Sharing Heritage
MARCH 2 0 2 1 I BOROMAG.COM 27
Beatrice Ajaero always knew she wanted
to be a food entrepreneur and use
food as a vehicle to share heritage
with her community.
And that’s exactly what the small
business owner is doing with her
newly opened businesses, Ibari and
Nneji, that center West African fine goods and
cuisine.
“After my studies and after learning a lot
about Astoria through my siblings, I thought
that the history of heritage sharing here made
it a good fit for our first brick and mortar,” said
Ajaero, a 29-year-old native of Roosevelt Island
whose family is from Nigeria.
That first brick and mortar is Ibari, a shop
located at 26-16 23rd Ave., which Ajaero
opened in September of 2019, after obtaining
a law degree and an M.B.A.
The small yet elegant space — its storefront
adorned with two pale yellow signs, one with
the tagline “Bring the world home” — has an array
of items, all meticulously curated by Ajaero.
They carry skincare items like their widely
popular raw shea butter and black soap (for
$4 each); food items like chocolates, teas, oils
and spices; clothing items like jewelry, colorful
handbags (designed by Ajaero’s mother
and stitched by a Colombian bag maker who
so happens to be their neighbor), textiles and
traditional garments; as well as other items like
musical instruments.
Ajaero has a network of distributors who import
the items she sells, most of which come
from West African countries like Ghana, Guinea
Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Niger and Morocco
and East African countries like Sudan and
Egypt. There are also items from Middle Eastern
countries like Turkey and European countries
like the Czech Republic.
The name Ibari comes from Nigeria’s Igbo
language, meaning “joyful exuberance” or the
“height of joy,” according to Ajaero.
The store, in many ways, is an extension to
their vendor space on Roosevelt Island’s Farmers
Market. Ajaero said they still consider that
space their flagship, as they often showcase
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Photos by Angélica Acevedo
/BOROMAG.COM
