Calabar Imports is a retail store with imported products. The store and business is owned by Heloise Annette Oton and her daughter, Atim Annette Oton. Based in the up-and-coming revitalized neighborhood of Prospects Heights, Brooklyn, we are the source for the distinct, select and unique handcrafted items. As Calabar Imports for the home and body, we offer stylish, eclectic and affordable home and body accessories, fashion, jewelry and gifts to consumers wanting to create a personalized home environment and accessorize their body.
Our Story and History: A Spur-of-the-moment Startup builds Steam to become a noted Brand Retail Store in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn:
In spring 2004 Heloise Annette Oton and her daughter, Atim Annette Oton embarked on a voyage to develop an innovative retail store for a town. Calabar, where Heloise lived in Nigeria for about 18 years out of 25 years and where Atim was born. This journey took them to initiate the purchase and collection of a variety of merchandise-mainly fashion accessories and cosmetics. In the months that followed, and as they collected more items, a spur-of-the-moment thought evolved to explore retailing these products in New York rather than in Calabar, Nigeria. Atim applied to become a street vendor for the duo and they participated in various street fairs across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Connecticut. The team were at the International African Arts Festival in Brooklyn, Black Expo and the Harlem Book Fair, both in Manhattan. Customer feedback and merchandise testing revealed to them that the idea was not only feasible but a hit to shoppers. In August 2004, the two participated in the Washington Avenue Street Fair (in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn) where Atim spotted a sign for a store for rent and inquired about it. This store is today the place where CALABAR Imports resides. It is the moment when Heloise and Atim decided to become a company and open a store.
Our Name: The name, CALABAR, was suggested by Heloise Oton in a discussion with Atim Oton as they conceived the store. CALABAR, our name, comes from a town in south eastern Nigeria. It is a name of a place in Nigeria. It is a shipping port and a former trading post where Portuguese, Scottish and English traders sailed out of southern Nigeria with slaves and goods. We selected that name because we think of our store as a trading post and also because we lived there for a number of years. Calabar is where the Cross River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its history is mired in the slave trade. It was a slave port. Calabar, formerly Old Calabar, is a town and port, as well as the capital of Cross River State, in the southeastern Nigeria. It lies along the Calabar River, five (5) miles (8 km) upstream from that river's entrance into the Cross River estuary. It was settled in the early 17th century by the Efik people. The town became a center for trade between white traders on the coast and Nigerians farther inland.
Our Company Profile: CALABAR Imports is a trendy, specialty retail and gift store for discerning, quality-conscious buyers of home furnishings, unique crafted jewelry, fashion and brand cosmetics sold at moderate prices. The shop is located at 820 Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, just 2 blocks from the Brooklyn Museum. CALABAR Imports specializes in distinct handmade and imported home decor, tabletop accessories, and furnishings from across the globe especially the intriguing continents of Africa, Asia and South America. As a boutique store, we are also dedicated to selling fashion accessories, jewelry and brand cosmetics. Based in the up-and-coming revitalized neighborhood of Prospects Heights, Brooklyn, CALABAR IMPORTS is a destination place and a source for the distinct, select and unique hand-crafted items. We think of CALABAR IMPORTS as the place for the home and body. We offer stylish, eclectic and affordable home and body accessories, fashion, jewelry and gifts to consumers wanting to create a personalized home environment and accessorize their body.
Our Story and History: A Spur-of-the-moment Startup builds Steam to become a noted Brand Retail Store in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn:
In spring 2004 Heloise Annette Oton and her daughter, Atim Annette Oton embarked on a voyage to develop an innovative retail store for a town. Calabar, where Heloise lived in Nigeria for about 18 years out of 25 years and where Atim was born. This journey took them to initiate the purchase and collection of a variety of merchandise-mainly fashion accessories and cosmetics. In the months that followed, and as they collected more items, a spur-of-the-moment thought evolved to explore retailing these products in New York rather than in Calabar, Nigeria. Atim applied to become a street vendor for the duo and they participated in various street fairs across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Connecticut. The team were at the International African Arts Festival in Brooklyn, Black Expo and the Harlem Book Fair, both in Manhattan. Customer feedback and merchandise testing revealed to them that the idea was not only feasible but a hit to shoppers. In August 2004, the two participated in the Washington Avenue Street Fair (in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn) where Atim spotted a sign for a store for rent and inquired about it. This store is today the place where CALABAR Imports resides. It is the moment when Heloise and Atim decided to become a company and open a store.
Our Name: The name, CALABAR, was suggested by Heloise Oton in a discussion with Atim Oton as they conceived the store. CALABAR, our name, comes from a town in south eastern Nigeria. It is a name of a place in Nigeria. It is a shipping port and a former trading post where Portuguese, Scottish and English traders sailed out of southern Nigeria with slaves and goods. We selected that name because we think of our store as a trading post and also because we lived there for a number of years. Calabar is where the Cross River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its history is mired in the slave trade. It was a slave port. Calabar, formerly Old Calabar, is a town and port, as well as the capital of Cross River State, in the southeastern Nigeria. It lies along the Calabar River, five (5) miles (8 km) upstream from that river's entrance into the Cross River estuary. It was settled in the early 17th century by the Efik people. The town became a center for trade between white traders on the coast and Nigerians farther inland.
Our Company Profile: CALABAR Imports is a trendy, specialty retail and gift store for discerning, quality-conscious buyers of home furnishings, unique crafted jewelry, fashion and brand cosmetics sold at moderate prices. The shop is located at 820 Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, just 2 blocks from the Brooklyn Museum. CALABAR Imports specializes in distinct handmade and imported home decor, tabletop accessories, and furnishings from across the globe especially the intriguing continents of Africa, Asia and South America. As a boutique store, we are also dedicated to selling fashion accessories, jewelry and brand cosmetics. Based in the up-and-coming revitalized neighborhood of Prospects Heights, Brooklyn, CALABAR IMPORTS is a destination place and a source for the distinct, select and unique hand-crafted items. We think of CALABAR IMPORTS as the place for the home and body. We offer stylish, eclectic and affordable home and body accessories, fashion, jewelry and gifts to consumers wanting to create a personalized home environment and accessorize their body.
Calabar Imports
820 Washington Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11238.
info@calabar-imports.com
Telephone: 718-638-4288.
OPEN Hours: 1pm - 9pm Daily
info@calabar-imports.com
820 Washington Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11238.
info@calabar-imports.com
Telephone: 718-638-4288.
OPEN Hours: 1pm - 9pm Daily
info@calabar-imports.com
Shipping Information:
We ship in 7 days and use USPS, UPS, and Fedex.
Refund, Returns and Cancellation Policies:
We accept exchanges only or give credit for merchandise. All cancelled orders will incur a 20% restocking fees.
Frequently Asked Questions:
See http://www.calabar-imports.com/faq.html
We ship in 7 days and use USPS, UPS, and Fedex.
Refund, Returns and Cancellation Policies:
We accept exchanges only or give credit for merchandise. All cancelled orders will incur a 20% restocking fees.
Frequently Asked Questions:
See http://www.calabar-imports.com/faq.html
