The Early Days: Dunitz & Company Stories Part#2

Many of you are familiar with Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry collection. It's beautifully and consistently made. For many years now, you can count on us delivering exactly what you assume you will receive. Being able to do that didn't happen overnight.  When I first jumped in and started my business, things didn't always happen so smoothly. Let me share some stories here and on some future posts.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was working a corporate job at MGM/UA when I first decided to explore business opportunities in Guatemala. Initially I was focused on starting a business offering home decor items. After my initial trip to Guatemala, I knew I wanted to keep at it. 

You won't believe, but you must, a few of the serendipitous situations that resulted in my decided to jump ship and leave my position at MGM/UA. Believe it or not, I learned that my boss intended to promote me on the very day I offered my resignation. It was an easy decision. At that point, I'd already garnered a large order from a prestigious department store.

 

On my first trip to Guatemala, I had discovered some exquisite glass bowls at a fancy gallery-like store in a more monied district of Guatemala City. Intuitively, I knew pounding the pavement in this neighborhood would trigger ideas for higher end decorative accessories I might find in-Country and offer to stylish patrons in the US. I had decided to hire Ray Morales, who I had met on a previous trip at a smoky bar that many x-pats patronized to be my driver and guide. I shared my find with Ray and before I arrived he had visited that fancy store on my behalf. The glass artist had left her pieces there on consignment, and Ray had told them that he had an artist friend that wanted to study glass making. Somehow he finagled Patricia Crowe's home studio address from the store and we went to meet her. I think we drove by a few times before we found her at home and discussed my desire to offer her work in the USA. She explained how she made her fused glass bowls and hand-painted each piece with traditional Guatemalan iconography from villages all over the country. I bought some samples to hand-carry home. We worked out pricing. And we also negotiated that the designs I offered in the US, she would not offer to others. With his resources, Ray helped me get a contract drawn up. Contracts are meant to keep honest people honest. If Patricia had sold the designs I wanted to offer to others, there really wasn't going to be much I could do.

 

After I returned from that second exploratory trip with my glass samples in tow, I showed them to a friend and colleague at MGM. Crazy as it is, she had previously worked at I.Magnin, an upscale department store (that no longer exists) and knew the home decor buyer very well. She made the introduction and I swear, 10 days later, not only had I met the buyer, I had a $8000 purchase order. In my entire career, I am certain I've never written another order that easily. It was the sign to change my life. (It was after that, oy, I had to learn how to import heavy glass items, custom brokering, packing glass and dealing with a Department Store!) *[BTW, We still have many gorgeous bowls and trays. Inquire if you'd like some!]

 

There were other events that might have deterred me from continuing. I previously mentioned that when I started my business, Guatemala was in the midst of civil war, something that I clearly ignored. Guatemala is most known for artisan made textiles and weaving.  My hope was to offer traditional designs and also modern takes on traditional designs. With this in mind, Ray had a Guatemalan friend, Linda who was a teacher in a village above Ciudad Vieja, not far from Antigua. If you were brave enough to visit Guatemala in the late 80s, Ciudad Vieja was on the tourist route. Ray thought his friend might introduce me to some of her student's mothers and they could create weavings for me to offer in the States.  With this in mind, we drove to the village located in the volcano foothills, where I met with some of the mothers. I had a series of questions. "How long does it take to make a placemat?"  "Can you create custom designs?"  "What is the cost?" After a lengthy discussion about possibly working together, we told the women we'd be back in 10 days to learn their answers. No pressure. 

 

What happened was outright scary. Linda was fired from her teaching position. And the message that came back was "this is Guerilla territory and we don't want any foreigners messing with our Indians.  If she (that's me) comes back, she won't be going back. We suggest you don't mess with the Indians living over that mountain in the next village because that is Mafioso territory, and they don't want you working with their Indians either." Decision made. I didn't pursue that project and I never returned to that village. Sad, right?

 

Which carried more weight?  A big order or a threat on my life? It seems the desire and promise of building a business won. I worked laboriously, making many mistakes and accomplishing some wins. I carried on. I do wish I had had a mentor early on, which I never did. I learned by trial and error and a lot of hip shooting. It was hand to mouth for me for several years. But in the end Dunitz & Company, my fair trade business succeeded. Stay tuned for more stories. I have plenty of them. -ND

In The Beginning; My Dunitz & Company Story Part#1

I started Dunitz & Company a long time ago. Initially I dreamed of opening a retail store and working with artisans all around the world. After some due diligence, I decided building a wholesale business made more sense for me. That was in 1988 when I was still working at MGM/UA, then located in Culver City, CA. I had a promising career in the entertainment business, but I just wasn’t that happy. I always joke I’d be a lot richer (money-wise) today if I’d stuck to that course. In 1985, I left a position I had at Warner Home Video for a year of travel. I was restless then too. Most of my time was spent in Asia and I’m certain that that is where the initial notion of exploring and offering world crafts came from.

It’s a bit of a blur when I think about the early days of Dunitz & Company. I was young and stupid and did a lot of shooting from the hip. While still working at my corporate gig, I decided to take a vacation to Guatemala. I didn’t know if it was time to actively seek a new “job” or take a leap and start my own business.  Assuming I would throw my hat in the ring and start a business, Guatemala was a country a lot closer to me than any of those I’d visited and really enjoyed in Asia. It meant spending a lot less hours on a plane. The time I could steal away for traveling was limited by my allotted vacation. And I knew I’d find lots of beautifully made crafts in the “Land of Eternal Spring.” I assumed Guatemala would be an easier place to start a business. What I didn’t realize, and later ignored was that Guatemala was in the midst of Civil War and since the early 60’s more than 200,000 people were either killed or forcibly taken never to be heard from again. The peace accords weren’t actually signed until 1996. It was rough times in Guatemala and there weren’t a lot of travelers there. Those of us that were there, traveled by public chicken bus. It would be years before travelers could easily move about Guatemala by tourist vans. In 1988 it was me and my Lonely Planet guidebook being courageous.

Market Day in Antigua

That first trip to Guatemala I was mostly a tourist. I checked out the markets and galleries in Guatemala City. I strolled the cobbled streets of Antigua and was in total awe of the colonial architecture.  And yes, I took one of those chicken buses to Chichicastenango to explore their big Thursday market and to Panajachel so I could visit the towns around Lake Atitlan. Although I was playing tourist, my primary motivation for visiting Guatemala was to explore arts and crafts and see if it was a country that offered potential for business.

(I’ve changed many names, to protect the people I write about.)

It felt a bit scary on that first trip to Guatemala. I didn’t have a clue of where I should go, what I should see and how I should get around.  Initially I booked myself a room in a small worn down hotel in a tough part of town, Zone 1 of Guatemala City. Picture a charming old building with lots of dark stained wood paneling with peeling wallpaper.  I remember it was a block from Café Leon where I could snag some good coffee and later mail 1lb bags home to friends and family. It was also an easy walk to Bar Europa.

Nancy & Ray, my driver

Bar Europa in Zone 1 was the place ex-pats and tough guys hung out. I had heard if I wanted to make useful connections, I should venture out to this place. I did. It was smoky and there was lots of drinking. I don’t smoke and I’m not much of a drinker. I was definitely out of my element. I did however meet some interesting people. One person I met was Ray Morales, a Texan who had been living in Guatemala for many years and was married to a Guatemalan woman who worked at the US Consulate office. There is no question that he was once a mercenary who had turned a page. At the time I met him and when he could, he hired himself out as a guide and driver. Since traveling around Guatemala was near impossible, I knew our acquaintance could be advantageous if and when I returned to Guatemala.  He charged a daily rate, and on top of that, I would have to pay gas, his hotel and food.

On one of my first evenings in Guatemala, I met a man, Carlos Duarte, who was the age my father would have been. My mother actually obtained his contact information for me when she knew I was traipsing off to Guatemala.  He was a financially successful businessman, living in Guatemala City.  His cousin was the husband of one of the women in my mom’s card group. Now widowed, that friend of my mom’s thought meeting Carlos might be advantageous for me. Carlos picked me up and brought me to his home where I met his wife and we had dinner. Evidently his kids were at school in the US. Their home was in a posh neighborhood and it was behind barbed wire.  He operated sewing shops where he manufactured clothing for distributors and retailers abroad. I learned that his business partner had been murdered for most likely political reasons, the details I never ascertained. I think Carlos was impressed with my moxie and he offered me a job repping his business in the USA. The truth is, if I wasn’t going to continue on the corporate route back in the States, I knew I would start my own business working with artisans. After dinner Carlos dropped me off at my hotel. I knew if I ever got into trouble in Guatemala I could look him up again. Thankfully, I never had to do that.

It was suggested by the people I met in Guate (Guatemala City) that Panajachel would be the best place to make artisan connections. It was one of the few places artisans could travel and meet tourists, to sell their goods. On most days there were many Mayan men and women lined up on the street with their baskets of weavings and carvings. It was obvious to me that there was a plethora of opportunity in this country where so many seemed to have little opportunity.

Learning about Weaving

El Chisme, which no longer exists, was the place for breakfast and hob knobbing amongst foreigners who lived in Panajachel or those living in neighboring lake towns. It was owned by an American couple that had shuttered the place while they temporarily  moved back to the States, due to the instability of Guatemala. Apparently many foreigners who had been living in Guatemala left for their safety in the early 80’s and were now gradually returning. The ex-pat community was quite varied. There were those that chose to live in Guatemala because it was beautiful and inexpensive. I met retired teachers and a doctor that had lost his license to practice (in the States.)  And there were the x- Rajneesh followers. Lots of them. There was no shortage of people I met at El Chisme with colorful stories. And because many of them were interested in my story, I was able to meet many of the people that helped change my life. And with changing my life, it allowed me to change the lives of many others.

But that is for Part#2. After all, I had to return to Los Angeles and my job at MGM/UA and marinate on all I’d learned on that first exploratory trip to Guatemala. Would I look for a new job? Would I pursue a business of my own? (I guess you know the answer to that question.) Would I spend more time in Guatemala before taking my next steps? Stay tuned. I promise to write another segment soon.- ND

Fair Trade Federation Designers at Work in Guatemala

A few of my Guatemalan colleagues, 2006

 I've been working and collaborating with artisans in Guatemala since the early 1990's. One of the most wonderful things about the Dunitz & Company fair trade jewelry collection is that our designs are always original. We pride ourselves in offering designs that are unique, ones you won't find from other vendors. (Have we been copied? Yes. And that's for another blog post.) The collaboration process with artisans is one of most rewarding aspects of building an ethical collection.

 

For this blog post, I reached out to a few other designers that work in Guatemala. The companies these women are affiliated with are all members of Fair Trade Federation.  I know these women have all worked tirelessly to build a market for Guatemalan artisans. Each has their own story.  I asked them if they'd be willing to share a story about their journey with me. Lucky for us, they all said yes.  I asked them a series of loose questions. And then it was left up to them, how they wanted to answer my inquiries. Keep reading. First I'll share my questions. And then you can learn more about these amazing fair traders.  And, yes, lastly, I'll share a story from my Dunitz & Company experiences.

NANCY: Please respond to whichever question or part of my inquiry gives you joy or might be interesting to those that read my blog post. How did you get involved with designing and collaborating with artisans in Guatemala?  Do you have a favorite design? Can you tell me about it? Or one that has a fun story behind it? Definitely tell me about an item where I can share the link for purchase.

ANNE KELLY from Mayan Hands: Thank you so much for asking about design, because it's such an important and fun part of our work. Mayan Hands has been partnering with Mayan women artists for more than 30 years. The design process has always been collaborative, and supporting the women in preserving the culture they cherish, especially as expressed in their textile traditions, is part of our mission.  The gorgeous textile techniques and the colors that Guatemala is known for makes the process exciting. For me, the very best part is when we are able to work alongside one another. We are often working with many layers of language (English to Spanish to Kaqchikel or Tz'utijil or K'iche or A'chi), but it's the common language of handwork that forges deeper connections. As we sit together, we talk about our lives, our families, our hopes and dreams - and yes, the designs as well.

Mayan Hands Artist, Cecilia

I'm always inspired by the creativity of the women, and their willingness to stretch their imaginations and their skills. One example is our collection of beautiful pine needle baskets. A few coops of weavers and embroiderers learned the basics of basket-making, and the women took their newly acquired skills to amazing places, infusing the baskets with motifs and symbols also seen in their weaving. Periodically, we put out a call for a new designs, sort of a basket competition. Anything goes! The women are paid for their submissions and prizes are given for the winning designs. Of course, the best prize is when a new design goes into production (sometimes after tweaks), bringing more work and income to everyone in the coop. 

 

Catarina Basket

 It's hard to choose a favorite design - there are so many. I love our Catarina Basket. The coop that makes it came to us several years ago looking for work.  They had some basic basket making skills, but didn't yet have the consistency we needed. They began working with us by making simpler designs so they could earn income while honing their skills, then advanced to making more technically challenging baskets. When they submitted this basket after a call for new designs, we knew immediately it was a winner (and indeed, it's a bestseller). We named it after the woman who made the first sample. The stitches, all perfectly executed, give the basket a beautiful energy that everyone loves.  Now this coop is one of our strongest and some of the women have gone on to teach other groups, a great ripple effect. 

 

Mayamam Weavings

CARYN MAXIM & JENNIFER WEBSTER from Mayamam Weavers - Mayamam Weavers works with one women's weaving cooperative in the western highlands of Guatemala. Our product design strategy is a collaboration between the cooperative and our small team here in the United States. In the U.S., we understand the market better and know what products may successfully sell. In Guatemala, the women have the talent and skills to weave beautiful textiles, skills that have been handed down from their ancestors. A fun example of how we have truly come together to create a successful product is our popular Cuadritos line of table linens. It began as a request to our backstrap weaving team to weave a square in whatever pattern wanted, to create a kind of "sampler" of their skills. Here in the U.S., we studied each of their squares. We selected the weave they called Cuadritos (which means "small squares" in Spanish) and asked the foot loom weavers if they could interpret it on the foot loom. Our Jeweltone Cuadritos design came out of that interpretation.  It has turned out to be a wonder fabric. Sewn into placemats and table runners, the fabric is unbelievably easy to care for. Not only is it washing machine friendly, when you take it out from the dryer, it doesn't even need ironing. It comes out completely ready to adorn your table! Since Cuadritos was so well received, we have since introduced two additional color combinations, Blue Moon and Champagne & Pearls. 

 

Allison with Santa & Paulina

ALLISON HAVENS from Yabal - I came to Guatemala in 2011 after having worked in a fair trade store in Chicago for several years, looking for a change of scenery and work. I worked as a Volunteer and Activity Coordinator at a womens and childrens domestic violence center in Quetzaltenango for my first three years in Guatemala. However, I soon became frustrated with the lack of options for these families to maintain their economic independence from their abusers and the overall lack of work options for uneducated women in Guatemala.  This experience brought me back full circle into the fair trade worlds as I connected with the local women's fair trade organization Yabal. I began working with them in 2012 to build up their business and sales, and have been with Yabal since. The mission of Yabal is to support rural women artisans through consistent, well paid, respectful artisan textile work. The impact is real, tangible, and immediate for the women and their families we partner with. It's incredible to see how this type of work and equitable business relationship changes lives and builds confidence in the women that have worked with Yabal for many years.

I didn't start off designing products for Yabal but the nature of the work led me to try my hand at product design. There is so much local competition for artisan goods in Guatemala that unique designs and quality crafts(woman)ship are one of the only ways to set yourself apart and continue providing for work for our weavers. I have a background in studio art, but product design was overwhelming for me. Yabal's weavers have the ability to create hundreds of incredible pattern and color combinations. It's almost impossible to limit the design possibilities into just one "collection." I usually have an impulse to include every design and every color option in our collection because they're all gorgeous. It's just not possible.

When creating Yabal designs, we always use one of the women's own weavings as a base and jumping-off point. A lot of times, it's really about choosing a certain color palette and paring down the number of color combinations used so that the design is more attractive to trends in a foreign market. We seek to maintain the identity of the weaving designs and of the communities where they come from while adding a bit Western design influence.  Usually the process is a very collaborative effort and we take our design lead from the incredible master artisans we partner with.

Maya Coin Purse in Blue

One of my favorite products is the Maya Coin Purse. This product is an example of not wanting to completely narrow down and standardize the design; allowing some spontaneity and creativity up to the weavers. Because of this, each of these purses features a difference brocade design using traditional Maya geometric patterns. This makes each purse an original artwork created by each weaver. While the design patterns will vary with each purse, the colors are standardized and simplified. When stores purchase several of these coin purses, the variations shipped allows customer to choose a design that is completely unique. And even better, the threads for our coin purses are artisanally dyed using all natural plants and minerals by another women's cooperative. 

That was fun and informative for me to read these stories, and to see how these women interpreted my questions.  And I supposed you might want to hear some tales from me now :).

NANCY DUNITZ from Dunitz & Company - I launched my business in 1989 after traveling to Guatemala to explore the possibilities of working with and collaborating with artisans there. There were a number of foreign nationals living in Guatemala at the time, all willing to introduce me to the members of their community and various Mayan artisans they knew. At the time, one of the only ways to get around Guatemala was by public bus. I fortunately was able to hire a private driver who took me to many remote villages where I was able to meet many artisans and see their work first-hand. I was also told about an American woman living in Guatemala who was working with and showing Mayan woman how to create bead-work. (Beading is not indigenous to Guatemala.) Initially, and unsuccessfully I had tried to connect with her on one of my trips to Lake Atitlan. 

 

Nancy & Suri

Here's my quirky story. And it probably is more quirky for my now longtime friend and colleague, Suri. I think it was my second time ever exhibiting at the Los Angeles Gift Show. She walked into my booth and introduced herself. Her mom was living in Los Angeles at the time, and she'd come to visit her. And while she was in town, she managed a pass to check out the trade show. That is when and where the seeds of our collaborations sprouted. More amazing, the exhibitor next to me, who designed clothing from Guatemala, was married to Suri's half sister, a woman she had never met until that day. Her sister had grown up in Mexico, and only by chit-chatting with my neighbor did they make that connection. She has always repeated that that was one of the most meaningful days of her life. She met her sister. And she met me. Wow. Right?

You can only imagine the voluminous number of designs and color combinations we've created together over our tenure. There was a time when we'd introduce 60 or more new designs twice a year. And each season everything would be created in 12 new color combinations. As the women who created our beaded jewelry became more proficient and confident, they'd often present to us designs that they had thought up. Often these became part of the Dunitz & Company beaded collection. Those early days were crazy. We had created a huge demand for bead-work, we had our clandestine workshop, and we hadn't yet been copied. I used to exhibit at 16 wholesale trade shows each year. Can you imagine?

Dunitz Coral Jewelry

 

So, where did it all begin? Our beaded Coral Necklaces and Coral Earrings were first introduced nearly 30 years ago. And they still sell well. They say emulation is the sincerest form of flattery. That's a tough one for me to swallow. If my ego got in the way on this one, I would have retired this design a long time ago. Many other companies have created their version of what we do. Thankfully, over the years our wholesale customers seem to appreciate our quality and color combinations. Our coral jewelry always feels soft and flows easily. This design has actually been featured on multiple mail-order catalog covers!

 

 

Coming up with ideas for blog posts is often challenging. And as many of you know, I often like to support my fair trade colleagues by sharing what they are doing and/or writing. This post is no different. I wanted to take my hat off to Anne Kelly, Caryn Maxim, Jennifer Webster and Allison Havens who are doing an amazing job of creating opportunity for artisans in Guatemala. We all work endlessly and being recognized for a job well done can go a long way. So, you go girls! And when you need a beautifully made, fair trade gift, please consider one of our designs. Their links are above. And of course, Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry is also only a click away. -ND