This month’s GAMBA business spotlight features Uhuru Furniture, a secondhand furniture & decor store located at 832 N Broad Street, with sales supporting the African People's Education and Defense Fund.
Tell us about your business
Uhuru Furniture is a black community-led economic self-determination project of the non-profit African People's Education and Defense Fund (APEDF.org). We are a green business and arrange tax-deductible pick ups of donated furniture Wednesday through Sunday. Our large showroom features top quality, low priced, gently used furniture including contemporary, mid-century, vintage and antiques, as well as home decor, with new items arriving daily. We offer special sales and discounts every month! We post photos of new items on our website every day. All profits benefit APEDF programs for health, food, economic development and uplifting our entire community.
As part of APEDF, Uhuru Furniture creates jobs and provides training and volunteer opportunities. We have developed spin off businesses including Uhuru On the Move full service moving and hauling company and NZO hand painted African design furniture and home decor. We offer same day or next day delivery.
Uhuru Furniture is celebrating 29 years of operation in Philly in 2023! We welcome people of all nationalities and walks of life to shop, donate and volunteer to support economic and human rights of the black community.
What makes you stand out?
Uhuru Furniture stands out because our quality is consistently high-- from regular household furniture to brand names and designer pieces, our prices are reasonable and truckloads of furniture and housewares arrive daily. We deliver and pick up your tax-deductible donations. We take customer service seriously! Our staff is courteous and helpful whether you are shopping, calling the store or we are delivering to or picking up a donation from your home.
Most important of all, Uhuru Furniture is more than a regular store, it is one of over 50 economic self-determination institutions of the non-profit African People’s Education and Defense Fund funding programs for health, healthcare, food, education, economic development and human rights by and for the black community. We invite everyone to support this important work by shopping, donating and volunteering!
We go live on Facebook and instagram every Saturday at 10:30am at Uhurufurniturephilly and friendly hosts and guests give you a tour of our latest great finds.
What current offerings would catch our eye?!
Our merchandise changes so often, this is a hard one to answer! We carry everything you need for your home or apartment including sectionals, couches, futons and sofa sets, club chairs, recliners, coffee and end tables, dining tables, chairs, china cabinets and buffets. For the bedroom we have dressers, nightstands, chests of drawers, and mirrors. We have desks, bookshelves, chairs and file cabinets for your home office. We have kitchenware, decorative housewares and lamps.
We have sofas by West Elm, tables by Pottery Barn, dressers by Crate & Barrel, and other name brands. We carry contemporary, midcentury, vintage and antiques!
We feature one of a kind NZO hand painted furniture with African designs, hand made pillows with African fabric, African home decor, posters, greeting cards and gifts.
We get a truck load of new items daily but don't wait--our stuff goes fast!
Why do you love working in the Art Museum District?!
We love this area because of the variety of friendly people from all walks of life who want to be part of a positive community. We look forward to meeting everyone and partnering with you and your business!
We appreciate all your support for Uhuru Furniture and the programs of the African People's Education and Defense Fund.
Tell us about your founders. What was the inspiration for opening the business?
Uhuru Furniture Philly originally opened at 1220 Spruce St. in Center City in 1994 and is one of over 50 African self-reliance projects of APEDF. Our leader is APEDF Board President Ona Zene' Yeshitela.
Uhuru Furniture is different than a regular store because it is a black community-led institution that benefits our entire community and funds APEDF programs for African self-determination. We also feature beautiful hand painted furniture with an African design and African style home decor. Our prices are low and our turnover is dynamic!
Uhuru Furniture moved to the Francisville area in 2014 to better serve our underserved community, to end the disparities faced by the black community and to expand this exciting institution.
YOU can participate by shopping, donating and volunteering.
Want your business featured here? Join the Greater Art Museum Business Alliance or email us for more ways to partner!
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