Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  The large space south of the Black Forest Restaurant has been crawling with excavation equipment, digging into the hillside, filling dump trucks, making way for the infrastructure and foundation of a new business.

Steve and Jen Karowe, long-time Nederland residents purchased the land and broke ground on August 20, beginning the construction of an office building and wholesale distribution space.  The steel structure will be going up in October and completion is expected to be in the spring.

The bottom floor will be a warehouse for Karowe’s  fair trade importing business, The Overseas Connection, Ltd. and African Market BasketsTM, which move from Boulder to Nederland. The rest of the building will be high-quality office space available in the two upper floors for new or existing businesses for local, non-tourism based jobs.

The building is designed to be energy efficient with: LED lighting, low-flow water fixtures, high-efficiency heating and cooling, and solar panels.

“We are excited that this project will bring Nederland locals new opportunities for jobs and work space. We designed the building with local architects, engineers and contractors. We have already hired employees from Nederland who currently work with us in Boulder and who are looking forward to working and living in Nederland when we make the transition.”

The Karowes say they will hire more locals when they open in Nederland.

Wholesale African Baskets is focused on handcrafted Bolga baskets and the remarkable artisans who weave them. The company exclusively sells wholesale to retailers. The Karowes work directly with artisans in Bolgatanga, Ghana and are wholeheartedly devoted to creating a positive experience for all involved, with proceeds from the sale of the baskets helping to provide healthcare, education and financial support to over 1,000 African villagers and their children.

The Overseas Connection, Ltd. is a wholesale importer and supplier of African percussion instruments, including djembe drums from Mali and Ivory Coast, dunun drums, bougarabous, talking drums, gonkogwe bells, shekeres, and various rattles and other African hand percussion items.