Three generations. One creative legacy. And a story that keeps unfolding with every pair of earrings, every handmade statue, and every woman we help step into her own gifts.
If you’ve been following our Sherika Originals story series, you know this brand didn’t start in a studio or a warehouse. It started in Northern California at local vending tables, community festivals, and small events where Mama and I learned how to show up, create from our hearts, and put our work in front of people. Part 1 told the story of our two shiny pennies. Part 2 shared how we named the business. And now, Part 3 is where everything shifted. This is the chapter where Mama stepped into her artistry, the Sherika Statues were born, and our work began winning awards across California’s juried art show circuit.
This chapter is also where the meaning of “Sherika” revealed itself in a moment that shaped our identity and confirmed the spiritual foundation of our brand.
In those early years in Sacramento and the Bay Area, our weekends were spent vending at local festivals, arranging jewelry on tables, and hoping our creativity caught someone’s eye. While Mama was selling, she was also observing, connecting, and learning.
One vendor introduced her to a curator who ran one of the most competitive juried artist circuits in Northern California. These weren’t neighborhood events. These were high-barrier shows for seasoned artists. But she was ready.
Around the same time, Mama came across a woman selling stunning statues made from sculpted African fabrics. She instantly fell in love with them, but they were out of her price range. So, while she couldn’t buy one for herself, her inner creative genius took over.
Mama’s years as an EEO Investigator for USPS became her creative secret weapon.
What she couldn’t buy, she researched.
What she didn’t know, she figured out.
What she couldn’t find, she tracked down wholesale.
And that’s how the Sherika Statues were born. They became deeply expressive, culturally rooted, spiritually inspired pieces with their arms lifted high.
During this same season, we went to a gourd festival without even knowing what a gourd was. We left with bags full of them. Before long, Mama’s dolls and gourds became part of our product line and they eventually became award-winning works in art shows across California.
But one moment shaped our story more than any ribbon or award.
An African woman (unfortunately, I don’t remember which country she was from) approached our table one day and asked, “Do you know what the word Sherika means in my culture?”
We didn’t.
She smiled and said, “A Sherika is a gathering of women. Women who commune, support, and lift each other up.”
Mama felt that in her spirit.
Her statues already reflected that feeling with arms raised in praise, wrapped in African fabrics, and gathered in strength and unity.
We’re women of faith.
Mama always said her statues were “praising God.”
So when this stranger explained the meaning of the name we had chosen, without knowing its roots, it felt like divine confirmation.
Sherika Originals wasn’t just a product line.
It was purpose.
It was identity.
It was legacy.
Those years were a family effort. Making statues and dolls was a multi-day process, and Mama hired me and sometimes my cousins to help prep bases, sculpt forms, dress the figures, and prepare them for shows.
And now, today, my son, Mama’s grandson, helps us edit photos for our website. Three generations touching the same dream.
Sherika Originals leveled up because Mama followed her curiosity, honored her gift, and trusted the vision God placed in her hands.
Part 4 picks up after the hiatus, when everything was quiet… until the moment I realized Mama’s creativity needed a second chapter — and I stepped in to help rebuild it.
If this part of our story resonates with you — the curiosity, the creativity, the courage to try — we’d love to invite you into the next chapter with us. We just launched the One Bill Challenge, a free 7-day jumpstart that helps women make and sell their first product and pay one bill. It’s the same spirit that built Sherika Originals in the first place.
Click here to join us in the One Bill Challenge.
Or explore our handmade pieces and maker kits inside the Sherika Originals shop.