(FORTUNE Small Business) – In Ghana what you do in life determines the style of your burial. The Ga tribe, located in the country's capital of Accra, models coffins to reflect their occupants' hobbies and occupations, from peacocks for bird lovers to airplanes for pilots. Now five-year-old exporter eShopAfrica.com is giving the burial vessels new life aboveground in the living rooms of Europe and America. British-born founder Cordelia Salter-Nour, 47, spent two decades in Africa in technology development before moving to Rome, where she decided to start a company that would give Ghanaian artisans an escape from exploitative practices. "One artist we use, Samuel Naah, paid off his apprentice fees with two commissions from us. Now he has his own business," says Salter-Nour. Prices range from $125 for desktop chests to $1,250 for six-foot models. In 2004, eShopAfrica.com's sales for all its art exports—including drums, textiles, and jewelry—topped $50,000. —SUE KARLIN