Original Story Published by: Caela Rist for The Echo
Photo Source: ©Caela Rist
(Above) Owner and UCA alumna Eveline-Tatiana Shaw admires multiple fabrics, shoes, jewelry, tops and dresses that her business, Eviane African Market, sells. Shaw said the vibrant arrays of color capture the hearts of true African culture and persona..
When UCA alumna Eveline-Tatiana Shaw craved a taste of her African culture, the closest source she could find was in Little Rock.
After repeatedly making the drive from Conway to Little Rock, allowing others to borrow her car to drive there and chatting with several friends who also had cravings for their home culture, Shaw and her husband decided to embark on the three-year journey of opening the Eviane African Market at 710 South Salem Road.
Shaw graduated from UCA in 2016 with a bachelor’s in accounting. With her background in numbers, she felt confident in starting the business to fill the need she saw in her community.
“[My degree] helped me be more confident in my numbers. I don’t have to hire someone to do the more basic things,” she said.
The Eviane African Market opened Sept. 22 and has been steadily gaining ground for the past month. The store introduces a new aspect of diversity to Conway by representing a piece of home in Arkansas for many international students and Conway residents.
“The goal here is to have everything for international students, not only African [students],” Shaw said.
She has high hopes for this store to become a beacon of home for all international students and residents living in Conway.
“When people walk in, out of 100 percent, I want them to find at least 80 percent of what they want. We want people to feel at home. We may not have everything from home, but the basic things we want people to be able to find here,” Shaw said. “We also want American students and people to experience our food and our culture.”
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