Cultural Richness
Abounds at
Africa Art & Clothes
Africa Art is hard to miss.
From its storefront windows bursting
with color and pattern, passersby
know immediately that more treasures
and discoveries await inside the door.
Longtime businessman Hammath Aw,
the owner of Africa Art & Clothes at
16700 Chagrin Boulevard is a native
of upper West Africa – a region on
the border between Senegal and
Mauritania. He moved to the United
States in 1995, a few years after a
two-year border war between the two
countries. He brought with him the
richness and warmth his country is
known for.
“I’ve been involved with business
since 1983,” Aw says. “While in Africa,
I ran a grocery store, but prior to that,
I was a goat herder. My family had
herds of goats and cows.”
Aw’s pivot to retail is impressive.
His bountiful, colorful shop is unique in
Shaker and well beyond, judging from
his customers. Over the years, they
have come from Youngstown, Akron,
Kent, and Warren, and as far away as
Detroit, Chicago, and Buffalo.
Among the store’s many offerings
are African wood carvings and artwork,
handbags, a wide variety of clothing
boasting vivid prints and bold colors,
and accessories. Shea butter and black
soap are currently two of his most
popular items. Shea butter comes from
the African Shea tree nut and is used in
cosmetics. Black soap contains ground
plantain skin and/or palm leaves that
serve as a natural exfoliant.
Africa Art & Clothes opened
in Shaker in 2018. Before that, Aw
managed locations in the East 185th/
Lakeshore area, as well as Richmond
Town Square, where his inventory
included rugs and furniture. The only
remaining location is here in Shaker.
“Basically, my Shaker customers
brought me here, urging me to open
a store in the area,” says Aw. “My
Shaker customers have been very
helpful to me over the years. I’m
happy to be here.”
Putting the
Neighbor in
Neighborhood
Business
Being neighborly is a term most often
used when referring to residential relationships,
but it can also apply in the business world. The
owners of three Chagrin Boulevard businesses
– Maridah Akram of Faithfully Fit Fitness,
Makya Murray of Reclamation, and Hammath
Aw of Africa Art & Clothes – are literal business
neighbors located right next to each other
along Chagrin Boulevard.
In a move to market their relatively new
shops, and all that they offer, these three
business owners decided to work together to
create a Vendor’s Market last October, and
invited other neighborhood merchants to
participate. The event was a success and has
helped to draw increased foot traffic to all three
establishments, and others, along Chagrin.
After attending the Vendor’s Market, Shaker
Life caught up with the owners of these three
businesses to learn more about their inspiration
for starting a business and why they chose to
set up shop in Shaker.
Stories by Nate Paige
Photography by Angelo Merendino
46 WINTER 2022 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
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