BN Bride Ola Morin-Muhammed launches IJORERE Atelier in Illinois | Luxury Invitations Atelier & Event Venue

In 2011, BellaNaija Weddings featured the 7th Anniversary/Vow Renewal ceremony of Olatokunbo Morin-Muhammed in Chicago {Click to View}. Amongst all the exquisite elements of Ola and Saheed’s wedding were the unique invitations and wedding stationary created by the bride’s luxury invitations brand IJORERE.

It’s the start of 2013 and IJORERE The Invitation Inc. is taking a major step as it will be launching its first flagship store, IJORERE Atelier. Located in the heart of the historic district of downtown Elgin, Illinois, IJORERE Atelier will be a meeting location to cater to clientele’s stationery needs. IJORERE Atelier is also an event venue for private & small gatherings. The store will host small & intimate gatherings such as, but not limited to Weddings, Bridal Showers, Baby Showers, Poetry Readings, Rehearsal dinners, Corporate/Business sessions, Birthday parties, Workshops, Book reading clubs and other intimate yet grand events.

BellaNaija Weddings caught up with Architect by Day and Invitation Extraordinaire by night, Ola and here is what she told us.

Tell Us about the IJORERE Atelier and the Invitation Brand
IJORERE Atelier is the flagship store & headquarters of IJORERE The Invitation, Inc. For thousands of years, the exotic colors of the peacock has stood as a symbol of Luxury, Beauty & Pride and just as this intriguing bird mesmerizes you with its brilliantly vibrant feathers, IJORERE captivates your eyes with an array of imaginative designs that will add exuberance to every occasion.

Our exoticly luxurious invitations celebrate the beauty of multicultural heritage using traditional fabrics & embellishments that is certain to leave a lasting impression. We strive to bring you exceptional customer service, an intimate experience and to ensure you have a memorable IJORERE event, after all your day comes but once.

Why did you decide to open a store?
Most of our clientele are brides getting married for the 1st time, and as you can imagine, getting married is a life changing event and one that is very personal. Having a place to meet with our clients 1 on 1 is personal experience that cannot be gained from online purchasing or over the phone conversation. It has also been a desire to own an interchangeable space for any kind of event. The IJORERE Atelier will be a loft & event venue that will allow for transformation into our client’s decor vision.

How did you turn your “store dream” into a reality?
I honestly can only attribute this to God’s doing. The opportunity presented itself unexpectedly. One of my professional product photographers told me that she was thinking about leasing a studio space and she wanted me to view the space and provide her with any architectural insight (I’m also an architect by profession), when I viewed the space, I feel in-love and was even happier to discover other loft spaces available for lease. My photographer passed on the information and 6 months later I secured my 1st storefront.

What inspired the store location?
IJORERE’s brand evokes diversity and my personal style is very eclectic, I like a little bit of everything from very contemporary to vintage. Downtown Elgin is a historic city, rich in diversity and multi-cultureness. We are right in the heart of cultural centers and in good company with places such as the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Hemmens cultural Center, Children Theater of Elgin, just to name a few.
The Fox river & Festival Park provides a beautiful backdrop for weddings and parties. It seemed only logical that our 1st flagship store would inevitable be based in this quaint city with a lot of favor.

What special experience can clients enjoy now that the store is open.
The opportunity to actually touch and see the great quality of the IJORERE original designs, one on one experience with my clients becomes an excellent way to understand their vision. They can now use our loft space for their Grand events and they can also purchase our signature collection in person.

Do you plan to open more stores in other locations?
I’m glad you asked! Yes! this is just the beginning of the IJORERE empire. My targeted area is and always have been my homeland, Nigeria. I live in the U.S, but I would like to establish partnership with an esteemed individual(s) in the wedding industry where services can be exchanged in a way that is mutually beneficial. I’ve already started working with an event planner in Nigeria and IJORERE is to be the preferred vendor for all her clients and their stationery needs.

Tell us about your plans for 2013
By 2nd quarter, my ultimate goal is to be completely booked with a list of GRAND events hosted at the IJORERE Atelier, period.

Thanks! Thank you and may your day day be IJORERE, a day that is GRAND.

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IJORERE Atelier is located at 51 S. Spring St. Suite 100, Elgin, IL, 60120.
Loft Hours will be Thursday – Sunday 10 am until end of event(s) and Monday – Wednesday, by appointment only.
Opens January 2013.
Toll free number – 1.855.299.8880. Contact Info: Phone-(312) 401-3956, Email – [email protected]