Northside youth athletics mentor opens storefront at MOA
Honor Roll Athletics Owner Charles Caine stands outside of his storefront at the Mall of America. The backpacks he’s holding have colorways that represent each Minneapolis Public Schools. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson.
By Azhae’la Hanson, Reporter
Youth mentor and business owner Charles Caine joins the ranks of the 29 other Black-owned businesses that have a retail space inside of the Mall of America. He launched his athletic brand Honor Roll Athletics in 2021 inside the Northtown mall, and then transitioned to the Community Commons in the MOA, a co-op space for BIPOC and local business owners.
A year later, he got the opportunity to expand his corner of merchandise into a full- fledged storefront.
The store sells various athletic gear, ranging from leggings, jackets, jerseys, and backpacks, all with Caine’s own brand, Honor Roll Athletics.
The brand was created out of his love for the youth in North Minneapolis, so much so that 10 percent of the store's profits will be put back into his own Northside youth programming, Brothers EMpowered.
Brothers EMpowered was created by Caine after the birth of his first son to mentor youth ages 13-18 in North Minneapolis. The organization teaches the values of community service, health and wellness, self development, and sports.
The store's general manager and Caine’s younger sister, Marcia Kroma, proudly stands behind the register to help Caine maintain his dream.
The store carries most kinds of athletic wear and in the colors of your local school. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson
“I'm so proud of him,” Kroma said. “My brother came a long way from blood, sweat and tears.”
Caine recalled growing up and being in the wrong crowd. Unlike a lot of people who could look back on their younger years and thank sports for changing their lives, Caine’s was the opposite. He says he was too involved in the streets and gang activity to take in the mentoring sports provided. He slipped through the cracks.
“I was more involved in the streets and street life, gangs, drugs,” Caine said. “It really took from my academic, athletic interests and career. I was into sports and was pretty good but because of my street activity, I didn’t have as much support.”
He attributes his success to coming to terms with himself, his actions, and his family. Taking accountability for his life and his outcomes is what Caine finally needed to take control of his life, and once he wanted to instill it in others.
“A lot of times we can point the finger and there are a lot of fingers to point, but everything starts with self,” Caine said. “So I had to get on with my process of overcoming inner demons and to overcome those outer barriers.”
Caine drew a connection between the lack of male role models in the community and crime and substance abuse. He remembered being young and needing a symbol of hope. Caine saw the first symbol of hope during the birth of his first son, and then he created another one through Brothers EMpowered: The symbol of Honor Roll Athletics.
He was looking for a way to teach his youth entrepreneurship and financial literacy; they started with candy machines and failed when Caine realized that his students were only interested in free sweets. He revisited the lesson and pitched something that they all had in common: sports and fashion.
“They were extremely excited about it,” he said. “I knew it would be something that would definitely be a hit because what it does is make academic and athletic excellence a fashion statement.”
Chrishina Mitchell, a high school senior and employee at the store, confidently reps Honor Roll Athletics inside and outside of work.
“The game isn’t just the game that you're playing, it is the game of life,” Mitchell said. “You have to be great at whatever you do, no matter what it is.”
By running Brothers EMpowered in North Minneapolis, and having a storefront at the Mall of America, he hopes the two entities feed into each other. The decision to conduct business outside of his community was fueled by his drive to bring the Northside along with him as he pursues better economic opportunities.
Charles Caine holds his favorite hat, he’s proud that the design is a combined effort between him and the youth he mentors in Brothers EMpowered. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson.
“We want this story to be an anchor for the community of North Minneapolis, Caine said. “So, we’re here at the biggest mall in the country, not only just to build economics, make money, and run a business, we're also pouring back into the community and using this platform to be able to do it.”
Community can be seen in every aspect from his store design to the employees themselves. The advertisements on his walls are his sons, employees are program participants, and even the backpacks were created with the community of Minneapolis in mind, with color ways that represent each Minneapolis Public School.
The Mall of America generates $49 million a year. Caine hopes his business can be a part of those numbers. He is excited for the coming year. Soon, he will open another enterprise, a Youth EMpowerment Center to teach the trades to youth.