How The Islamic Holiday Decor Business is Booming Thanks to Covid
By: Hedija Spahalic
Texas-based Muslim-owned businesses are filling a void, made even starker by the pandemic
From festive lights to gift boxes to custom wrapped Nutella jars, Muslim-owned small businesses are growing in line with the need for inclusive holiday decorations and gifts. This need has helped mainstream Islamic decor with stores like Walmart, Target, and sites like Amazon cashing in on this growing market.
It was feeling left out of holiday celebrations like Christmas and Easter that first drove many of these businesses to invest in creating a celebratory family faith tradition. The need to resurrect what she had as a child is what inspired the mom of two boys, Sana Hassan, to found Memorable Creations in 2012.
“I feel we lack that natural atmosphere that we see in Muslim-populated countries,” says Mckinney- based Hassan. “Growing up in Pakistan, most of the Islamic festivities were part of the norm, and since I was part of that whole community practicing a similar faith I was immersed in the cultural aspect of celebrating such events.
“I felt a strong urge to recreate that fun and festive atmosphere for my own kids. Also, when my son grew a little older he asked me why we don’t have Eid and Ramadan decor at big-box retailers. Since I was already running my business I had an answer for him. I said, ‘See, that is why we made our own shop to carry products that allow us to celebrate Eid and Ramadan as an example.’”
Sweet Greetings was the brainchild of sisters, Sarah and Farah Ghias, who specialize in creating thoughtful and practical gift boxes. Inspired by the prophetic saying or hadith that exchanging gifts will ‘lead to increasing your love for one another,’ the founders wanted their products to mean something to those who were receiving them.
“We started Sweet Greetings in 2016 when we felt there was a real need for giving beautifully curated, thoughtful gifts with a personalized touch,” says CEO Sarah. “At that time, gift cards were the “go-to” for gifts, a convenient option but lacking any creativity or thoughtfulness. We wanted to revive the lost art of gifting by creating a platform where you can send beautiful, meaningful, and high-quality gifts with ease and without the stress.”
With items sourced from women and minority-owned small businesses, the Dallas-based enterprise’s products include home decor, candles, and tasbeehs or misbahas, a beaded string used as a counting aid during prayer. Sarah says their clients include companies Google, American Airlines, Salesforce, Pepsi, and Launchgood, among others.
“One thing we really excel in is creating on-brand, creative, and memorable corporate gifts. Whether it is to onboard a new client, to thank employees, or event and holiday gifts — our corporate clients love the fact that they can outsource all their gifting needs to us!”
Hassan and Ghias both say that Covid increased sales and interest in home decor within the community.
“The business flourished during that time. People were homebound, missing their friends and families and they started thinking of ways to connect with them,” says Hassan. “I started receiving inquiries about gifts for friends and families. Moreover, since people stayed mostly home they made an extra effort to decorate their houses for Ramadan and Eid.”
Ghias agrees. “Families were isolated from each other, celebrations were canceled, daughters could no longer physically be with their Mom on Mother’s Day, friends could not meet to celebrate birthdays, weddings were postponed — people were yearning for a way to connect through the distance, and that’s where we came in. We made a way for people to connect meaningfully with their loved ones, through thoughtful personalized gifting, delivered with ease — no matter the distance.“
For one young entrepreneur, COVID itself was the inspiration for his Ramadan and Eid business. Last year, at the age of 13, Ashraf Kuzbari founded Vibe Flames, a company that produces LED light decorations for indoor and outdoor use. The Murphy school student says that he sensed how the pandemic was bringing down people’s moods. With Ramadan swiftly approaching, he decided to do something to boost community morale.
“I had noticed that there was a lack of Ramadan decoration in our community,” Kuzbari said. “I was truly saddened that this was the case and that COVID-19 had killed the Ramadan spirit. The following year, I decided that I wanted to bring the spirit and decorations back to our community.”
The teen was inspired by the success of his initiative and now offers Ramadan/Eid Outdoor LED light strips as well as the typical indoor decoration edition. This was to ensure the lights could be installed outside for the Islamic holidays. “This edition of the Vibe Flames LED lights were engineered specifically for these two special occasions, featuring special modes, features, easy installation, waterproof capabilities, and more!”
Kuzbari, whose products are created in factories and warehouses located in the US, says he has been gratified by the support of his community and friends.
“The Muslim community collectively encouraged me on my Vibe Flames journey from beginning to end, continuously providing me with positivity, new ideas, and support for the Vibe Flames store. “
Visit www.vibeflames.com for more information — use code AMERICANMUSLIM for 10% off your entire order!
