About Us

We are like every one else - seeking the meaning of it all. Having left Nigeria and England, we have made North Carolina our home. Church, work, school, neighborhood are all our community. True purpose is to put a smile on the face of others, to add to people. That is the Exotique purpose. Our christian faith is the fuel. Through Exotique, we connect by using the opportunity of having traveled afar. The artisans want to sell to make a living and the community wants to support. We make it happen. Bringing authentic and fair trade items in at an affordable price. Traveling to find those unique items. Artisans in North Carolina and many states here in the USA have also been very well represented. That is our interest and it is a true blessing to be able to do this.

We hope you enjoy our products as much as we enjoy offering them to you. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

    

Lola and I have had an incredible time starting and running Exotique. We have supported both organizations and individuals in many countries, people who are just like us. People who simply want to have an income and look after their families. Some of these pictures are about our travels as well. We always try to support organizations whose outreach extends to many families. We are so proud to be part of something bigger than ourselves.  

Often times, people ask "what are the most popular items"? Some are not surprises but others are. The colorful skirts from Africa are certainly a hit. And who would have thought our number one item that makes people entering the store say "What is that fragrance?" and we say "Lemongrass oil!!" It really is the number one item. It just has this cleansing aroma when you burn it. And have you tried the black soap or natural shea butter? Lola and I grew up using these items and we never fully understood our parents. Now we know. We had to write a little blurb about them. Come in and get a little, like all our established customers. You won't go back to the manufactured chemicals you normally use. Isn't it strange that sometimes it is the unattractively packaged and unrefined item that is really the best for us. Life and its many lessons.

                                                         

 

Wonderful Shop Associates

We have a wonderful team. Narcissa and Denene but Hakim shows up to assist sometimes. The pleasure of working together has been mutual. Do we have off days? Of course, like everyone else. But it's rare :)  

Narcissa                                                

Hakim

  

Denene

   

One of the earliest and most important decisions we made about Exotique was about our gallery. When we started back in 2006, we had so many artists walk in and show us their work because they could never afford a place to showpiece their craft. It was a no brainer to create a place in the store to do this. So don't just look but respond by taking away a little of Africa or culture and be proud to support them. Our at large community deserves this from you.