Westville Art Scene Propelled by Immigrant-Owned Businesses

By Roman Minotti and Ryan Skronski

By Eli Robert Parsons

But Wisdom also felt deceived by the tall buildings and exquisite structures that led him to believe America would be perfect.. He sought new opportunities and a bright future when in reality, the people in America were uneasy about accepting him; they weren’t used to something different. His expectations and dreams differed from reality and he felt the United States was a sham.

I listen to him as he tells his story about why he started in fashion. He wanted to put his culture into his work. He wanted to share his styles with New Haven and bring his Jamaican culture with him to America. He feels a personal connection to making mostly women’s clothing, for the way women dress in Jamaica is very important.

At first, Neville Wisdom had trouble selling his clothing to the people in New Haven. They saw something different and did not want it. The New Haveners thought that anything different or unusual would look bad on them.

Neville tells us about how he still has trouble selling his clothing today. People do not always look at the actual style of clothing, but instead the culture behind it. When people wear it and buy it, however, he says they always come back wanting to buy more.

When he finishes telling us about himself and his background he takes us to his basement, where he keeps all of his machines and tools that help him make his well known clothing.

In Neville’s basement he has a variety of machines. He has sewing machines and a machine that cuts out the shape of the clothing from a patterns he makes on his computer. This technology is top of the line and it is a lot more efficient than using a manual sewing machine. It helps create and tailor his clothing with precision and gives him a reputation of quality..

After the great talk and tour of Neville’s business I reflect that Neville was a man who came to America with hopes to achieve his dream. He dedicated himself to what he loved and now he is a successful fashion designer who is well known to the New Haven county.

Gabriel DaSilva and his family immigrated to the U.S when Gabriel was sixteen, after they had waited four years to be granted a visa. As a family, they were restricted in the choices they could make in their home country, Uruguay. They were drawn here for economic reasons, as they saw the potential for many jobs in the United States. DaSilva had no knowledge of what to do when he arrived there. He could speak no English and really had to start all over. In Uruguay, he and his family farmed fruit orchards, but when he came to New Haven they weren’t able to. Gabriel and his uncle took up landscaping.

Gabriel told us a funny story about the process of learning English. After work he attended English class for three hours every single night for two whole years. Over time, Gabriel started to learned how to use English to do ordinary things, such as how to order a Big Mac with fries and a Coca-Cola. One time in the morning, Gabriel went to McDonald’s to order a Big Mac with fries and a Coca-Cola, but the cashier didn’t seem to understand. He was not making any sense, so Gabriel asked again. Again, he got the same response so Gabriel had enough of it and walked straight out the door in frustration. After he got home, he realized that the Big Macs were only available after 11:00 AM!

Gabriel’s wife is on the opposite end of the story though. An immigrant herself, Inger came from an economically advanced country, Sweden, and came to the U.S. with her career almost already planned out. A trained practical nurse, Inger came to the U.S thinking she would only be there for a year, but her plans changed drastically when she met Gabriel.

In 2002, DaSilva bought The Frame Shop from the original owner who opened it in 1967. Gabriel didn’t know how to manage it, but he figured he picked up on things very quickly so he decided to keep the shop running. Thanks to Gabriel, The Frame Shop has now been a part of the Westville neighborhood for over fifty years. Gabriel and Inger continue to be very successful and happy to this day.