The Oma Shop, a new spot for coffee and stylish home goods, has opened at 1707 Amsterdam Avenue, right off 145th Street in West Harlem.
The small, light-filled store features a full menu of espresso-based drinks made with Counter Culture Coffee as well as matcha and chai, plus baked goodies from Brooklyn's Colson Patisserie.
The shelves, framed by palm trees, are stocked with home accessories by POC and women designers, including sculptural glass vases, colorful candles, and ceramic mugs and plates.
Owner Lizzy Okpo, who also runs a 10-year-old women's fashion brand called William Okpo with her sister, says she started the shop to bring "beautiful things to my neighborhood."
Oma means beautiful in Igbo, her Nigerian family's native language.
She plans to add more pieces from the William Okpo label (right now there's a lipstick set and some socks), plus new Oma-branded items.
Adds Okpo, "I had a daughter and was disappointed in myself that I would travel downtown or outside of my community to experience the 'organic shops,' modern coffee, all of the many things I believed my community deserves."
Updated 12/7/21
