Orono Community Education

Patric Richardson, the owner of Mona Williams, is a longtime lover of beautiful clothes. Starting as a child, Patric developed an appreciation for wonderful clothes and incredible service at great, lost department stores like Parson’s and Stone and Thomas in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. Voted best dressed in eighth grade and again in high school, the obsession with clothes continued. In college, there was only one choice, a degree in Fashion merchandising, apparel and textiles. The time at the University of Kentucky allowed Patric to hone his skills with textiles, becoming an expert in their use and care. While attending UK, he worked at the legendary store McAlpin’s, and then transitioned to Embry’s, the finest furrier in the South. This knowledge and dedication gave Patric the opportunity to write a case study for a nationally recognized collegiate textbook “The Meaning of Dress”. After college, the transition to Minnesota was easy, Patric took a job at Neiman Marcus selling beautiful clothes in an exceptional environment. Working there for 3 years, he had the opportunity to be a,manager at Nordstrom. While at Nordstrom, he worked with leaders in high fashion, growing the business and learning the significance of the runway. The opportunities to learn about chic at Neiman Marcus, and about runway style at Nordstrom gave life to the idea of Mona Williams. Since opening Mona Williams, Patric has received many accolades from being mentioned in the “best of” issue of Mpls/StPaul to being asked to participate in the MIA Italian Style exhibit where the clothes were featured in a runway show for Third Thursday. Patric was recently featured in the Lifestyle section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune showing his love of clothing care and expertise with laundry.