Black Business Spotlight: Sheer Treasures Marks 53 Years of Culture, Wellness and Community
Contributing writer Lizzy Nyoike profiles Sheer Treasures, the Northtown Mall shop owned by M. David and Gail Ricks that's spent 53 years selling everything from shea butter and African black soap to crystals and cultural artwork. What started with David selling incense door to door in North Minneapolis has grown into a business the couple describes as "a pharmacy" for wellness, discipline shaped in part by David's time as a Vietnam veteran, and a customer base built one relationship at a time.
For 53 years, Sheer Treasures has served customers seeking products that celebrate culture, wellness and self-expression. Located inside Northtown Mall in Blaine, the family owned business offers everything from natural body care products and herbal teas to healing stones, cultural artwork and specialty gifts.
Owners M. David and Gail Ricks have spent decades building a business rooted in community, education and customer service.
The journey to becoming a brick and mortar business was far from ordinary.
Long before Sheer Treasures occupied storefronts in Northtown and Ridgedale malls, David sold incense door to door throughout North Minneapolis. He traveled from apartment building to apartment building, introducing customers to products that were difficult to find in retail stores.
From there, the business expanded to farmers markets, trade shows and craft fairs, allowing the couple to build relationships and grow their customer base one interaction at a time.
Eventually, those efforts led to their first retail kiosk, followed by multiple kiosk locations and later a permanent storefront. The business spent years operating at Ridgedale Center before returning to Northtown Mall nearly five years ago.
The path wasn’t always easy.
To help sustain the business during its early years, David balanced entrepreneurship with a career in education. A former high school principal, he spent years working full-time while continuing to grow Sheer Treasures during evenings, weekends and summers.
Today Sheer Treasures offers a wide variety of products designed to appeal to customers from different backgrounds and interests.
Among the store’s inventory are natural shea butter products, African black soap, fragrance oils, incense, crystals, books, herbs, teas and cultural artwork. The store also carries exclusive products developed by the owners, including aromabugs car diffusers and the Baby Momma Cards collection, a line of humorous greeting cards that ships to customers nationwide.
“We are the village of unique,” David said.
According to the owners, the goal has never been simply selling products. Instead, they aim to create a space where customers can learn, ask questions and discover solutions that support their overall wellbeing.
“We’re like a pharmacy,” David said. “People come in and they have a problem or they have something they want to correct, we can help you and give you accurate information.”
That emphasis on education and customer care has become a defining part of the business model.
Products in the store range from $2 to $350, making them accessible to a broad range of customers.
The couple credits their longevity to a combination of selling quality products, knowledgeable service and a commitment to treating customers like family.
“Customer service is first,” David said.
The business has also benefited from David’s experience as a Vietnam veteran. He served in the Army from 1968 to 1971, an experience he says helped shape the discipline and organizational skills necessary to run a successful small business.
“When you own a company, you’re doing everything,” he said. “We have payroll, accounting, insurance, advertising, sales, inventory, all of these things that a major company would have, except it’s just us.”
Like many mall-based retailers, Sheer Treasures has faced challenges related to declining foot traffic. However, the owners remain optimistic about the future and hopeful that new developments at Northtown Mall will attract additional visitors.
For Ricks and David, the mission remains.
They want customers to find products they can’t easily locate elsewhere while feeling welcomed, informed and represented.
“Majority of the items that we have in this store, you cannot find in a Walmart or a Target,” David said.
More than five decades after selling incense from his car, David still believes in the value of personal connection and community-centered business. In an era dominated by online shopping and big box retailers, Sheer Treasures continues to offer something rare, a place where culture, wellness and conversation come together under one roof.
Lizzy Nyoike is a Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
