Tasneem Plumber, owner of Burhani Gems, said cancer wasn’t enough to get in the way of her dream of owning a jewelry store in the United States. “There are still people in the world who still want to buy jewelry,” she said. Now, she sells six figures worth of jewelry a year from her store and she’s not stressing about the uncertain economy. She said she still remembers her first sale - a sterling silver ring with a small emerald for $20. Even while doing chemo, she kept going to flea markets to sell her jewelry. Emotionally, financially, physically, mentally, everything fell down,” she said.īut the diagnosis didn’t stop her. She quit Macy’s but soon after was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then she decided it was time to strike out on her own. Plumber worked retail at Macy’s first to get a sense of the American jewelry market. “I wanted to explore the jewelry market in the United States,” she said. Plumber is also a member of Houston’s Dawoodi Bohra community, which is known for entrepreneurship the word “Bohra” likely comes from the word for “trader” in the Indian language of Gujarati.
from India at 38 with her husband, kids and a big dream. Houston business owner Tasneem Plumber came to the U.S. Immigrant women are also more likely to own their own businesses than U.S.-born women, of which just 7.5% are entrepreneurs. So we’re getting women who are moving into these businesses that sometimes are non-traditional.”Īccording to data analysis from the American Immigration Council, roughly 11% of immigrant women are entrepreneurs today - up from 8% in 2000. “Women in general are more educated around the world. That’s very different from what we’re seeing today,” said Susan Pearce, a sociology professor at East Carolina University. “There’s this assumption that when you say, ‘immigrant entrepreneur,’ we’re thinking about a traditional male entrepreneur, sometimes even going back in history. Originally from Kenya, Karimjee is one of more than a million foreign-born female business owners across the country. Ummehaani Karimjee, owner of the flower design shop Beginnings by UK, displays the imported flowers she uses to design her wedding displays and bouquets.
Then, when the pandemic subsided, her business took off. “People just want to celebrate more and more after the lockdown,” she said.
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Karimjee used the down time to read books and watch tutorials about how to care for fresh flowers. “I can’t imagine having so many weddings booked that year, and then just having to close everything down,” she said. She opened just as the pandemic hit the timing allowed her to avoid the setbacks other flower services faced. I think I can do this as a business,’” she said. “I was like, ‘You know what, I think I can do this. “I started out doing small backdrops for my daughter Zahra,” said Karimjee, who said her flower designs at birthday parties attracted the attention of her network of friends and family, including members of her tight-knit Shia Muslim community.
In the carpeted dining rooms of the Dawoodi Bohra mosque in the Houston suburbs, families mill around barefoot going from booth to booth where women business owners advertise their bakeries, clothing stores and dental services.įloral design business owner Ummehaani Karimjee stands in front of boxes of hot pink, mauve and orange flowers imported from around the world.
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