Call and Response
By Melissa Karen Sances
Published in Northampton Living | April 2026
It’s hard to know when Aimee Salmon’s calling started. Was it after she moved here from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2013? Or after she started taking Zumba classes and people noticed that even if she couldn’t speak the language, she was at home in her body? Or was it less than a decade later, when she became a Frances Perkins scholar at Mount Holyoke, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and education and minored in entrepreneurship, organizations and society? 2023 was certainly a significant year. That was when, for graduation, Salmon dyed her Afro her now-signature purple, the color of her honors sash. That was when, in November, she opened her business, Positively Africana By Aimee, a lifestyle brand celebrating authentic African culture through retail, fitness and community.
The funny thing is that as her business grows and goes national, and she only becomes surer of her calling, it seems to start farther back. Maybe it started with her grandmother, herself an entrepreneur, even after, especially after, a local volcano erupted and Salmon and her family were displaced. Then, her grandmother established informal markets and built sustainable community structures founded in Ubuntu, a philosophy centered on common humanity. “Aimee, this Ubuntu we practice here will flow through your hands to heal hearts in lands I cannot imagine,” her grandmother told her in 2002.
Maybe that was the beginning. But now that her grandmother is gone and she is here, Salmon only sees her mission more clearly. “I understand her better now than when I was a kid,” she said. “Now I know exactly who she was.”
The resilience of her grandmother reflects the spirit of her community, which Salmon in turn channels through her business, located on Level 2 of the Thornes Marketplace, where she curates gifts, jewelry, clothing and home décor made by African entrepreneurs. All products are also available nationally at positivelyafricana.com.
One of her most popular products are her Aimee dolls, which expose children to different races and cultures. The dolls are available with or without Salmon’s purple Afro. “The kids are really responding, and I enjoy her myself,” she said.
Twenty-five percent of proceeds support women entrepreneurs and artists in the Congo. “We don’t only work with them,” explained Salmon. “We also invest with them and partner with them.” Additionally, Positively Africana By Aimee teams up with the Jitegemee Children’s Program in Kenya, which provides education and support to children from low-income families. The partnerships honor the future, strengthen local businesses, create sustainable economic cycles across Africa, and preserve cultural traditions.
Salmon said that ultimately, growing nationally allows her business to employ and serve more people across Africa. The physical store is open every day of the week, but positivelyafricana.com is available 24/7. The more customers that travel to Northampton and bring her products back to their homes, the better it is for everyone.
As a certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer, Salmon also teaches Afrobeats, Functional Strength, Zumba and Strong Nation HIIT classes in the Helix Studio on Level 3 of Thornes and virtually nationwide. Positively Africana By Aimee members get a 10 percent discount on fitness classes and store purchases. Membership tiers range from “Discover” or drop-in, at $20 per visit, to “Flourish,” which ensures “complete cultural immersion” for $115 per month. Other benefits include community workshops.
In reflecting on her past and considering her future, Salmon acknowledges that, like her grandmother, she has experienced risk and resilience. “At Mount Holyoke I had to take a leap of faith,” she said. “A lot of students went straight to work for corporations, and I wanted to follow my dream and my passion. The calling got stronger and stronger, and it’s a calling I have to respond to.
“It’s not about me – it’s bigger.”
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