In this encounter with Gboyega Alaka, two siblings: Ediyanga and Itoro Okopide tell stories of their deep passion for tourism, souvenirs and beauty.
They are siblings; and they incidentally have the same passions – travel, culture, beauty and love for souvenirs. And so it’s no wonder that they – Ediyanga Okopide and Itoro Okopide, have both teamed up to found a souvenir and beauty shop, Eami’s Place. Located in highbrow Victoria Island, precisely opposite Silverbird Galleria on Ahmadu Bello Way, Eami’s Place is exquisite store that serves the thirst of lovers of exquisite gift items, souvenirs, wines and gorgeous women’s hairs.
Itoro, the younger of the two sisters, describes the new place, officially opened penultimate Saturday amidst pomp, as “a souvenir store that stores iconic pieces from around the world; Africa, Asia, Europe.”
“Everybody that loves unique items is our target. We have items that cut across all audiences. We have vintage wines from South Africa from as far back as 2017, 2018 that make up our gift boxes; we have Arabic pieces; we also have pieces from Europe and bundles from Asia.”
Itoro, who is quick to point out that her elder sister, Ediyanga, is the founder of the place, also explains that the hairs, which are sourced from Asia, ‘come in different colours, shapes and styles.’
“Our unique units are expertly styled by our stylists in charge; we sit down, create designs that suit women; we also have different wig styles that are unconventional.”
And for these reasons, she states that people had been showing interest in the digital promotions they’d been running online.
“This is also the first time we’re launching the hair beauty section. And we believe it’s going to go well,” Itoro said confidently.
She will go on to explain her passion for hair further: “Hair is beauty. I have always loved ladies that look beautiful; and my mum is somebody that has always pushed me to look beautiful, feel beautiful and be beautiful, and I believe that a woman’s hair is the first point of call in her beauty.”
A graduate of English from the University of Uyo, with a certification in journalism and a stint in public relations, Itoro’s love for travelling took roots from her other passion, which is writing for travels and reviewing restaurants. She had combined writing on the side with her 9-5 job working in the finance sector.
Her sister, Ediyanaga, explains their stickling with Asian hair more explicitly.
“In Asia, they do have raw donor hair. Besides, their hair is really what works well here, especially with the humidity in Africa. And they have a lot of hair, so it’s easy for them to cut off and easy for them top package as well and put in bundles. They are also very sustainable and ethical. The practice of getting and sourcing the hair (over there) is very ethical.”
Ediyanga’s inspiration to start a souvenir store stems from her passion for travelling and culture; which took roots in her over a decade background in the travel industry. A graduate of Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Calabar, with several certificates in development economics, tourism, hospitality and project management; she is CEO of a travel and lifestyle company and curates travel experiences, organises group tours as well as cultural and luxury travels.
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“I have always been in the travel industry. That’s where I started off my career. I first started a brand that was centred around cultural travel, because I realised that a lot of the times when Nigerians travel and go to different countries, they do not interact with the culture of these places. They just want to go out, go to the big malls, shop and come back with all the designer pieces; but there is no interaction with the culture of the place- whether it was the food… That’s why you have Nigerians pack egusi when they travel. I first founded a travel brand that was centred around getting Nigerians immersed in the culture of places they visit.
“An offshoot of that was how we founded a souvenir store; it was still under the travel brand, but it was an online store. And that online store was selling souvenir pieces from around the world. So I do travel, and then I had groups; and when I travel with the groups, it’s easy for me to stock the store as well. Also a lot of our partners do come in from these countries. We do business with them, so it is easy for them to bring those pieces in for us to stock in the souvenir store. Occasionally we’ll go out for fairs, and we’ll still have those pieces. And there was a good reception for those pieces, especially for those people who could not afford to travel. Literally, that’s how the souvenir store started.”
On the relationship between souvenirs and hairs, Ediyanga explains: “Beauty goes very well with lifestyle. Even the souvenir pieces are also part of lifestyle. And the beauty of the hairs is that they are also sourced from outside countries, mostly Asia. There is no hair piece here that is from Nigeria. So you get the same feeling that you’re getting something from that country of your choice. Whether it’s hair, whether it’s a bag, whether it’s a lamp, a cigar or fabric; anything that is sourced from these countries is also part of souvenir. That’s why you hear people say ‘My hair is Vietnamese, my hair is Brazilian, my hair is Indian, my hair is Malaysian.’”
Economically, Ediyanga also feels she will be saving Nigerians who love these pieces a lot of the headache that comes with raising foreign exchange for travels.
“If you look at the cost of ticket to a country like South Africa, it’s over two million naira; meanwhile you have these pieces coming from these countries. So you can still have pieces of these countries without travelling there. We hope that people travel, I love to travel as well, but to get to these destinations with the forex and exchange rate is not easy. So with Eami’s place, you can still have a piece of those countries. And don’t worry, we won’t tell anybody you didn’t go (General laughter).”
In the nearest future, Ediyanga says Eami’s Place will also be looking at stocking Nigerian pieces. She especially loves handmade pieces from the North.
“The leather from the North is really good but I don’t know how to get there right now. There is still a sense of insecurity. But yes, in the near future, we’ll definitely be stocking pieces from Nigeria. We’ll also be having an auction, whereby some of the things we sell would be sent back into the local communities.”