Boost Self-Confidence with Ori Asè Waist Beads

At Ori Asè, Owner Hazel Grace creates and offers handmade semipermanent waist beads. The name Ori Asè comes from Ori — where you are in your mind — and Asè — a West African phrase that means “and so it will be” and “so it is.” The name epitomizes where waist beads began. They teach mindfulness, beauty and the sacredness of the body. Color and crystal energy raise the vibration for whatever a person might use their waist bead for as well. During a transitional period in Grace's life, she was gifted with her first set, which only encouraged her to create and expand her own expression of waist beads. Around this time, she began to study black culture, including the history of waist beads, leading her to found Ori Asè in Greater Des Moines (DSM).

What Ori Asè Offers

All waist beads offered with Ori Asè are semipermanent and can be worn for self-accountability, mindfulness, commitment and serve as a weight-management tool. The unique mix of intentional beads, crystals and charms are tied with a divine substance that encourage sensuality, sexuality, self-confidence and chakra alignment. "As within so without" is a core affirmation that Ori Asè was founded on by paying homage to the continuous transmute between mental talk to personal reality.

Ori Asè at the Downtown Farmers’ Market

Grace is originally from Iowa and had never visited the Downtown Farmers’ Market until she became a first-time vendor in May of this year. She prepared for The Market by hiring a few people to assist with the footwork of having a booth at such a highly attended event. When the bell rang to indicate the start of The Market on her first morning, Grace was amazed by the line and number of people visiting the tent. Feedback was positive, too, especially for a black woman representing at The Market. Even now, Grace said, there’s not a lot of other black-owned businesses represented on Saturday mornings. As she sees more diverse booths beginning to sell products at The Market, she feels honored to be a part of it.

For Grace, being at The Market means sun and connection. She fits a diverse selection of customers for their waist beads in a personal way. Because The Market is such a large platform, it’s possible for her to fulfill her purpose, encouraging and affirming women of all ages and backgrounds. Her advice to other potential vendors is to prep and practice because there is discipline in preparation. This will help your business be taken seriously. Research or "always cook the food you eat," as Grace would say, and visualize yourself as your own client so that you may be in the best position to maximize the client's experience.

All four of Hazel Grace's businesses — Hazel Grace Photography, Melanin Mixologist, Ori Asè and HG Code — were created and shared due to her own self-reflecting needs as well as the feedback from others who were in search of a similar discovery. Further details and online shopping is available on her site at hgxpressions.com. Hazel G can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok as Ori Asè.

Check in with The Market’s weekly vendors here.

From May to October, experience local artists, live music and entertainment at the Downtown Farmers’ Market featuring nearly 300 family farmers, bakers, artists and crafters from around the state. It’s easy to visit with plentiful and affordable street and ramp parking options.