A Shop Sold on Polish Pride
by Marty Blaszczyk

Patti Brown lamented nearly four years ago about the connection between the passing of relatives and the disappearance of much enjoyed family Polish holiday traditions.

Shopping online for a then hard to find Polish item, Brown learned how to start a revival of Polish culture and history in her family, in Toledo Polonia, and with the next generation of Polish descent. "I finally found some Polish T-shirts. They looked like they had been designed in 1970. They weren't good designs," recalled Brown and added, "I could do better than that."

In her Monroe Street plaza shop, there are over 30 styles of Polish T-shirts from the White Eagle symbol to the pointedly proud printed statement "You Bet Your Dupa, I'm Polish". All the shirts expressing one emotion "Polish Pride" which is the name of her store. The atmosphere inside the shop brings alive the company name. A large Polish flag drapes the storefront window. Ornate displays of Polish pottery sets line rows of shelving. The back wall has an array of baby T-shirts to make any Busia proud of her "Little Pierogie".

Polka is the background music to the shop talk about Poland. Brown encounters daily customer Polish language lessons to historical events from World War II. "People want to learn. They want to learn about their heritage. They want to learn about where grandma came from," said Brown of the customers patronizing the shop.

Her niece, Kady Wonacott, and mother, Carol Cuda also assist customers during shopping hours. While awaiting a customer's arrival, they practice Polish words and read books about the homeland. "This is about family and having fun. I am a workaholic. I might as well do something that brings my family in or I'll never see them," said Brown. She put in eight months of research work on the variety of Polish products, availability, and competition before opening the business. "It was fun. I started to learn, my favorite thing," said Brown about her persistence in staying with the business concept.

From November through December of 2005, Brown opened a vending space in the Erie Street Market with four styles of T-shirts, one hat, and a key chain to test the customer base. At the same time, she developed her own website. "I put a product out there (internet) and a few days later someone said they want that. I didn't have it made yet," recalled Brown.

As she moved to a kiosk in the Westfield Franklin Park Mall before Easter of 2006, Brown began attending Polish Festivals in the Midwest and Eastern United States, toting supplies and tents as far as a ten hour drive for long days and nights of festival vending.

From the end of May through September, Brown currently rents space at over a dozen Polish Festivals including the Lagrange Street Polish Festival.
Festival patrons are the opposite in shopping attitude of the store customers. "At festivals they want party goods. They want the coolest T-shirts. They want beer. They want a good time," she said. "They take my card and come to the website. Then they really look and buy the other items."

Brown specifically opened in a mall setting to create a market for her generation of 30 and 20 year olds. "You've got to let them know it is cool to be Polish. I tried to get a little edgier (t-shirt) designs without completely offending anyone," she said. Mall comments from the upcoming adult generation indicate Polish products can appeal to the youth market. "Kids were walking by getting ready for the movies. They were walking by the Irish cart and walking by mine and saying "Polish, it's the new Irish'".

The plaza shop, opened in May of 2008, has allowed Brown to increase the amount of popular sellers and customer requested imported items. There is a cart of Polish cookies, candies, soups, pudding, and tea. Imported Polish pottery expanded from pieces to a shelf full. Polish apparel has expanded beyond T-shirts to golf shirts and windbreakers. Popular baby shirts will eventually have such accessories as bottles, socks, and pacifiers.

When names were suggested for the new business, Brown kept coming back to the emotion that stirred the learning of her ethnic heritage, Polish Pride.  "It is just, what it is," said Brown of the shop.