By Andra Moss

“It is,” says Bella Erder, “a bit like going full circle.” 

Erder is referring to her return to a retail space in the Royal Arcanum Building, where she has opened a holiday pop-up version of her shop, Aija (pronounced Asia). “My first retail presence in Norfolk was a store and art gallery on the second floor here, in an apartment above the main entryway,” she recalls, placing that opening at about 2011. After nearly two years, she moved across the street, expanding her enterprise into the western half of the building now occupied by the Berkshire Country Store. Erder’s shop remained a vibrant downtown presence for more than four years, where she hosted trunk shows and art openings for local artisans alongside her own offerings of jewelry, accessories, tableware and other gifts. 

Now Erder and Aija have returned to the Arcanum Building, this time in a ground-floor location. The store is open every weekend for holiday shopping from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 17. Erder and her husband, Mark, have recently moved back to Norfolk after residing for many years in Hong Kong, and she has stocked Aija with a stylish and affordable collection of products sourced from her travels in the Asia-Pacific region. Says Erder, “I have lovely market baskets from Bali, as well as wooden servers, horn spoons, shawls and tabletop accessories” from some of her favorite sources in Hong Kong, China, Vietnam and Thailand. Necklaces designed by Erder—a mix of stone and pearl—are once again on offer, as well as a selection from fellow Brit Simon Drew’s popular line of quirky greeting cards. Erder also offers a full holiday gift wrap service.

For those unable to stop into Aija on a weekend day, all is not lost. Appointments may be possible, says Erder, and she encourages shoppers to visit the Aija Facebook page for shop updates and invitations to special events.