Paul Bass Photo
Rashaan Boyd (shown above at center right), makes his new venture official, surrounded (from far left) by city Deputy Economic Developoment Director Cathy Graves, brother Tyson, Mayor Justin Elicker, mom Medria Givens, and partner Alonte.
Carlos Eyzaguirre hustled to squeeze in some family shopping while conducting city business Wednesday on Dwight Street.
The city business: Attending the official ribbon-cutting for a new “luxury streetwear” business called A Hustler’s Vibe at 162 Edgewood Ave., at the corner of Day Street. Eyzaguirre, a city government deputy development director, joined a half-dozen fellow city officials amid a crowd showing up to support the new business venture by clothing-line designer Rashaan Boyd.
Before leaving, Eyzaguirre purchased a “vibes” shirt that seemed just right for his 3‑year-old Yuki. “Her sister is going to get one, too,” he promised.
Boyd, a 2014 Hillhouse High grad — shown above wearing a pendant with a photo of slain childhood friend Sean Reeves Jr. — started his streetwear business online in 2019 and traveled through different states to peddle his wears/wares at public events. He has now decided to set down business brick-and-mortar roots in a vacant storefront last occupied by A Walk In Truth Christian bookstore, across the street from the 99 Edgewood Dwight Coop Homes where he grew up. “I grew up 100 feet from here,” he said at Wednesday’s event. “I could have opened the store anywhere. I wanted to bring it back home to my neighborhood.” (Click here to read a previous story about his venture.)
The store’s event and theme: “Good things happen to those who hustle.” At a speaking event inside the store, Mayor Justin Elicker elaborated: “A hustle to people in the community means one thing. But you have taken that word and underscored that it means working hard, not taking anything for granted, but making sure if someone gets in your way, you push them aside. Because if you have a goal in mind, if you work hard and don’t count on luck but you count on your hard work and perseverance, you can be successful. … We’re hustling as a city. You have set an example. We’ve got to keep on hustling. If we hustle hard we will be able to make great things happen.”
Friends on hand included Markese Clark …
… who repped his own similarly themed clothing line.
Afterwards, the bubbly flowed …
… and sandwiches from Zoi’s kept the crowd fueled to cheer on Dwight’s newest homegrown entrepreneur.
Click above to watch a previous interview with Boyd about his shop, when he was preparing to open.
Mayor Justin Elicker elaborated: “A hustle to people in the community means one thing. But you have taken that word and underscored that it means working hard, not taking anything for granted, but making sure if someone gets in your way, you push them aside.
if someone gets in your way, you push them aside. You are correct Mayor Justin Elicker.Infact the economics of this country are killing Black people at disproportionate rates. Black people are the original hustlers, we do not need a seminar on how to hustle. What Black people do need is to be compensated fairly for their labor. There still exists a substantial racial wage gap in this country across gender and all education categories.In the book by Lester Spence, author of Knocking the Hustle: Against the Neoliberal Turn in Black Politics, today.He said we have all been turned into hustlers, trying to monetize our “human capital” for economic advancement.But black Americans have to hustle more. A white family of four living at the poverty line has about $18,000 in wealth. A black family at that threshold has negligible wealth. Everyone is hustling, but poor black Americans are literally hustling from zero. For middle-class black people, the trends aren’t much better. Again, it’s not just income but also wealth that reproduces racial inequalities, so being “middle class” when you are black is not nearly as secure a position as it is for other racial groups. The black middle class takes on more debt for education, earns less for their educational achievements and struggles more to repay their student loans than their white peers.Hey Mayor Justin Elicker I like how you said.if someone gets in your way, you push them aside.We the woke people know that when it came to the hustlers who lived in tent city on Ella T Grasso Blvd I guess they got in your way and you push them out.