Whidbey store supports African businesses, organizations

Each handcrafted garment, accessory, food and personal care product that lines the shelves and clothing racks of the Whidbey African Store tells a story of hope and female emancipation.

The colorful store, which opened this fall in Oak Harbor’s Log Cabin, is a place where locals can purchase unique finds, learn about different cultures in Africa and support a good cause.

For Owner Juliet Dei, it marks the first step toward her dream of opening a skills training center for women in Ghana, her home country.

“My aim is to be able to empower women,” she said.

Since she moved to Oak Harbor in 2016, Dei has built a supportive community around her and has been enjoying the small city life. Though she moved over 7,000 miles away from home, she remains deeply connected to the people of Ghana and Africa, particularly women.

The idea for a skills training center came with the recent loss of two of the most important women in Dei’s life — her grandmother and her aunt, who helped raise her.

Dei’s grandmother, Justine, passed away a few years ago. She worked as a nurse in Northern Ghana, caring for some of the poorest people in the country. Her “auntie,” Joan, took many orphans under her wing, giving them a home and ensuring they received an education.

After Joan’s death last year, Dei had what she described as a “rude awakening.” At the funeral, she saw many malnourished orphans who no longer had someone to take care of them. Now, part of that responsibility has fallen onto Dei’s shoulders.

These women’s commitment to helping disadvantaged communities sparked Dei’s desire to step up and do her part while juggling a full-time job in Oak Harbor’s post office. Years before, after she graduated from university, she spent a year in Northern Ghana, where poverty and gender represent a significant barrier to education for women.

Many girls marry and get pregnant at a young age, becoming completely reliant on their husbands. Often, after their husband’s passing, widows are kicked out of their own homes and are left to fend for themselves, despite their lack of employable skills.

Dei’s skills training center would help girls and women build the necessary tools to become financially independent. While the shop was created to fund this dream, it also supports female-owned businesses and organizations that educate, train and empower vulnerable communities in Africa.

The clothes, which come in many colorful patterns and include hoodies, dresses, shirts and skirts, are made by some of Dei’s aunt’s orphaned girls, as well as by the students attending a skills training center in Togo.

The leather bags and the sandals are produced in Tanzania by an organization that trains people with albinism, who face persecution due to superstitions surrounding the color of their skin.

The shop also sells coffee by the Olympic Crest Coffee Roasters, which roasts Ethiopian coffee to support the Ethiopian Education fund.

Other offerings include bags, baskets, fans and hats made of straw; lotions and products for all skin and hair types; animal and human-shaped sculptures made of wood and adorned with colorful beads; keychains, earrings, bracelets and necklaces made with recycled glass and organic beads; nutritious shakes and more.

One of the most popular items is the turmeric shake, which Dei said helps people dealing with infections and diabetes.

Most of the Whidbey African Store’s proceeds support the different businesses and organizations that partner with the store, as well as Dei’s dream project.

Dei said she is inspired by the workers’ dedication to their craft and their desire for a better life.

Her husband, who lives in Ghana, is responsible for picking up merch from the small businesses and shipping it to the U.S. One day, a business owner did not show up to the pre-arranged pick-up.

The owner, a woman who makes beaded jewelry, later explained she couldn’t make it because she went into labor and gave birth the following day. The woman’s commitment to the job and supporting her family, despite the late pregnancy, further inspired Dei to do her best to support female workers.

Dei said she has been asked why she chose to open an African store in Oak Harbor, an area that is predominantly white.

While she was initially hesitant to start her own business because of her lack of experience, Kenesha Lewin, her friend and mentor, pushed her out of her comfort zone as she saw a need for African representation in Oak Harbor and Whidbey.

Since she moved to the U.S. a decade ago, Dei has met many people who were misinformed about Africa. Some think it’s a country. Others, upon hearing she is from Ghana, assume she lived in the savanna with lions.

Dei wants her shop to be a place where anyone can learn a thing or two about Ghana and other African countries. There is lots to learn about Ghana alone: for example, she said, there are over 80 spoken languages, including English.

Additionally, Dei said, people who wish to purchase African products have to either drive to Seattle or order online — where many products marketed as African are “fake,” she said.

There are different ways the community can support Dei’s cause. They can make a purchase, make a donation to an African organization, or partner with the store to sell African products. Feeling particularly generous, Amanda Refuge, the owner of All Things New Show Boutique in Oak Harbor, donated over 100 pairs of shoes to children in Ghana.

Even a small purchase at the Whidbey African Store can made a difference, Dei said.

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

The business is located at 390 NE Midway Boulevard in Oak Harbor. For more information, visit the Whidbey African Store on Facebook or swing by during business hours.