When you walk into Love Africa Decor & Gallery, the first thing that grabs your attention is the riot of color from the brightly painted walls and the rainbow-hued baskets, to the table of hand-painted textiles and the juju hats made from dyed chicken feathers. This is not your typical southwestern gallery, but it’s also not your typical tribal gallery, either. Love Africa eschews traditional African prints for a more modern aesthetic. And owners Michelle and Ian Juul definitely aren’t your typical Arizona residents.
Michelle was born in South Africa to a German mother and Dutch father. Ian grew up on a farm in Zimbabwe and speaks fluent Shona. The couple married in 2008 and left South Africa for London, Spain, Florida and, most recently, Atlanta. They relocated to Sedona last year after vacationing here and opened Love Africa in November. Ian says the geography of Sedona and the Verde Valley remind him of home. “This is the first place we’ve been drawn to as much as we are drawn to home,” says Ian. “There are a lot of similarities between Sedona and South Africa. For one, people are connected to the earth here like they are in Africa.”
This is the 16th business Ian has owned, but it’s his first gallery. He has a background in accounting and small-business consultation. (Michelle still works for an immigration agency and is in the gallery part time.) Love Africa is divided into two rooms: a fine art gallery featuring stone sculptures (by Arizona’s own Gedion Nyanhongo), paintings, pencil drawings, wooden masks, horn lamps and ceramics alongside a room specializing in modern home decor and jewelry. The shop’s bestseller has been its Ngwenya glass collection from Swaziland. The collection includes wine and beer glasses and carafes made from recycled glass. There’s also coffee, spices and chocolates. Everything in the space is made in Africa – even cards featuring Sedona scenes – and the entirety of sub-Saharan Africa is represented. Michelle says they would love to expand the brand to include other galleries and even a small restaurant. Until then, visitors will have to content themselves with wine tastings featuring wine from South Africa every Monday through Saturday, 5-6 p.m. – Erika Ayn Finch. Photo by Deb Weinkauff.
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