African Heritage Collection

African Heritage Collection was started on 1994 with the goal of bringing the talent, creativity and culture that is African, into the American homes - with tasteful, yet affordable products. Julius Aboagye, who owns African Heritage Collection, first started out giving African art as gifts each time he returned from Ghana, where he is originally from. And this is basically the way African Heritage Collection operates, only in bigger and more advanced scale.

Julius makes trips to Ghana at least two or three times a year, staying four to eight weeks each time. There he works with the local artisans and craftsmen to produce pieces that are very different and unique, yet functional. He stresses the importance of the partnership with the artisans there, the sharing of the visions, brainstorming and discussing new concepts together. Having grown up around rich African art and heritage, and also having a master's degree in finance and marketing, Julius was perfectly prepared to do the job. Many handcrafted pieces, such as masks and sculptures, as well as home decor such as small furniture, accessories and gift item pieces are produced as the result, in Ghana. Then those products are transported to America, to bring a touch of the African to every rooms and houses. Julius contributes a lot of ideas for the concepts and designs for these products and maintains quality control on the production end as well.

The products are always developed with the aim of something unique, slightly different from what is available on the market -- for example, marble sidetables and elephant-head shaped bowls. Carved and handcrafted distinctively, many of the customers say that the products are very unusual and not readily available. Sometimes customers' feedback and ideas are taken in as inspiration and developed further to create something that's still even more unique.

Most popular items are small furnitures such as chairs, folding tables, lazy chairs, or smaller items such as coasters and boxes for keepsakes, all with distinct African motifs. Home accent type of products are the ones most in demand, according to Julius, and African Heritage Collection plans to add more of these products, such as different types of chairs, Ashanti stools, and other functional accessories for the home, all with unique and rich African cultural heritage. Prices range from 5 to 500 dollars, with something for everyone. Visit booth 8 & 9 at the Expo!