Local Business Mbare, Ltd., Has Roots in Africa

Name of business – Mbare, Ltd.

What does your business do? (For example, cut hair, paint houses, cook food, cut grass, write grants, help people get in good physical shape, etc.)

Mbare sells fairly traded art, crafts, home decor and personal accessories from Africa that are made from natural and recycled materials. All of our items are uniquely created by artisans and craftspeople in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Niger and Senegal.

How long have you been doing this?  16 years

Why are you doing this in Athens? I landed here by chance, and stayed because we like the community. My wife and I are raising our 3 young boys here.  

What are the advantages of owning a small business?  Flexibility, autonomy, ability to align work with personal values

If you could change one thing about owning a small business, what would that be?  Consistency of profits!

Do you have employees? Are they temporary, part-time, full-time, new or long term?  Yes – 1 Full-time and 6 part-time

Do you own the place where you do business, or do you move around (like maybe a dog trainer would do) or rent space (to store your equipment)?  We Rent – it is mostly a warehouse space, with offices in the front.

Is anyone else in town doing what you do?  No.

Do you like what you do?  Definitely

Do you have a story to share about how your started your business? (“I realized one day that, yes, I could actually design websites myself. So I started doing this and never looked back.”) I grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, and Mbare Ltd grew out of my desire to create a sustainable source of income for Zimbabwean artists.  I have always had an appreciation for local art found at roadside markets, in urban workshops, or at the homes of talented craftspeople.

What are you plans for the future (regarding your business), the future being the next five years?  The vision of our company is connecting people, enriching their lives and uniting them in a shared appreciation of handmade beauty.  In 2011 we launched a newly designed e-commerce website to make our products more accessible to the retail public.  Previously we have been largely a wholesale company.  Our goal is to build our brand identity and customer loyalty to increase our online retail sales to 20-25% of total sales within 2 years.  

To see the Mbare website, click here.

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