We were lucky to catch up with Iqrama Muhammad recently and have shared our conversation below.

Iqrama, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The PEACES Collective is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our mission is to “embrace and promote our heritage as makers to help build leadership and thriving communities using cooperative economics and education.” The seed for the organization was planted years ago when I volunteered at a thrift store and noticed the amount of clothing that was being discarded. It occurred to me that instead of being wasted and filling landfills, the cloth could be used to make creative and useful things. Here the idea for my company PEACES began. I began making tote bags using new and recycled fabrics and selling them at local markets and craft fairs. I received many requests for sewing lessons and eventually sought out a venue to teach. I started teaching sewing to adults and children at Jubilee Arts, a cultural community center in Baltimore, MD. This is where I discovered the power of creativity and the role that Makers can play in building creative and productive communities. We can use that power not to just create things but to create environments, industries and economies . And that it is not just in some of us…it is in each and every one of us! I witnessed that joy and sense of accomplishment in the eyes of each student who completed a project, no matter what the age. And it made me reflect on our history and legacy. We come from a people who make things with their hands and who have survived through the strong ties of community. There is an African proverb that states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far go together.” With that in mind I founded The PEACES Collective and began hosting quarterly maker pop-ups with two other makers, Fatima Frazier, a jewelry designer and owner of A Few Nice Pieces and Oahib Shepsuma’at, of BAMI Products, a local soap and personal care company. From 2018-2019 we grew to 15 makers providing quality handmade products, a gathering spot for community and giving a portion of our proceeds to promote community programs. And then the pandemic hit. Like everyone else in the world we had to shut down and adapt. We established our website in the fall of 2020 as a means to keep the relationship with our customers and using a portion of the proceeds from our sales to began producing a free online program once a month called Wisdom, Wellness and Wealth.

Iqrama, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My grandmother, Frances Robinson, taught me how to sew when I was a young girl. She also taught young girls in the neighborhood to sew after me. She was also a committed servant to her community. I guess I am following her example. Of course, I had stopped sewing for awhile (why sew when you can buy clothes from a store?) But after 25 years in the media industry, I traded business trips and conference rooms for sewing rooms and craft markets. Sewing is my “ministry” so to speak. I want to spread peace and love with each stitch. At The PEACES Collective we believe that by nurturing and cultivating the creative minds in our community we can meet whatever we need we have both socially, educationally and economically.
The uniqueness of our non-profit is that we seek to serve as a community common ground for three functions that provide service and build leadership.
1. We provide an affordable venue and cooperative environment for local makers and craftspeople to showcase their work and help build local economies.
2. We host workshops and events that meet the cultural and social needs of the community.
3. We develop classes and experiential learning in traditional handcraft arts.
Our relationship with our customers is more than transactional and goes into investment into the community. We call it “wholistic retail” where the focus is people over profits. We believe that exceptional artistry should be accessible to all. So, we offer artisanal excellence at budget-friendly prices.
TPC online boutique offers an eclectic collection of original handmade products such as bags, jewelry, accessories, personal care products, candles, African teas and more. We serve local makers and local communities. We also have partnerships with fair trade women’s cooperatives globally. We believe that by providing a powerful platform that supports and promotes local economies we can make a social impact by allocating a portion of the profits to develop community programs.
Our Wisdom Wellness and Wealth program provides free online panel discussions on the third Wednesday of each month. The program hosts speakers and experts on a variety of topics curated to meet the needs of the community. Topics range from how to be a maker, mindfulness to healthy eating, to money management. These interactive sessions allow participants to engage in discussions, solutions in discussions, solutions development, and problem-solving to achieve individual and community goals.
We are also continuing our SpREAD the Word that had to be halted during the pandemic. SpREAD the Word aims to promote reading, learning, and positive social growth. Disturbingly, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that 83% of Black 4th graders and 84% of Black 8th graders lack reading proficiency. This initiative encourages reading by donating and placing books in spots where the community gathers like barbershops, salons, laundromats and community centers.
Programs that we are currently in development are Sewing for the S.O.U.L. and Sowing for the S.O.U.L. Sewing for the S.O.U.L. is an introductory sewing program that offers a creative outlet and aims to foster leadership, personal development and economic alternatives for the community. Sowing for the S.O.U.L encourages community gardening as a way to address food deserts and build collective relationships throughout neighborhoods.
We are a small, primarily volunteer organization with a BIG vision. Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done!” We believe that collectively, together we can make lasting change, so we not only survive as a community, but thrive.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

We publish a weekly newsletter, Happiness is Handmade!” The newsletter includes information about local makers, history, art and current events as it relates to making and the community. We also communicate through our free events like Wisdom, Wellness and Wealth and send handouts on various topics to the audience. We connect on social media. We are about to launch a “Happy Maker Hour” where once a month we invite people to celebrate creativity, community, and connection. Facilitators will be on hand to give a demonstration and teach a new craft or you can bring your own project to work on in a supportive and inspiring environment. The “Happy Maker Hour” is more than just a crafting event; it’s where neighbors and communities come together to discover the joy of crafting and kindle new friendships,

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There are many things I had to learn during this journey. One thing I had to unlearn was always wanting to implement every “good” idea I think of, I’m an idea person. I have a hundreds of ideas in my head at any given time. But every idea does not have to be implemented. Especially when you’re a non-profit, largely volunteer organization with limited resources. Our director of operations and I would engage in many debates about adding programs to an already pretty full plate. She is primarily focused on the implementation and execution of programs, where I am focused on getting what I think are good solutions that will help people. I would be on a roll expressing an idea and she would stop me telling me that we don’t have the resources or staff to get it done. I thought she lacked vision, and she thought I was unrealistic…delusional even. However, after several intense discussions we’ve both learned to appreciate each other’s point of view and responsibility in the organization. There’s a myriad of problems in society today and I really want to solve every one of them. But that’s not possible. So now I have an “idea vault” where I write my ideas down and keep them. This allows me and the organization to focus on the existing and developing programs and give them the proper attention. As we expand, I can start pulling ideas out of the vault.

Contact Info:

• Website: ThePeacesCollective.org
• Instagram: Instagram.com/thepeacescollective
• Facebook: facebook.com/thepeacescollective
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeacescollectivetv2723/featured