Juliet Dei, who is from Ghana, moved to Whidbey Island in 2016 with her husband who was in the Navy. Her husband decided to move off the island in 2020, but Juliet comments: “I built a community around me on Whidbey, and I didn’t want to leave it.”
Juliet created her business, Whidbey African Store, this past year. The motivation for this business venture came from her life and work in Ghana. She has a strong commitment to helping women from Africa sell the goods they create. Another purpose to this store is to help people on Whidbey learn more about Africa, and to understand how their purchases help make significant differences in the lives of the African women.
At this time, Whidbey African Store is the only African shop in Washington outside of Seattle.
Juliet notes that the women in her life provided great role models. She was raised by her mother, grandmother and aunt who were all strong women. Her grandmother was a nurse in the rural areas of Ghana, and she always helped the people in those areas and sent money to kids going to school.
In memory of the amazing women in her life, Juliet is creating a foundation that helps women gain education and training so they can become self-sufficient.
Juliet Dei comments: “We are currently working with the Ethiopian Educational Fund by selling coffee as a fundraiser for them. There are opportunities for partnerships and investments if any individual or organization would like to do so.”
Most of the products she sells through her retail store in Oak Harbor come from women-owned businesses in Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Togo. The items sold in her store are from ethical and eco-friendly sources.
The merchandise offered at Whidbey African Store includes clothing, beads, lotions, soaps, coffee, and more. A share of the proceeds goes to the women who provide Juliet with these African-made products, and she donates some of her profits to an orphanage in Tanzania.
Whidbey African Store is located at 390 NE Midway Blvd. in Oak Harbor. If you want to get more information about the store or if you want to see if Juliet has a particular item, give her a call at 360-499-1531, or email her at kafsfavedesigns@gmail.com.
