Entrepreneur combines art and business in new shop at Railroad Park
Art and business may seem like very different endeavors to some but not to Birmingham entrepreneur Samaria Arenas.
"I've honestly always felt that they just go hand in hand," Arenas said. “To be successful at either, you have to be very creative, willing to take risks, and forge your own path."
Arenas, 26, is certainly following her own advice.
Not only is she pursuing a unique dual major in art and entrepreneurship at UAB, she is opening her own retail shop in a converted shipping container at Railroad Park.
Arenas will host the grand opening of Rainy Day, which Arenas calls a handmade retail collective, this Friday, Oct. 7, at 5 p.m.
Rainy Day is located in the park near the corner of First Avenue South and 14th Street in an 8 foot x 20 foot container made by another Birmingham entrepreneur, Eric Tasker of Small Box Co.
All of the items at Rainy Day are handmade, and "95 percent of the goods are made in Birmingham, but everything is made in the Southeast," Arenas said.
At the grand opening, Arenas will offer attendees complimentary snacks and beverages from We Have Donuts, Naughty But Nice kettle corn and Revelator Coffee.
There will also be a crafts table. “You can decorate your own pumpkin,” Arenas said.
Her stock will include T-shirts from 1871 Project, wall-hanging macrame from Modern Magic Macrame, totes and prints from Max and Mila, soy candles from Bemele candles, organic dog treats from Blind Dog Biscuit Co. and more.
Arenas also will sell her own artwork – "tiny little collages," she said – as well as her metal and leather work.
Handmade items are "exciting" to Arenas, she said. "Handmade isn't just about the object. It’s about the people that make them and the connections and stories that form when people interact with them."
Arenas, whose family is originally from Venezuela, grew up in Auburn and attended Savannah College of Art and Design for two years.
She moved to Birmingham in 2014 for two reasons -- to attend UAB and to fulfill what she calls her "real-life dream" of opening Rainy Day.
“The first time this idea came to me was in ninth grade for a class I was taking where we had to make up a plan for a hypothetical business," Arenas said.
She said that, as an artist, it is "exciting" for her to help other artists get an audience for their work.
"I'm also happy to make handmade goods readily and affordably accessible to everyone," Arenas said. "Normally you'd have to wait for a farmers market or some sort of festival, but I think it's important for there to be a place where handmade goods are always available.”
Consumers are increasingly drawn to unique, handmade items, according to Arenas. "I think people are always seeking to connect, with themselves, with their city, with each other, and local handmade goods allow you to do that," she said. "They provide a story you can relate to, and a uniqueness that makes the piece you own special and gives you an appreciation for individuality."
Tasker told Iron City Ink recently that he's combined his architecture degree and entrepreneurial inclinations to help other small business owners in the Magic City makes their dreams a reality.
By leasing out modified shipping containers, Tasker can provide entrepreneurs the physical space to test the market before they commit to leasing a brick-and-mortar retail place.
“I chose Railroad Park to start because it’s one of the most vibrant markets in Birmingham," Tasker said.
And Arenas is also pleased with the location. "Railroad Park was my favorite place in Birmingham even before I moved here," she said. "It's special to me because it brings together all kinds of different people and has a very unique landscape."
The winner of “The Big Pitch” will be chosen after a “Shark Tank”-style public competition on Nov. 12.
For more information about the shop, go to rainydaybham.com.