Kiva Iowa profile: Fashionably Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS — As someone born and raised in New York City, Stevie Brown has always had a love for hip-hop and fashion.

These days, he’s bringing that love to Eastern Iowa as the owner of East 2 West Clothing.

Located at 1506 First Ave. NE, East 2 West offers clothing for men, women and children — clothing that Brown says isn’t available anywhere else in Cedar Rapids.

He obtains most of his merchandise from vendors in Chicago and New York.

East 2 West opened in 2021, but Brown says owning the business is a dream he’s had since first coming to Iowa to visit a relative in the 1990s.

“There wasn't a lot of hip-hop fashion here at the time, so I saw a big opportunity,” he says.

After studying business management at Kirkwood Community College, Brown began renting a space in the backroom of a beauty salon Cedar Rapids in 2005.

“At that time, I would sell shirts, hats and accessories to customers before and after getting their hair styled,” he says. “I knew that one day I wanted to have a store of my own.”

Once Brown had his own store in 2021, he realized that he needed more resources to afford advertising and the expansion.

“A gentleman with a food truck in Waterloo was talking to a barber about a Kiva Iowa loan,” he says. “I overheard them, and it sounded like a great program, so I looked into it.”

Kiva gives entrepreneurs access to a microlending platform to raise zero- interest, zero-fee, extended grace period loans. The loans can be for up to $15,000, and lenders can give as little as $25 at a time.

Brown saw an opportunity to raise money for additional store mannequins at East 2 West Clothing, as well as digital signage for the exterior and advertising on Facebook and other platforms.

“I'm really thankful for Kiva and would recommend it to anyone in business, whether you are just getting started or if you would like to expand your current business,” he says.

Looking ahead, Brown has ideas about expanding into additional locations. For now, though, he’s focused on creating a community right where he is.

“I love being an entrepreneur first and foremost,” he says. “But I'm so used to working with the people who come into this store, that it keeps me inspired every day.”

To learn more about East 2 West Clothing, visit it on Facebook. To learn more about Kiva Iowa, visit https://newbo.co/kiva.