In honor of International Women’s Day, coming up on March 8, we are featuring a women-owned business that embodies the spirit of this day. Threads by Nomad works with people all over the world helping refugees put their talents to work, provide for their families and show their value by designing and making beautiful sustainable products. Our February customer spotlight features Threads by Nomad, located at 6201 Bonhomme in Houston, Texas. We met with co-owner/founder Nell Green to learn more about their history, what they do, and why they picked Boxer as their home.
History of Threads by Nomad
“I’ve been a minister for 35 years, and in that ministry, we worked with people overseas. I’m a nurse by education. My husband is a social worker. So, our work naturally fell into the lines of social help type ministries,” admits Nell Green.
“Eight years ago, we got assigned to Houston, specifically to work with refugees and to address the issue of human trafficking. [It] became obvious to me that here in America there was potential for doing things very differently. I wanted people to fall in love with the diversity I fell in love with. People really care about these issues and they are willing to do their part to help make a difference. People love to purchase something that they will enjoy knowing that [the] purchase has made a difference in the life of an individual. We call it purchasing with a purpose,” Green declares.
Threads by Nomad became licensed three years ago and has been in production for about two and a half years, but Green has been working with refugees for more than 30, saying “[We] kind of got to the point of we were very tired of giving just handouts, and instead we wanted to prove to people that refugees have a lot to contribute.”
About Threads by Nomad
Threads by Nomad is a mother/daughter duo – Nell Green’s daughter, Christen, lives in Alexandria, Virginia and is all things marketing and design, whereas Green oversees production and customer service in Houston. Celebrating diversity through design, they source their fabric from around the globe and create unique looks, while hiring refugees to bring their creations to life.
“By providing economic stability for people who are on the far end of the refugee highway, they thrive where they are at, so they don’t need to become a refugee,” Green says.
Threads by Nomad wants everyone to thrive – not just survive. Have a career rather than a job. “One of the things that we’ve done differently, because we want people to really understand it is possible – you don’t have to speak English to work with us, you don’t have to have an education to [work] for us, and you do not have to have a particular religious affiliation.”
Experience at 6201 Bonhomme
In the office with Green, Threads by Nomad has one full-time person and two contractors who come in as needed. As for why they chose this Boxer Property location, Green says “I drove around to what I thought was any available studio space that might work for us. We’re a brand-new company, so cost was a factor and I needed something in a location that was easily accessible for our refugees, because most of the refugees who currently work with us live within a couple of miles of this property.” Threads by Nomad plans on opening a sister nonprofit soon to provide an educational opportunity for artisans.
Drop by on March 20th, at 8:30am, for their ribbon cutting and breakfast in the Tenant Center at 6201 Bonhomme and to tour their studio.
For more information about Threads by Nomad, visit:
Website | Email | Phone: (409) 292-9383 | Facebook | Instagram
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