AURORA | Dishes, ditties and myriad other dashes of culture from across the African continent finally have a singular, permanent home along East Colfax Avenue in Aurora.
Over a year after city officials gathered for a ceremonial groundbreaking in front of the old Broyhill Furniture building at 10180 E. Colfax Ave., the developers of Afrikmall — a one-stop shop for all things north, south, east and west African — are officially opening their business on the site of the former furniture outlet this week following months of delays.
“Just like any project, we had a few hiccups in terms of our timeline,” said Emmanuel Eliason, chief business development officer of Afrikmall. “We had to get a whole new sprinkler system, which was unanticipated, and we had to realign the funding, but we’re so glad to be back on track.”
The total price tag for the project topped $1.5 million, according to Eliason, whose team technically leases the mall through a subsidiary of Northstar Commercial Partners, the firm that purchased the mall two years ago.
A native of Ghana and pastor at Aurora’s World Gospel Tabernacle, Eliason said that the 56,281-square-foot mall is intended to act as a hub for Aurora’s burgeoning African community. About 25 vendors hailing from almost as many countries will be open for business on the mall’s first floor when it officially opens to the public July 17, Eliason said. He added that the third floor is currently being built out to accommodate office spaces for lawyers and insurance agents, and that his team is already pursuing additional funding to turn the second floor into a business incubator.
Eliason said that his money management team, composed of four fellow countrymen, will need between $300,000 and $500,000 to complete the second-floor space.
Despite the diversity of passports held by the mall’s tenants, Eliason said that he expects the majority of his customers to be American citizens.
“We envision having more of a non-African customer base,” he said. “And given there are many African-Americans who have roots Africa, but have never experienced the culture, that is part of our target. African-Americans who have had dreams of visiting Africa or tasting the (traditional) food, those are definitely people we’re looking to attract.”
Of the estimated 41,088 people living in Afrikmall’s 80100 ZIP Code in 2011, 5,482 identified as black, according to data from the website city-data.com.
Aurora has long been a hub for Africans who move to Colorado, with more than one-third of the state’s African immigrants calling the city home, according to U.S. Census data. The latest census report found that the number of Aurora residents who were born in Africa jumped from 2,000 to 8,000 between 2000 and 2010.
In recent years, the city and state have also become sanctuaries for many African refugees and asylees. More than 2,200 African refugees and asylees came to Colorado last year, and nearly 10,000 people of the same demographic have arrived to the state since 1980, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services. In 2014, the majority of the state’s new African refugees and asylees hailed from Somalia.
Eliason said that the he believes Afrikmall will bolster the increasing number of cultural offerings along Aurora’s once-notorious stretch of East Colfax.
“I think it’s an excellent addition to the development of East Colfax because we’ve seen what’s happening with the (Aurora Cultural) Arts District and with the Anschutz Medical Campus,” he said. “What we are doing is adding an extra layer to the development of the area and uplifting the Colfax image. Denver has always been the prime destination, but Aurora is starting to get there. It’s all tied together and coming together.”
Aurora City Councilwoman Sally Mounier, whose ward encompasses much of East Colfax, echoed Eliason and said that she’s excited to add another cultural sanctum to the area.
“All of us at the city have been so anxious for it to open and we’re looking forward to seeing a lot of prosperous ventures opening there,” she said. “We’re thrilled and we can’t wait.”
Afrikmall is holding various grand opening celebrations from July 16 to 18. A ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Mayor Steve Hogan is slated for 11:45 a.m. July 16, which will be followed by a cultural gala and benefit dinner starting at 5 p.m. Tickets for the gala and additional evening activities held on the following two nights are $20 each or $50 to attend all three nights. Visit Afrikmall.com or call 303-479-4729 for more information.
— Staff Writer Brandon Johansson contributed to this report.