Concept Store in Dakar: Craft, Design and Ethiopian Spices

A concept store in Dakar brings together, in a single space, categories of products that are usually spread across separate shops: craft, design, fine foods, art editions. The Ge'eza concept store, in Point E, can be visited during restaurant hours, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, closed Monday, with no appointment needed. Everything is for sale on site, and an online shop is coming soon for anyone who would rather be notified by email.

What you find on site

The Ge'eza concept store is organised around four product families. Handmade craft first, pieces that keep the trace of someone's hand rather than being mass-produced. Design next, objects thought through as much for their function as for their look. Fine foods, with Ethiopian spices such as berbere, and Ethiopian coffee, the same coffee used in the coffee ceremony. And finally, art editions: books, catalogues, posters and prints, which extend what you discover next door in the gallery.

A shop housed in a villa

The concept store is not a standalone shop: it occupies part of the villa that also houses the Ge'eza restaurant and contemporary art gallery, between the gallery lounge, the glass-roofed room and the terrace under the trees. You can therefore have lunch, look at the artworks on show, and shop, all in one unhurried visit. It is a style of shopping that feels more like a stroll than a dash between several addresses. The concept store page lists the full range on offer.

And then there is the art

Art deserves a separate mention, since it goes beyond the usual format of a concept store. The works on show in the gallery, including Saadio's "Figures" and the canvases from the Lien commun hang, are available at a price on request, with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist included with every sale. It is a purchase that takes a bit more thought than a jar of spice, but it happens in the same place, the same day if you want. The gallery page shows what is currently on view.

What a visit looks like

Nothing is required to visit the concept store: just drop by during opening hours, no appointment needed. For anyone coming for a meal first, a few minutes before or after the service is enough to look around, without needing to plan a separate visit. If a piece has been spotted in a story on the house's social media (@geezacultures, @geeza_cuisine), it can be set aside by WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 until you come by.

An online shop, soon

For now, everything is on site, but an online shop is in the works. Until it opens, signing up by email is a way to be notified as soon as it goes live. That wait does not stop anyone from coming to discover the collections today, or from having an item set aside by WhatsApp if a visit is not possible right away for now.

For a gift or a souvenir

The concept store suits both a purchase for yourself and a gift or a souvenir of a trip to Dakar. For wider ideas, especially on textiles and Senegalese craft more broadly, the article souvenirs to bring back from Dakar looks beyond the concept store.

Taking your time looking around

A concept store is lived a bit like a gallery: you do not necessarily walk in looking for one specific thing, you look, you touch, you compare spices or fabrics, and the purchase often comes afterward. The team on site can explain where a craft piece comes from or what goes into a spice blend, which helps you choose with some understanding rather than at random.

For a first-time visitor and a regular alike

The concept store suits someone discovering Dakar for a few days just as well as a regular from the neighbourhood who comes back often. For the first, it is a way to leave with something that tells the story of the place rather than a generic souvenir. For the second, it is an easy stop on the way to breakfast or lunch: berbere for the kitchen, Ethiopian coffee for the week, or a handmade piece kept aside after a message on WhatsApp. Everything is on sale on site during the restaurant's opening hours, Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 10pm, and the online shop is coming soon for those who would rather browse from home first.

In practice

• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, closed Monday.
• Address: 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E, Dakar.
• Payment: on site, under the same terms as the restaurant.
• Setting an item aside: by WhatsApp, at +221 78 660 07 07.
• Online shop: coming soon, sign up by email to be notified.