By Tyler Eagle | September 8, 2020
“We can make it what you want,” Padma Yerramilli said about the shirt designs.
With her children older and a desire to pursue her interest in fashion, stay-at-home mom Padma Yerramilli figured now was as good a time as any to start a business.
The Monroe woman, along with her husband, Anil, recently opened Custom Designs by Amu and Ani.
The store, located at The Mall of Monroe, 2121 N. Monroe St., specializes in custom T-shirts featuring designs commissioned from Padma.
“I like to make unique designs,” Padma said. “Something customers can’t get somewhere else.”
Draped in T-shirts emblazoned with Padma’s designs, the store is open during regular mall hours.
Anil said the family had been contemplating the business move for a while. The family knew it wanted to specifically start a T-shirt business, he added.
“My interest in fashion started after my daughter was born,” Padma said.
IF YOU GO…
What: Custom Designs by Amu and Ani
Where: Mall of Monroe, 2121 N. Monroe St.
When: Mall hours – 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; Noon-5 p.m. Sunday
How much: Varies, but T-shirts typically $25.
More information: Call 734-322-3030 or email customdesignsbyamuandani@gmail.com.
With their daughter, Amruta, in school at Monroe County Middle College and their son, Anirudh, in the fifth grade, Padma and Anil decided to forge ahead with their idea.
Using the nicknames of their children as inspiration for the store’s name, they developed a business plan and began looking for space.
They came across the mall and saw an opportunity to play a part in its revitalization.
“The mall used to be buzzing,” Anil said. “We want to help drive more traffic to it.”
Customers can select from a catalog of ready-to-go designs or work with Padma to come up with a concept. They also can bring in their own design or photo, Padma said.
Padma crafts her designs from her customers’ wants and also from inspiration online. Printing a shirt can take up to 30 minutes, though that time may be longer when working with a customer’s idea for a design.
Shirts typically cost $25 a piece and are printed in a variety of ways. Such methods include sublimation, heat transfer sheets and vinyl printing.
Customers get to select the color of the shirt they want and can view the design prior to printing, according to Padma.
Some designs can even be printed on solar shirts, which change colors when in contact with direct sunlight.
The store also sells other apparel items, including hoodies, sweatshirts and caps.
What sets the store apart from other retailers is that it has the ability to create a product specific to a customer’s interest, Padma said.
When people walk into most stores, they are choosing something, not because it is what they want, but because it is what’s there, Anil said.
“We can make it what you want,” Padma added.
The Yerramillis planned to open the store in March, but COVID-19 hit and the subsequent closure of businesses deemed unessential by the state delayed its establishment.
When shopping centers were able to reopen, they opened their store to the public. Though traffic has been slow, which Anil attributes to lingering effects from the shutdown, the Yerramillis are hopeful for their business’ future.
It also highlights the need to patronize local businesses as opposed to those helmed by corporations, according to Anil.
“Local businesses are the ones most affected by COVID,” he said. “Local businesses have been left to fend for themselves.”
The store is one of the first to take up residence at the mall in recent years, following a slew of departures, including flagship stores such as Carson’s and Pat Catan’s.
Last year, Cafaro, the company that owns the mall, announced a redevelopment strategy designed to attract more nontraditional businesses to the retail space, including offices, restaurants and other commercial operations.
Since then, entities such as Monroe City Church, Monroe Community Players and River Raisin CrossFit have been established at the space.
The Yerramilli’s store is a a strong example of that strategy, said Joe Bell, director of corporate communications at Cafaro.
The new store “falls in line with the redevelopment plan we’ve been pursing, which calls for seeking out local businesses and providing them the space they need to grow,” Bell said.