Looking for the perfect stocking-stuffer or other gift — while also supporting immigrant and refugee-run businesses?
Greater Columbus is home to a variety of such enterprises producing handicrafts, clothing and other items appropriate as gifts for the holiday season.
Here are four places to start with:
Attitude by Aishata: African-inspired clothing and accessories
Stepping into Attitude by Aishata, a boutique store in Columbus’ Franklinton neighborhood, one feels as if they’ve landed on the shores of West Africa. Boubous — colorful, wide-sleeved robes — and recycled glass-bead jewelry hang from racks; painted wooden masks adorn the walls.
Aishata Seyeed, who is African American, runs the business with her husband, Ibrahim Seyeed, a Ghanaian wood carver who produces many of the items the couple sells.
Aishata told The Dispatch her interest in crafts began when she learned to quilt from her mother. When she first traveled to Ghana years ago, she was struck by the similarity between African American symbolism and African icons — particularly the Adinkra symbols, which represent concepts or sayings.
“They’re like a framework for living a moral life,” Aishata said of the Adinkra symbols, which are incorporated into many of the boutique’s products.
Ibrahim, speaking by phone from Accra, the capital city of Ghana, said he has been carving since he was 15 years old and that many of his masks are used at festivals in Ghana. They represent the cultures of several ethnic groups, including the Dagomba and Akan peoples.
“We’re keeping our traditions alive,” Ibrahim said, adding that he uses a variety of woods as well as charcoal, acrylic paints and polish for finishing.
How to connect: The boutique at 400 West Rich St. in Franklinton is open by appointment during the week — call (614) 592-0465 — or from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Aishata is also a participating vendor at the Op! Marketplace Thursdays through Sundays until Dec. 31 at 222 Neilston St., Downtown.
Mexa Collection: blending Mexican tradition with modernity
Hilliard resident Pamela Alvaro’s jewelry and accessories business, Mexa Collection, features what she calls “images from a syncretism of Mayan and Christian worldviews” that are common in her country of birth, Mexico.
Alvaro works with artisans in the Mexican states of Puebla, Oaxaca and Chiapas to produce components for necklaces, earrings, headbands, bags and other items. Her materials include barro negro (black clay pottery), embroidered cloth, gold, leather and silver.
Alvaro said she likes to refashion and repurpose items. Some of her jewelry incorporates calaveras — skulls — from backsplash tiles used in Mexican kitchens.
“I wanted to sell something different, not just what they have back in Mexico,” Alvaro said. “In a piece of jewelry, you have tradition and culture, and you can wear that.”
“Mexa” means something or someone who is “muy Mexicano” — or “very Mexican,” according to Alvaro.
How to connect: Mexa Collection items are available online through Etsy at: www.etsy.com/shop/MexaCollection
Balady Stitch: Palestinian embroidery from bracelets to mirrors
Balady Stitch, a Dublin-based small business, features Palestinian embroidered items ranging from bracelets to bookmarks, pencil cases, badges, women’s clothing and decorated mirrors.
Owner Afnan Isleem Algharabli grew up in the U.S. and Gaza, where she learned to embroider from an aunt. She said she works with a small group of female artisans in Gaza to produce the items featuring traditional Palestinian cross-stitch patterns.
Balady means “my country,” Isleem Algharabli explained.
“When I started doing this, I tried to make an everyday use item that will give people a chance to talk about the history of embroidery… and Palestine,” she said.
Though almost all of her business’ work in Gaza has been put on hold following Israel’s invasion in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Isleem Algharabli said she still has many items in stock.
How to connect: Balady Stitch items are available online through Etsy at: etsy.com/shop/baladystitchshop
Qamaria Yemeni Coffee: Straight from its birthplace
Besides its freshly brewed coffee, Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. in Hilliard also sells whole coffee beans and spiced mixes that can make a perfect gift for caffeine lovers.
The Michigan-based brand sources all of its coffee from Yemen, where coffee was first roasted in the 14th century (though the plant is native to East Africa).
“Yemeni coffee has a fruity and earthy flavor to it. It’s grown in high altitude … over 3,000 meters, and it’s sun dried for 30 to 45 days, on top of the roofs,” said Adam Ahmed, 30, of Hilliard, one of the local franchise’s co-owners.
Qamaria sells spiced coffee mixes that are made with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger — as well as plain beans. The packages come with instructions on preparation.
How to connect: Coffee beans and mixes can be purchased locally at the cafe at 3221 Hilliard Rome Road in Hilliard, or online at qamariacoffee.com/
Peter Gill covers immigration, New American communities and religion for The Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America at:bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.
@pitaarji