New African Cultural and Business Center, Afrikmall, Set to Open This Summer

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

An ownership entity created by Colorado-based Northstar Commercial Partners, 10180 E. Colfax LLC, has acquired a building in Aurora, Colorado and has provided a long-term lease to Afrikmall.

Afrikmall plans to create a Denver metro hub for the African community and will open its doors to Coloradans who want to experience African culture, food and entertainment.

“Our value proposition includes helping our tenants develop entrepreneurial skills and business experience through collaboration with other entrepreneurs across cultures, while enriching shoppers’ mall experience by enabling them to enjoy diverse African cultures,” says Cobina Lartson, founder and CEO of Afrikmall. ”We invite the entire African Diaspora community and shoppers looking for an African experience to shop Afrikmall for a new taste of Africa right here in Colorado.”

Located at 10180 East Colfax Avenue, within the Aurora Cultural Arts District on the Colfax corridor, the property is at the center of a three-mile radius that includes the Stapleton and Lowry developments, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. A groundbreaking is scheduled to take place soon, with the grand opening of Afrikmall to take place this summer.

“The Afrikmall project pursues three objectives that we found compelling,” says Brian Watson, founder and president of Northstar. “It gives a home to small businesses serving their community, it creates a unique cultural experience that will draw many thousands of visitors, and it puts into productivity a vacant building in a prime area of Aurora. We are honored to help launch Afrikmall.”

Around two dozen businesses, including a variety of retailers and restaurants, are expected to locate within the 56,281-square-foot mall. At the moment the countries of origins represented by those business owners include Ehtiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal, with others from Congo, Gambia, Kenya and other countries expected to follow.

“Afrikmall offers a truly unique business model for African entrepreneurs,” said Aurora Mayor, Steve Hogan. “I look forward to the rich cultural diversity Afrikmall will bring to Aurora, and I wish them tremendous success.”

Logo Courtesy of: www.afrikmall.com