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Gateway 2 Africa owners Chris and Gina Inkum wait on customers at their store, one of a growing number of stores in southeast Nashville that serve Middle Tennessee's growing African immigrant community. (PHOTOS BY JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN)
Traditional African foods such as dried fish and smoked hen plus other African staples can be bought at Gateway 2 Africa.
Gateway 2 Africa
Opened: July 2004
Location: 5814 Nolensville Road
Owners: Chris and Gina Inkum
What's new: Recent 1,500-square-foot expansion includes African music section; free wireless access plus computers on site that customers can use to browse the Internet for a fee.
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Saturday, 02/17/07
African immigrants find taste of home in
Nashville
Shops sell native foods, movies, clothes, more
By GETAHN WARD
Staff Writer
Once a month, Shelbyville resident Angela Atonsa takes an hourlong drive to Nashville in
search of yams, smoked fish and other food items favored in her homeland of Ghana.
Her preferred stop is Gateway 2 Africa on Nolensville Road, one of at least five small
shops that cater to the taste buds of a growing African immigrant community that may be
the third-biggest immigrant group in Middle Tennessee, trailing Hispanics and Asians."The name brands and everything that I
see is just like on the shelves in Ghana.
That makes me feel at home," said
Atonsa, who moved to the United States a
decade ago after going to school in
Russia. She cooks African meals almost
daily and spends about $150 each time
she shops.
The shops illustrate both the
entrepreneurial and the immigrant spirit,
as small business owners serving their
countrymen cater to a niche market too
small for most chain grocery stores or
big-box giants to serve.
It was a desire to fill what they saw as a need that led Ghana natives Chris and Gina Inkum
to quit their respective jobs as a software engineer and an accountant and start Gateway 2
Africa.
Three years later, they've added 1,500 square feet of space through a renovation and are
now offering produce on the Internet through a Web site — www.gateway2africa.com.
A video clip on the site touts the store as a destination of one-stop shopping for imported
products from Africa, the Caribbean and Europe."We just go the extra mile to try to bring in as much as we can in terms of variety," Gina
Inkum said, citing a section dedicated to African music.
Atonsa, who before Gateway 2 Africa opened did most of her shopping at Tropical Foods& Convenience Store on Bell Road, said she was drawn to the Nolensville Road store
because it stocks a wider range of products from Ghana. Jamaica native Valarie Brown,
who drives from near downtown Nashville to buy yams and other produce, said the store
has much of what she needs.
Browsing a display of African movies, Ghana native Godfrey Anabi bragged that he's seen
most of the titles already. "I'm just looking for the new ones."
The movie business is a growing niche for many of the stores.
Red tape poses challenge
Festus Olorunniwo, an expert on supply chain management and chairman of Tennessee
State University's department of business administration, said the easing of export
restrictions by African countries has contributed to the success of these small stores, as has
more food being packaged for commercial sale.
But storeowners say a major challenge remains dealing with customs and other regulations
governing what can enter the United States, although more established wholesalers in large
ports, including New York, have helped reduce the risk of loss.
Adereti buys much of his produce from big wholesalers, stocking up on dried, powdered
watermelon seeds packaged for use in a popular Nigerian soup known as "egusi."
Gina Inkum, Gateway 2 Africa's co-owner, recalls questions from health inspectors such as
why she didn't keep pigs' feet (preserved with salt) in a refrigerator."Back home is just a different culture," she said. "They've got to get used to some things.
We're different."
Buddy Woodson, food and dairy administrator at the Tennessee Department of
Agriculture, said potentially hazardous foods such as meat, eggs and milk must be stored
below 45 degrees Fahrenheit or above 140 degrees if they're to be served hot."We always err on the side of consumer safety," he said. "If we can determine history of
the product, we can work with the people."
African countries including Ghana and Nigeria are not authorized to export meat, poultry
and eggs directly into the United States, said Amanda Eamich, a spokeswoman for the
Food Safety and Inspection Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Local stores get some produce by dealing with suppliers in intermediary countries —
Australia for one.
Madu, president of the 10-member African chamber here, said many African-owned
businesses have trouble getting loans.
Owners of the food stores declined to discuss finances, but Adereti acknowledged that it requires patience and perseverance to succeed in business."There's nothing like your own," he said. "So regardless of the ups and downs, it can give
you a sense of accomplishment."
Tennessee - Saturday, 02/17/07 - Tennessean.com
For full Article, please click here
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African Widget Cool Tool - This widget is like a virtual radio dial; you get to skip through radio stations from Ghana, Nigerian, Nigeria, African, Jamaican, Jamaica, South Africa, etc., without visiting the websites of each of these stations. So, yes, if you are listening to GBC 2 online and you want to find out what else is there, ...
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Gateway 2 Africa owners Chris and Gina Inkum wait on customers at their store, one of a growing number of stores in southeast Nashville that serve Middle Tennessee's growing African immigrant community. (PHOTOS BY JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN)
Traditional African foods such as dried fish and smoked hen plus other African staples can be bought at Gateway 2 Africa.
Gateway 2 Africa
Opened: July 2004
Location: 5814 Nolensville Road
Owners: Chris and Gina Inkum
What's new: Recent 1,500-square-foot expansion includes African music section; free wireless access plus computers on site that customers can use to browse the Internet for a fee.
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