Authentic Ethnic Decor
Can Be Found Online

If you're looking for a retailer who specializes in ethnic home decor, save yourself some gas and time by going directly to your computer. That's because the Internet has become the best way for merchants selling ethnic accent pieces to reach the growing population of minority homeowners nationwide.

Web sites devoted to this burgeoning market include African-images.com, ethnicarts.com, spiritsinstone.com and antiki.com, to name a few. While market researchers don't track sites that specialize in ethnic decor, a Google search shows many more of these online retailers. Since the Internet draws consumers world-wide, online ethnic decor retailers can attract more customers and operate for less than brick-and-mortar shops that have been in business far longer.

The rise in ethnic decor sales is directly related to an increase in minority homeownership, retailers say. According to the most current data from the U.S. Census Bureau, minority homeownership rose to about 1.3 million homes in 1999 from 640,000 in 1991. Further, the combined buying power of minorities -- including Africa-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans -- is expected to exceed $1.5 trillion annually by 2009, reports the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia in 2004.

Consumers such as LaVon Rice of Washington, D.C., are pleased that more retailers now sell ethnic products on the Web. Until recently, she hadn't been able to find African-style decor that she liked for her bedroom, even at local boutiques. "As diverse as this city is, there are very few places that offer ethnic styles," she says.

In October, Ms. Rice discovered ethnichomedecor.com, a site founded in 2002 by Yuwanda Black in Atlanta. She purchased two pillow covers made of kente, a brightly colored handwoven African cloth, for a total of $19.95. "Some of the items I found there I haven't seen anywhere else," she says.

For many homeowners, decorating with an ethnic touch is a way to express cultural pride. Explains Lorraina Byrd, a real-estate agent in Oakland, Calif., "I like having things that represent my heritage." Some of her most prized decorations include a hand-carved wooden chess set and elephant-shaped candle, both made in Africa.

Despite the growing numbers of minority homeowners, large retailers have yet to line their shelves with ethnic decor. This is good news for small entrepreneurs such as Ms. Black. In March 2004, she launched ethnicvendors.com, an online mall that links to sites selling ethnic products. "The extent of [African] ethnic in the mainstream is zebra stripes," she says. "You won't find decor with African colors and symbols at stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond or Target."

That's because ethnic decor isn't popular enough for major retailers to invest in, says Janna Paulson, residential-forum adviser at the International Interior Design Association in Austin, Texas. "It's possible that they'll branch out down the road," she says.

Still, ethnic decor is trendy, adds Ms. Paulson. "It's the cool thing right now, for all types of people, especially those into Zen," or Buddhist mediation, she says. "People are going with ethnic styles to create a theme for their yoga environment." The most popular items include decorative masks and statues from Asia, Mexico and Africa, she says.

The Internet is an ideal home for ethnic-decor shopping because it's where consumers instinctively turn to find niche goods, says Stephen Elias, co-owner of africarvings.com, which sells stone carvings imported from Zimbabwe. He estimates that roughly a dozen other online retailers carry similar goods. "When people need to buy something they know isn't at their neighborhood mall, they go online," he says.

Mr. Elias and his business partner and wife, Jill Duxbury, launched their site in 1997 and it's been increasingly profitable. "We grow every month, every year," he says. The couple, based in Woodland Hills, Calif., expects to launch a second site in 2005 called Africanartgifts.com, which will market an array of ethnic products.

Owners of of brick-and-mortar stores selling ethnic decor also have moved their businesses online in recent years. Cindy Bronner closed her seven-year-old shop in 2000 and reopened it a year later on the Web. Now called cindysthrows.com, the Thompsons Falls, Mont.-based business sells handwoven blankets, tapestries, afghans and wall-hangings with various ethnic and other designs. The ethnic styles include Native American, Asian Islander, African, Spanish and more. Ms. Bronner projects gross annual sales for 2004 to exceed $500,000.

The co-owner of one online ethnic-decor business tried going the opposite route and launched a brick-and-mortar shop in Glendale, Ariz. "Since our Internet sales were really good, we thought we could do the shop thing," says Shelby Wallace, whose Internet company, aztradingpost.com, specializes in Native American, Mexican and Southwestern decor. "We were wrong. The cost of overhead, insurance, and advertising ate up any profits."

Further, many customers were tourists who couldn't take the items they bought home by plane. "We ended up having to ship what they bought to them anyway," she says. Ms. Wallace closed her storefront after just two years and now concentrates solely on online sales.

Some brick-and-mortar shops that sell ethnic decor have added company Web sites to enhance sales. Nadine Grundy, owner of a small retail shop in Oakland, Calif., launched a company Web site in 2000 called creationsofcolor.com. "I wanted to expand my database of customers," she says. Sales doubled after her first year online and she projects annual net sales for 2004 for both the store and Web site to exceed $100,000, up from about $70,000 in 2003. Ms. Grundy's products include home decor and housewares that feature hand-painted designs of African-Americans.

Online retailers who specialize in ethnic decor warn customers that most of their products are handmade originals that can't be replicated. In other words, what you see online may not be exactly what you get in the mail.

As Ms. Wallace notes: "Some artists spend five months or longer on a single Navajo rug. They don't work on deadlines like manufacturers." Further, for retailers, developing business relationships with artists can be challenging. "You have to have a strong network to find them," she says. "And if your word is no good, you're no good."

Unique ethnic decor can add a special touch to your home that's worth seeking out authentic pieces online. "What you're actually buying is a piece of history," says Ms. Wallace. "Who knows how long some of these artists will be around? When you go to reservations nowadays, you see a McDonald's right around the corner."

-- Sarah E. Needleman is associate editor at RealEstateJournal.com.

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