Conversations with Houston White: Minneapolis Entrepreneur, Designer, CEO, SuperMan
Minneapolis houses many creative and driven entrepreneurs, Houston White standing out among this group of hardworking individuals. Noted as a champion of change by Minneapolis Magazine, Houston inspires many within and outside the black community. Houston wears many hats – from a business owner to a tee-time expert to a fashion designer. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to interview this multifaceted leader; I was expecting greatness, but his story and wisdom still took me by surprise and left me in awe.
Houston started his entrepreneur days young at age twelve, while growing up in the cities, by selling haircuts to cater to his artistic side as well as to aid his economically unstable family. Houston recognized haircuts were “a currency, a social status” and that this “art was the flavor of the day.” Many years later, this side hustle of Houston’s evolved into “the mature version” of what Houston did as a kid – the Houston White Men’s Room (HWMR), a barbershop in Camden Town, North Minneapolis. Years later amidst the pandemic, Houston transformed this barbershop into a multipurpose cultural hub.
The Houston White Headquarters now features The Get Down Coffee Co in addition to HWMR. When asked what prompted him to take on an additional, new business endeavor, Houston emphasized “culture plus capacity”. After the death of George Floyd, Houston’s friend and founder of Dogwood Coffee, Dan Anderson, offered to help relieve some of the pain Minneapolis residents faced from the awful incident. Houston reiterated that no donations were needed, but there was a pressing need to help sustain the sense of community. And, with that, Dan and Houston collaborated to create a coffee company to “capitalize on community” and “diversify the specialty coffee category commoditized and controlled by white hands”.
Houston eagerly spoke on the role his business initiatives play in his community: building it. Houston confidently claims business is the backbone of community, and proximity is crucial in establishing a sense of community anywhere. “We need to show young people it is possible to do something great in your own neighborhood”, which is what Houston did and continues to preach to further grow his prosperous black community in North Minneapolis. In regards to the Minneapolis community as a whole, Houston strives “to put on for his city” and embrace it all because it has influenced him substantially. He leans into the city’s “local talent, which is rich with art, people, and diversity”.
Houston also initiated a Be the Change golf tournament amid the pandemic to raise money for youth organizations in need as well as evoke conversations around race and inequality by bringing together people of different social classes, ethnicities, backgrounds, and careers. Houston finds “golf to be a great connector” – players can build relationships with their foursome which builds trust in a business sense. The whole idea of Houston’s tournament takes this aspect to a whole new level, and aspires to “build trust across difference, especially with young black men”. Houston strives to change the game of golf to embrace more diversity, especially after his nephew pointed out his distaste with the sport because no one looked like him on the course. By encouraging people to step out of their social circle and play this personable game with new faces and races, Houston hopes to spark social change outside of golf too.
Aside from hair, golf, and coffee, Houston loves fashion, which is evident through his recent partnership with Target to launch a unique, gender inclusive collection of apparel to Target guests. We asked Houston to describe his new clothing line, to which he responded with “a cultural evolution of American style, influenced by my lived experiences.” Houston hopes, with this relationship with Target, to provide elevated, fresh, and culturally relevant pieces at a valued price point to his community and all. He continued to speak of the brand as “Afro-centric street preppy vibes” that is a healthy balance of “on trend looks with a timeless aesthetic”. Houston created the collection to offer shoppers personalization in styling, as well as a balance between “fashion-forward and liveable” pieces (Target x Houston White). Shop the versatile yet on-trend line here.
Houston wrapped up our enlightening conversation by sharing his visions for his flourishing brand in the future. “In 100 years, I see it as an inflection point in apparel, as a pivotal point and the next era of fashion”. Houston believes his brand will be described as the North Star during the Pandemic amidst protests over inequalities all around the globe. The Houston White brand “literally built a prosperous, well-lit black neighborhood that welcomed everyone”.
Houston also kindly left us with three valuable pieces of advice.
Entrepreneurship is comparable to the work of, say, a physician: you need a “residency” (or, more generally speaking, support.) “The quickest way to help yourself get to where you want is to help someone else and invest in that”.
Be fearless.
Lead with humility. No one likes an asshole.
