Imba Gallery began as the dream of a Shona man named Sam on his honeymoon trip to Zimbabwe with his American wife, Nanci. Eighteen months later, early in the summer of 1992, Imba opened at 818 NW 23rd Avenue in Portland. It has been an ideal location on a wonderful street popular to locals and visitors alike.

Early in 1994, Bill Seibert, an American who was raised in various parts of Africa and has traveled to over 20 African countries, became a partner in the gallery. After Sam and Nanci departed in 1999, Bill remained to run the gallery on his own, focusing more and more on the stone sculptures he loves. Yearly buying trips to Zimbabwe keep the connections fresh, and these sustained positive relationships with the artists drive the gallery. Imba Gallery has grown into the largest and most diverse inventory of Shona sculpture in the Pacific Northwest.