PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — This week marked the start of the holy month of Ramadan. A Muslim-owned shop at the King of Prussia mall is hoping to normalize the holiday for people who may not be familiar with it.
The Ummah Shop is located on the lower level of mall, between Macy’s and Bloomingdale's. It’s a rare find. The boutique is chock full of items specifically curated for Muslim shoppers and those looking for Islamic wares.
“There’s so many Muslims in this area. I thought, 'Why can't we go to a place and find stuff for us,'" said Sherrima Sharif, owner of The Ummah Shop.
Ummah means “community” or “people” in Arabic. Sharif says she wanted to create a gathering place that would make the region’s Muslims feel comfortable in one of the area's most popular shopping centers, and would welcome non-Muslims.
"I wanted it to feel like a community store, like home," she said. "I also wanted to do my part in providing a platform to support Muslim-owned businesses."
Sharif says, many times, Muslim families pay high shipping costs to order items from overseas. The Ummah Shop helps them save those costs by using a network of 50 small businesses, many of which were selling products online or on social media.
Now these micro-businesses, most of them women-owned and Black-owned, have a storefront, and people can come in and buy handmade products in person.
Items include Ramadan decorations, home decor items, Muslim children’s books and clothing, modest fashion for women, jewelry and Muslim holiday gifts and much more.
"You can’t find all these things in one place," she said. "It’s unheard of."
Sharif’s husband, Musa, known as “Moses the Comic” on Instagram, sells his novelty tees and sweatshirts at the shop as well.
Sharif notes that many Muslims are forced to purchase their religious items, clothing and other goods online. There are pockets of Muslim-owned stores, but mainstream stores fail miserably.
"You walk into stores like Target and larger conglomerates and, while they have Christmas, Hanukkah and other decorations, there’s very little for us," Sharif said. "It's slowly starting to change."
America’s Muslims number roughly 3.45 million, or about 1.1% of the total population. Philadelphia is home to more than 270,000 Muslims and has one of the nation’s largest population of Black Muslims of any city in the U.S.
Yet, Sharif says, the Islamic population in the region is underrepresented. She notes Muslims pray five times a day, and there are few spaces where they can observe the ritual. At the Ummah Shop, there’s a prayer room that people can use, where they can feel safe.
"I’ve prayed in my car. I even prayed under a stairwell, because there was nowhere to go," Sharif said, "but here, people can just feel comfortable."
On Sunday, when The Ummah Shop hosted its grand opening, Muslims from all over the region came to the mall to show support. Socially distanced lines extended out of the store, and Sharif sold out of her inventory.
"I think it was a win for the entire community to witness and to see," she said.
An accountant by trade, Sharif grew up in Philadelphia. She got started in retail by selling items bazaar style to celebrate Eid al-Adha. She also sold "Muslimah boxes," containing curated items for Muslim women, through a subscription-based service.
But she wanted to step up her game, so she got a job at the mall. Eventually, she took the leap, opening up her own shop.
"It’s so exciting," she said. "Us having the acknowledgement and representation was really the motivation behind me opening the shop."
That and spreading the word about Islam, Eid and more. To that end, Sharif says, during the month of Ramadan, the Ummah Shop will give out free Qurans. They will also host events in the shop to bring people together.
"Just to spread the word of God, as we believe," Sharif said. "This space is for everyone."