On the East Side of St. Paul, a new cultural hub is bustling into the scene and it’s a “Vybe!” More than just a space, Vybez is a movement, a dream realized by Martrelle “Trey” Brown.
“Vybez is [referring to a vibe] just that,” Brown explains. “It’s a community space. It’s a dance studio. It’s an art gallery. It is a place where people of color can come and just kind of find that creativity that they’ve been looking for.”
Vybez was born out of Brown’s eclectic interests. “I get bored a lot. So, I’ve been doing a lot of creative things throughout the years, like building large games. I do burlesque. I do all sorts of things, and I kind of needed a place where it all could coalesce into one,” he shares.
That vision took shape when he stumbled upon a vacant space on Facebook Marketplace. “I saw it, and something was like, go look at it. And when we got in here, nothing was here. And I said, ‘Oh, I got a vision.’ And two months later, here you go. I have been working on this for two months by myself.”
Despite its rapid development, Brown has even bigger dreams for Vybez. “The goal is to make one here, one in Minneapolis, one in Brooklyn Park. I want it to be a space where it’s kind of like a brand. Where are you going tonight? I’m going to Vybez. Like, what could that be? It could be anything.”
For Brown, the East Side holds deep significance. “Most of my family moved up here from Gary, Indiana. Half of us moved to Minneapolis, and the other half moved to the east side of St. Paul. So I’ve lived in both places.
“Although I live in Minneapolis on the North Side now, I’ve always kind of missed that St. Paul connection. My family members are right off the street. So I needed a place where I could just be like, hey cousin, come see your cousin. And so the East Side is a perfect space for me.”
But Vybez is not stopping in Saint Paul. Brown’s vision of another location in Minneapolis extends to a particular community. “Specifically, North Minneapolis, because I think it needs it. One, I live there and don’t see anything else like this,” he says. “I just want a space where people, again, can come and feel welcome. And do unconventional things.”
Events at Vybez are already taking shape. “I think we’re going to do a throwback movie night. Come bring your blankets and we’re going to put the movies on the projectors. We have three projectors so you can get a full immersive situation. And just tell people, let’s go eat popcorn and watch, I don’t know, The Goonies or School Daze or something like that.”
Brown’s vision is simple but powerful: “I want it to be a spot where you genuinely say, ‘I’m gonna go there because I don’t know what’s gonna happen.’ I want people to bring other people in and say ‘Where are we going tonight? Vybez. What are we doing? I don’t know. But it’s gonna be amazing. It’s gonna be a vibe.’
“And I want them to leave and come back and say it was a whole different place. ‘I went there last week for this and this week for this.’ And as long as that keeps going and evolving, I’m happy.”
Vybez wouldn’t be possible without the team behind it, including Bianca Rhodes, the event coordinator and co-business owner. “It’s crazy because there’s so many different vibes within Vybez,” says Rhodes. “Right now, we’re on the main floor, ‘Grandma’s house,’ and it’s like an art installation of everything that you probably grew up in. If you were an 80s baby, that living room was probably what you grew up in.
“And then we have a karaoke room. We have a back room where you can play games. We have three projectors, and so they can turn on simultaneously and have visuals, video games, we’re gonna have screenings, we’re gonna have movie nights, it’s just gonna be a blast. So I’m really excited.
“Having sound baths, healing arts, yoga, burlesque classes,” Rhodes continues. “Martrelle is a burlesque instructor. So you’ll learn body positivity and you’ll learn how to move your body in a new way. So that’s what I see for the future. It’s gonna be absolutely amazing.”
From an empty space to a growing cultural hub, Vybez is a testament to community, creativity and perseverance. And as Rhodes puts it, “The future of Vybez will be like a Black-ity Black, Black on space with Black-ity Black things happening, smelling like shea butter and incense every day. People are gonna enjoy themselves. And find their vibe.”
Follow the journey on Instagram at @vybez.world.
