Afrikmall, an African cultural and business center, to launch in Colorado this summer with two dozen businesses

AURORA, Colo., March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Afrikmall, a new African cultural and business center, plans to open this summer in a 56,281 square-foot building at 10180 E. Colfax Avenue, Aurora, Colorado, creating a Denver metro hub for the African community and opening its doors to Coloradans seeking to experience African food, culture and entertainment.

"Our value proposition includes helping our tenants develop entrepreneurial skills and business experience through collaboration with other entrepreneurs across cultures, while enriching shoppers' mall experience by enabling them to enjoy diverse African cultures," said Cobina Lartson, Ph.D., the Founder and CEO of Afrikmall. "We invite the entire African Diaspora community and shoppers looking for an African experience to shop Afrikmall for a new taste of Africa right here in Colorado" said Lartson.

Afrikmall has a long-term lease on the property, which was purchased by 10180 E. Colfax, LLC, an ownership entity created by Colorado-based Northstar Commercial Partners.

"The Afrikmall project pursues three objectives that we found compelling," said Brian Watson, Founder and President of Northstar. "It gives a home to small businesses serving their community, it creates a unique cultural experience that will draw many thousands of visitors, and it puts into productivity a vacant building in a prime area of Aurora. We are honored to help launch Afrikmall" said Watson.

A groundbreaking event will be held soon, followed by the planned opening of Afrikmall this summer. Two dozen businesses, including a range of retailers and restaurants, are expected to locate within the mall. Countries of origin currently represented by those business owners include Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal, with more from Congo, Gambia, Kenya and other countries expected to follow. Many thousands of Africans live in the Denver metro area.

Afrikmall is located within the Aurora Cultural Arts District on the Colfax corridor, at the center of a three-mile radius that includes the Stapleton and Lowry developments, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

"Afrikmall offers a truly unique business model for African entrepreneurs," said Aurora Mayor, Steve Hogan. "I look forward to the rich cultural diversity Afrikmall will bring to Aurora, and I wish them tremendous success" said Hogan.

Afrikmall is a place that Africans living in Colorado can call home, providing a range of business services, as well as cultural experiences, community events and social opportunities that are open to the general public. For photographs of the Afrikmall leadership team, the Afrikmall logo, a fact sheet and other media materials, please visit www.afrikmall.com or contact Emmanuel Eliason at 303-479-4729 or [email protected].

Northstar, founded by Brian Watson in 2000, specializes in acquiring vacant commercial real estate assets throughout the United States, and turning those assets into productive work environments to create jobs and opportunity in their communities. The firm has been very active in purchasing and repositioning assets in this economic environment. For more information regarding Northstar Commercial Partners, or to submit a property for consideration, please visit www.northstarcp.com.

Contact: Jaime Jones, 1-303-893-9500, [email protected]

SOURCE Northstar Commercial Partners