Rather than return to the former Washington Avenue location, Owner Atim Oton has opted to reopen the African, Asian and South American specialty store two blocks east on Franklin Avenue, calling it a better fit for the business.
The new spot, which opened August 1, is slightly larger than its Washington Avenue predecessor, is all on one level, and has more natural light, thanks to both east and west exposures.
The offerings are for the most part the same, except there is a greater emphasis on home furnishings, Oton said.
The co-chair of Community Board 8’s economic development committee opened Calabar Imports with her mother, Heloise Oton, in 2004, selling handmade items, clothing and art objects from over 40 African, Asian and South American countries. The store’s name comes from Heloise’s hometown in Nigeria, where Atim was born.
On June 4, 2011, seven years after the store opened, a massive fire caused the partial collapse of 816 Washington Ave., a four-story building that was empty except for a bodega on the ground floor. Damage from the fire forced four adjoining businesses, Ali’s Laundromat, Calabar Imports, Boost Mobile and Coffee Bites, to shut down. Coffee Bites and Boost Mobile re-opened soon after.
In September, Oton opened a second location for Calabar Imports in Dumbo and continued to wait for repairs to be completed at the heavily damaged Washington Avenue store.
The new store at 708 Franklin Avenue between Park and Prospect replaces one of three storefronts rented by Lasting Impressions beauty salon, which is reducing its size.
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