on those issues all while running her brand-new shop.
“It gives us an opportunity to share our history, our love, our passion, our gifts, our talents, and our love for people,” said Chess.
