VALDOSTA — Richard and Earleen Thomas moved here in 2003 from New York with the intention of filling a void in cultural education.

They founded Nairobi African Art that same year. The store sells African art items and also provides the purchaser information on the history and cultural significance of the item.

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce Thursday named the art store — now located at the Lake Park flea market — as the Minority Owned Business of The Year.

Runners-up were Carter’s Septic Tank Service and Scott and Roberts Mortuary.

Earleen Thomas accepted the award in honor of her late husband, who died in 2005.

“I don’t know if he had a premonition, but he told me ‘if anything happens to me, you know the business. You’ll just have to step up to the plate,’” Thomas said when accepting the award. “I knew I had to carry on.”

Thomas said she and her husband had been art collectors for 18 years prior to deciding to start the art store, which sells pieces brought directly from African tribal villages, including wood carvings, stone carvings, statues, masks, hand-made

jewelry, instruments, clothing and more.

Thomas received the award from Joann Hill, chief of business development for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency and Atlanta National Enterprise Center.

Hill was the key speaker for the event, which was held at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center on Norman Drive. She introduced each of the three finalists, then named Nairobi African Art the winner.

“(The Thomases) made a concentrated effort to both educate the community and position themselves effectively in the business community, participating in community events and joining organizations such as 100 Black Men of Valdosta, the Chamber and numerous others,” Hill said.

The runners-up were honored for their many years of service in the community:

• Scott and Roberts Mortuary was founded by the Scott family in 1934 as “The Mortuary That Cares.” Thomas Chapel Baptist Church Pastor Edgar Roberts, who also is Lowndes County Commissioner (District 1), purchased the mortuary in 1989 and gave the funeral home a complete facelift. The Roberts family carries on the tradition of community service started by the Scotts.

• Gainus Carter started Carter’s Septic tank and Sewerline Cleaning 26 years ago. Carter’s ability to persevere in the face of adversity sets a good example of how a business can survive tough tests and remain successful. Carter underwent major back surgery. Fires destroyed large amounts of his equipment. His firm endured numerous mechanical failures through the years. Yet still, the company always has provided quality service.

As the winner, Nairobi African Art received a congratulatory plaque, a center spread in the Chamber publication “Progress,” $500 in free printing services from U.S. Press, two tickets to the annual Bird Supper in Atlanta, and several free tickets to Chamber events.