By Jason Perez-Dormitzer
Buying a unique gift can be a challenge. Sometimes finding the right present for beneath the tree means getting away from the usual big-box doorbusters. Purchasing the latest “it” item on the web may not inspire the same “wow” power as it might have in the past. This year may be about finding that special something that carries its own sense of character, a keepsake that is a story unto itself, an exceptional choice that inspires a search for meaning beyond its surface. Tribe visited two Rhode Island businesses that specialize in presenting their clients with out-of-the-ordinary offerings that fit this very bill.
La Piñata Center & La Tiendita carries a vibrant line of products from Guatemala, everything from clothing to home decoration. Philip Sawyers Designs specializes in handmade clothing for men and women that focus on artistry as much as fashion.
Sussy DeLeon brought a piece of Guatemala to the United States with La Piñata Center on Providence’s West Side. In 2009, she expanded her product line to include handcrafted goods from the Mayan tradition in her newest venture, La Tiendita. The shelves of La Tiendita, located in the same Broadway space as La Piñata Center, are ablaze with every bright color under the sun. The warmth of La Tiendita’s cozy winter hats, scarves and shawls is perfect for New England’s harshest cold snaps. Pillows, jewelry and masks positively vibrate with liveliness.
DeLeon told Tribe she wanted to bring aspects of her homeland to the northeast. “I wanted to show how rich the Guatemalan culture is,” said DeLeon, who is of Mayan and Spanish heritage. “There are at least twenty different Mayan cultures. Each has its own dialect, celebrations, food and colors.”
This uniqueness includes diverse family traditions, food, people, local flowers and native birds. All of these are embroidered in the handmade pieces for sale there. DeLeon’s line of pillows, for example, is fabricated from women’s blouses. Traditionally, Mayan women wore a particular blouse for weddings and another for birthdays. Whatever the occasion, each garment epitomized the Mayan technique of embroidery. These blouses were then turned into pillows to be sold in places like La Tiendita. “It can take years to produce these blouses,” DeLeon said. “Artisans recycle what they already have because it takes too much work to reproduce these pieces.”
This practice can create an inventory challenge. DeLeon said that the women who make these items may have children in school or other resposibilities leaving little time to recreate their wares. Still these are the items she searches for on her trips back to Guatemala.“I always bring back something interesting,” she said.
La Tiendita’s inventory comes from two different kinds of Guatemalan sources. The first are non-profit agencies, which train Mayan women to produce items using traditional techniques and incorporating the latest in colors and fashions. They have their own websites and product lines, which can be a blessing for DeLeon because there are always products in the pipeline from which to choose.
The second source is markets throughout the country where artisans sell their handmade products. They are a little less dependable, DeLeon told Tribe. “A woman might sell me twenty handbags that are really hot sellers,” she said. “But when I go back to get more, they may have moved somewhere else or aren’t making that bag anymore. I’ll just have to find new things from someone else.”
For instance, she recently received a shipment of Mayan-inspired ties for men. La Piñata Center is still in operation and stocks piñatas, handmade with Guatemalan wire and paper. This too is another piece of the country she wanted to bring to the United States, particularly after looking for a piñata for her own child’s birthday party. “The ones here were hard to bend and small,” she said. “In Guatemala, the piñatas are big and come in hundreds of shapes.” But, she said of her 2009 expansion, “Piñatas were not enough for me.”
La Piñata Center & La Tiendita
300 Broadway Providence, RI 02903 | (401) 421-5180 pinatacenter.com
