Kamini Purushothaman, Contributing Photographer

Upon entering MINIPNG, shoppers are greeted by vibrantly-patterned clothing, handmade jewelry and occasionally, even sweet treats.

Since September 2022, the store has been invigorating the Audubon Arts district, attracting locals, highschool students and Yalies alike. Founded by Eiress Hammond, the store is the only Black-owned business currently located on Audubon Street. The name MINIPNG is a combination of Hammond’s nickname, “mini,” with that of the file-type she first saved her artwork as, “png.”  

“My favorite thing about having a store is just the community that we’ve built,” said the store’s founder Eiress Hammond. “People just come in just to say hi, or they’ll come in to sit around or read a book.”

Hammond has strived to make the store a community hub. Her vision for MINIPNG, as not just a store but also a place for shoppers to socialize and unwind, has come to fruition in the past year. For her 24th birthday, she served up a 15 percent-off sale along with an ornate cake decorated by local baker Anna Levinson. In October, she held a belated celebration for the store’s one-year anniversary combined with a Halloween Costume contest. 

In collaboration with Matteo Feliz, who runs the vintage market Forgotten Flea, Hammond has hosted two bazaars outside her store on Audubon street. These outdoors markets, called “Offline on Audubon,” featured vendors from all over Greater New Haven.

Lelah Shapiro ’27 discovered the store last fall when she was helping her older sister move back onto campus and said she now frequents MINIPNG. 

“My sister’s a junior here, and she told me about it,” said Shapiro. “She absolutely loved how a lot of the outfits were actually created or designed by Mini.”

Shapiro often returns to the store, drawn in by Hammond’s creative designs and commitment to sustainability. She mentioned the success of  December’s “Offline on Audubon,” highlighting the event’s DJ and gushing over the wide variety of items there.

That day, vendors sold curated clothing, customized hair clips and antiques. Inside the store, cases for lighters ornamented with glass eyeballs rested on a shelf and people lined up by the door’s entrance for stick-and-poke tattoos by bamboo.pokes. 

“I’m an avid fan,” said Shapiro. “This is like my entire wardrobe.”

Mentioning MINIPNG’s  proximity to Koffee?, Shapiro said she often browses the shop after a trip to the cafe. But MINIPNG’s convenient location was serendipitous rather than calculated. Hammond actually stumbled upon the vacant storefront by accident, while she was on a trip to Good Nature Market’s Whitney Avenue location. Realizing the space could be the ideal place for her store, she decided to seize the opportunity. 

Hammond, whose family has roots in New Haven, said opening the store on Audubon felt like coming full-circle.

“My grandmother actually went to ECA [Educational Center for the Arts],” she said. “It was a wholesome moment when I opened the store there. She went to school, like literally on the same street.”

ECA is adjacent to MINIPNG. Hammond noted that when she first opened, it was students at ECA who most often visited her store, coming in during their lunch breaks or when they got out of class for the day.

Hammond described her grandmother as a “very artistic child” growing up, something she has inherited. Her grandmother’s family immigrated from Puerto Rico before moving to Brooklyn and ultimately settling in New Haven.

Today, Hammond often travels between New York and Connecticut, organizing pop-up events at flea markets and running her storefront. She said she hopes to open another MINIPNG in New York, preferably on the Lower East Side. 

Right now, Hammond said she is focused on discovering more ways to bring the local community together. For her, that means organizing more events in Connecticut, collaborating with other designers and working to make prices more affordable. 

“I feel like whenever we want to experience something, we always leave Connecticut,” said Hammond. “I want to bring the stuff that people leave the state for here.”

This March, Hammond plans to do just that. Thrift2Death, an NYC-based pop-up market, is coming to Audubon on Jan. 30 to run a fair with Hammond. The event will be sponsored by Yerba Mate, and Hammond said that the popular teas will be available throughout the event.

In regards to affordability, she said, “We try to keep our prices in a range that is accessible to everyone.” 

For one shopper, Hammond’s compassionate business model is admirable. Sarah Michelle Elanaya said Hammond has held pieces for them when they were short on money and given them the opportunity to sell their zines in the store. 

Elanaya first discovered MINIPNG after reading about a Black-owned business opening in the district. They noted that MINIPNG’s markets draw a more diverse crowd than they’ve seen at other flea events in Connecticut.

“I feel like in the era of social media, it’s rare to find someone in the community that is as welcoming in person as they are online,” said Elanaya. 

Hammond sells clothing both at her store and on her website. While she advertises most of her events on Instagram, she also posts physical flyers to attract other members of the community. MINIPNG’s layout facilitates an experience-based shopping experience, contributing to the store’s inviting nature, but Hammond’s warmth truly makes customers feel at home.

Both Elaneya and Shapiro emphasized her amiability, saying they became friendly with Hammond after chatting with her inside the store. 

“It really is more than a storefront,” Elanaya added. “It’s a place for folks to express themselves uniquely.”

MINIPNG is located at 77 Audubon St.