goods from Guatemala

Last month when I decided to share the store, I figured it was as good a time as any to finally get out of dodge. I hadn't had a vacation in a while, or even left LA. I looked into volunteering in different countries, because I wanted to experience something new that wouldn't cost a bundle, and hey, maybe I could help out at the same time.
I started out looking to stay on an organic farm through the website http://www.wwoof.org/ , but somehow through web bouncing I came across http://www.arcasguatemala.com/ , which is an animal rescue center in Guatemala. I loved the idea of working with spider monkeys and parrots, so I planned my trip around going there. I only had two weeks, and there's SO much to see down there. I spent four days at ARCAS, which is in the jungle a short boat ride from the town of Flores. Flores is an amazing place - a tiny island in a lake. I then went to the ruins of Tikal, and on to Belize to Caye Caulker where I went snorkeling on a boat tour and saw the most beautiful fish, along with nurse sharks and huge manna rays. Then stopped in San Ignacio, Belize to see more Mayan ruins and an iguana farm.
I spent several days in Antigua (which I hear just made #1 tourist destination in some big list this year), where I finally started doing some buying for the store. I went to the town of Chichicastenango, which has the biggest market in Guatemala twice a week. I could go on quite a bit here, but I'll just say it was amazing.
People often ask me "Do you get to travel all over the world to buy all these cool things you sell?" to which I say "I wish!!". I just travel to the LA convention center for gift shows and spend a crazy amount of time searching for goods on the internet. So this was my first experiment importing. I'm completely unskilled the the art of bargaining, so that was a big hurdle. Plus my Spanish is pretty bad. But the more I did it, the easier it got, and I really had fun. I've been told that the actual price is 1/3 or 1/2 of what vendors first tell you, but I don't know if there's any truth to that. And my goal was not to whittle them down to the lowest price possible, but to walk away with everyone happy. Surprisingly sometimes the starting price was about what I would charge in LA, and that's in a store where the overhead is much higher than a blanket on the street!
In the end I ended up paying about what I would to a pro importer at a trade show, but by cutting out the middle man I paid more the artists making the goods. So what did I get? A little of everything that caught my eye! I got some beautiful bags and pillow cases made from old retired huipiles, the classic Mayan blouse. The elaborate design and patterns of a traditional woman's huipil may convey the wearer's village, marital status, and personal beliefs. I also bought some beautiful woven textiles - wall panels, table runners, scarves, etc. Some great baby clothes (which are going fast - I wish I bought more!) and some baby slings. The Mayan women just use a big swath of fabric and tie it in a knot over their shoulder, but I got some that cheat with a padded shoulder strap and buckle. Some other bags I bought are made from wool in the sheep's natural color variations - creams, browns, warm blacks. I saw men using these bags in Guatemala, so it's a nice unisex bag big enough to hold most laptops. Here's a link to them on the website: http://www.shopregeneration.com/access.html

In Belize I bought a collection of carved slate pendants from an artist who set up a card table at night on the street. They're symbols from the Mayan calendar, a variation on astrological signs.
I've rambled on enough! If you want to see more photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellywitmer/

Big changes at Regeneration

Okay, so I WAS going to go out of business. Sales were down so much that it didn't seem worth staying open. When I sent out an announcement before the holidays of a going out of business sale, so many loyal customers came in and told me that I just COULDN'T leave. They also bought a bunch of stuff, which gave me new hope. So I started looking for someone to share the store space with me, to help out covering the bills. I was in another store and a 50's pink ceramic rooster reminded me of my old friend Jeff, who used to have a store next to mine in Silverlake (his was The Snivling Sibling, mine was Pull my Daisy, which I sold about 7 years back). And so I called to see if he would be interested. When I told him who it was, he said "Oh God, did someone die??" Long story short, a few days later he agreed to rent 1/3 of the store and sell antiques and furniture.
So now the store is getting a big facelift and it's looking good! Last week I meet a man from Holland and we were discussing the economy, and it's effects on both of our countries. He brought up an interesting point, that downturns like this can be useful as it forces us to rethink how we do things and come up with new solutions.
So cheers to the crappy economy!

Happy Halloween

Shop dog Shaft got a superhero cape for Halloween. The SOB barked at pretty much every trick or treater though. But LA kids are tough, and they want their candy - none were scared!

around the world with regeneration

Check out the world map of countries sporting regeneration wear!

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

RIP Martha

I won't go into the long tale of Martha's last days, but she didn't make it. This blog kind of died with her last month, but I'll try to keep posting again.

travels with Martha

I thought this was my last photo of Martha, because I couldn't find her anywhere yesterday. Then at the end of the day I nearly stepped on her, because she was right in the doorway. She's missing an antenna, but otherwise seems okay. I put her back on the shelf in the window, where she stayed all day today.

zen evolution interview

Last week I was contacted by some people starting a new website called "Zen Evolution TV", and they did an interview with me in the store. The website won't launch for a few months, but they had some thoughtful questions that I thought I would post here.

1) What inspired the start of your business?
I think I had recently seen "An Inconvenient Truth", and had gone to an AltBuild show in Santa Monica, which was about alternative earth-friendly building materials. And I thought to myself, why aren't there any stores that specialize in "green" goods? There didn't seem to be any, so I was kicking around the idea. Then I just happened upon a cool space for rent at the right time, so I went for it.
2) What makes your business different (and better) from all of your competitors? (both eco-friendly competitors and the obvious non-eco-friendly)
I think what really makes the store work is that most people find things that they really want, and the eco-friendly aspect is a bonus. There's also so many items that have a story behind them, that customers have said it's like browsing in a museum.
3) How has your business grown since you opened? Have you discovered that because of greater awareness of Global Warming, that your business has increased?
As I mentioned, two years ago there wasn't much of an eco marketplace. Now they're popping up all over the place, and it's a whole new world of eco-commerce. I try to avoid carrying lines that are just riding the green wave and turning it into a fad. I think green should be a habit, not "the new black".
4) What is the hardest part about transitioning people over to eco-friendly products?
Cost!!!
5) What do YOU do to be green at home and as a business owner? What challenges have you faced in being green? And do you require your employees to also be green-minded or rather, are you transforming them to greener ways by working for Shop Regeneration?
I recycle and compost so much that I usually don't even have to put out my regular trash can. I try to always be aware of my actions and their impact on the earth, without driving myself crazy with it (a hard balance to achieve!). I'm often leaving nagging notes to my employees about what is and isn't recyclable ( I have to sort it and bring it home since there's no commercial recycling trash pick-up here). I don't preach to anybody, but I think spending a lot of time in the store would cause some changes in their mindset.
6) How do you get in your 'ZEN place' each business day and what do you do to motivate your staff?
Actually, I usually feel pretty "zen" as soon as I walk in the door of the store. I'm not sure if it's all the good smells or the vibe.
I try to treat my staff with lots of respect and do what I can to keep them happy to work here. I also choose to work with people that motivate themselves.
7) What are your most popular items and why?
Lately I've been selling tons of clothes that I silkscreen. Some are vintage or current second hand clothes given a new lease on life with a fun design, but I'm also doing new pima cotton, organic cotton , soy and bamboo t shirts.
Also Melissa plastic shoes from Brazil - some women have gotten so addicted, they keep buying more pairs in different colors. I have a waiting list for different sizes when new shipments come in.
And those Envirosax (re-usable shopping bags with fun patterns) just sell like hotcakes!

8) What do you hope your customers will walk away with in doing business with you?
I hope people who shop here have fun doing it, feel good about where they chose to spend their money, and maybe even leave having learned something new.