For nearly twenty years now, sisters Marina Shimelfarb and Liliya Gokhberg have run their up to date vogue boutique, Atelier957, out of St. Paul, Minnesota. However in 2026, the shop has largely remained closed, in a show of solidarity with the immigrant communities being focused by ICE within the Twin Cities. Right here, Gokhberg displays on seeing her house state in turmoil—and the way she’s discovering hope in a metropolis rallying for change.
My sister lives in St. Paul and I stay in Minneapolis. We’re each immigrants. We got here to the USA [in the late 1980s] from the previous Soviet Union, and lived in what’s now known as Kiev, Ukraine. We’re Jewish, and Jews within the Soviet Union have been thought-about second-class residents.
We have been adults once we came to visit. My sister got here along with her husband and son, and I got here with my husband and daughter. Then, about 17 years in the past, we turned enterprise companions and opened our boutique in St. Paul. My sister, Marina, was a seamstress. She had a customized clothes store however wished to transform her enterprise into retail. We [settled down in Minnesota] as a result of our cousin got here right here a yr earlier than my sister. Minnesota now looks like house: We have now lived right here longer than we lived within the Soviet Union. Our youngsters grew up right here, and we constructed our enterprise and group right here. Our complete life is right here.
Proper now, the entire metropolis may be very drained and offended. It’s exhausting to listen to and see what is occurring day by day. Issues have intensified since Christmas. Eating places are closing as a result of they need to defend their staff. A variety of occasions have been canceled within the Twin Cities. It’s extraordinarily difficult as a enterprise proprietor. Proper now, folks really feel it’s frivolous to buy groceries as a result of persons are actually struggling, and are so burdened and scared. Trend and retail have all the time been affected by the financial system, politics, climate—however proper now, it feels very totally different.
When you’re driving, it’s a must to be vigilant; you search for uncommon or unmarked automobiles. The streets are empty, except protesters and whistleblowers. Colleges are closed; youngsters went into distant studying in each St. Paul and Minneapolis. My daughter works as a instructor in a personal faculty, and he or she needed to undergo a coaching on learn how to defend her youngsters. It looks like a struggle zone. It looks like we’re below siege.
We’ve additionally needed to make decisions: Will we speak about [ICE], as a enterprise, or will we proceed enterprise as standard? We decided to talk up, and we won’t proceed enterprise as standard. Our doorways have been closed. We settle for guests by appointment solely. We’re proper in the midst of downtown, so there’s loads of exercise round us. It doesn’t really feel secure. Trend is hard as a result of we promote luxurious—we don’t promote requirements. In instances like this, we’re the primary ones to endure financial results. However we perceive [we should be] a part of this battle. On Friday, we had an financial blockout in Minnesota, which allowed staff to freely protest. We have been a part of it as a result of there’s no different approach of coping with the state of affairs.
My sister additionally went to a vigil on Saturday night in St. Paul, and I went to a vigil with my daughters in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis one was held two blocks from the place [Alex Pretti was shot by Border Patrol agents]. The road the place Alex was murdered, it’s in an immigrant group. We name it “Eat Road,” as a result of because the early Nineteen Nineties it has been a avenue with every kind of ethnic eating places. It’s in all probability 4 or 5 miles of various companies—Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian, Mexican, Jamaican. Minneapolis is extraordinarily numerous—particularly south Minneapolis, the place [the ICE raids are] occurring.
