Mom's Spirit has Wings

We are joyed to be able to have our hummingbird touch the heart of a new customer we met last weekend.

We received the following yesterday:

"Hello Fred,

It was a pleasure meeting you in Salem.......................... I’m also interested in the large Hummingbird puzzle box.


Xxxxxxx, my soon to be fiancé, lost her mom some years ago and was ‘visited’ by a hummingbird the same day she died. She since is convinced her mother comes to visit now and then in this form and is fond of anything hummingbird. It would
be a great surprise to her to give her this puzzle box at Christmas. If you have one available, please send this also."

Tico Art un negocio espíritual

Tico Art es una asociación de cooperación mutua entre Los Estados Unidos y Costa Rica creada para compartir el espíritu y la belleza de los Ticos y su cultura con el resto del mundo. Ticos y Estadounidenses trabajando juntos en el diseño y la producción artesanal de piezas decorativas y funcionales a partir de maderas finas cultivadas Centro América. Estas piezas son terminadas y traídas a Los Estados Unidos por medio de Tico Art en Nueva Inglaterra.

Okay, now a translation for our Gringo friends:

Tico Art a spiritual business

Tico Art is an American/Costa Rican cooperative partnership created to share the spirit and beauty of the Ticos and their country with the rest of the world. Ticos and Americans work side by side designing and producing handcrafted decorative and functional items from Central American farm grown hardwoods. These are finished and channeled through Tico Art's New England facility.

This is our Mission Statement and has been added to our website. After five years we have grown into a cooperative of three American and four Costa Rican families plus loads of others that provide help, labor and services. Here are a few of them.

Although the Mission Statement doesn't address it, the spirit, joy and enthusiasm of our American customers is the third component of our "Spiritual Business". Each day that we sell, there are at least two or three heart warming stories or special customers. I hope to share some of these in future blogs.

For today I will share portions of a thank you letter from a lovely lady:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Drew,

I am xxxxxxxxx. So happy to meet you at Boston Summer Street Market in June.

This is my first time to see the puzzle boxes. They are so beautiful and amazing!

Thanks Mrs. Drew for introducing me the "secret" of the puzzle boxes!

Also thank you for designing those wonderful and beautiful products!"

Even though "Mrs. Drew" was my business partner Pat that day, we appreciated the thought and the photos that she enclosed.

We hope to share the Tico "Pura Vida" with all we meet.

 

Pura Vida, Don Federico y familia

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Poor Pat P. ponders puzzle boxes

Poor Pat P. ponders puzzle boxes.

After a perfectly positive puzzle box presentation in Wells, ME yesterday; my partner Pat woke at 2:00 AM perturbed over the possibility that we lacked plentiful product to peddle today.

When I awoke at 6:20, I had an email time stamped at 3:43 AM asking for me to bring some Masonic boxes in addition to her other sold out items. It was a joyous Sunday morning so I opted for a motorcycle ride and delivered in time for our 10:00 AM opening.

And what was our first sale of the day?

A large Masonic of course!


It was great to see Darr, Laurie and lots of other crafter friends today. Pat and George are doing a great job taking over events but we miss our friends when we're not there.

Pura Vida, Don Federico

Greenway Openmarket

If you haven't visited Boston lately, you should this summer. There are a number of organizations that have worked hard to make our city a composite of historical, cosmopolitan, hip, entertaining and relaxing.

Last year the Boston Improvement District invited us to be part of their Art Fridays Market. They continue to add Music, Markets & More to downtown Boston. The twice-weekly Summer Street Markets continue all summer on Wednesdays and Fridays.

In addition to the Summer Street Market, we were accepted as part of the Greenway Open Market. The Greenway Open Market is an expansion of the successful and nationally recognized SoWa Open Market in conjunction with the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy.

We have been there five Saturdays thus far and in addition to receiving a wonderful reception, we have enjoyed the beauty and atmosphere that the Greenway has added to Boston. Of course! it is a stark contrast to the old Expressway that loomed over that area.

Boston’s ribbon of contem

 

We are off to Wells, ME this weekend but will return on July 14th for the last of our original scheduled dates.

 

Having applied for additional dates this week, we have been accepted and confirmed that we can display there through the first weekend in August.

 

Come explore the parks, take in the city sights from the comfort of tree-lined promenades, soak up sunshine, play in the Rings Fountain, eat at a food truck, and of course shop a variety of other market vendors for something truly original!

We hope to see you there.

Pura Vida, the TicoArt.com cooperative family

 

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It's a Small World - continued

I received a nice response from Ted from Long Meadow and the story continues:

Ted wrote,

"Enjoyed your "blog" and passed it on to some of my family. I hope it gives some of your customers and prospects some ideas. It simplifies buying Christmas presents for me. My wife died 3 years ago and she used to take care of buying the presents ........ Regards, Ted"

Pura Vida, Don Federico

It's a small world

I always thought the concept of "six degrees of separation" (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation) was a little farfetched but sometimes connections and coincidences make me wonder.

We have been selling at the May festival, Long Meadowe Days for three years. Unbeknownst to us one man, Ted, made a large purchase and gave our products to his many children and grandchildren that Christmas. He then returned last year and ordered 17 coaster sets in custom Cocobolo boxes for his family.


This year my partners Pat and George worked Long Meadowe Days alone but Ted made a point to stop by to say hi and update us on how well they were received. We alway appreciate the feedback.


A couple of weeks later Ted contacted me directly to discuss possible gifts for this year. The following Saturday Elaine, Rocco and I were working on the State Street corner of the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston and a lady, Jessica, commented that she had received a coaster set for Christmas last year. She said "my grandfather knows someone in Long Meadow, Massachusetts who makes these same items". I asked if his name is Ted and when she said yes I laughed and said I wasn't going to tell her what her gift was this year.

This "It's a small world" experience put a smile on our faces. The spirit of the Ticos and Tico Art continues to spread.

Pura Vida, Don Federico

Greenway Open Market

What an exciting beginning to our 2012 season.

In addition to Wednesdays being added to the Downtown Crossing Market, we are privileged to display on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The event can be found at GreenwayOpenMarket.com.

For those of you that are not familiar with Boston, after our decade struggle with what was called the Big Dig, the major elevated highway that went through the city is now underground. What was the dirty underside of a highway with pavement and parking lots is now a necklace of beautiful parks, fountains and people.

Yesterday we (my new business partner Pat and I) set up in the light rain but by the 11:00 AM opening, the sun and people were both out. Many memorable customers from Indiana, Minnesota (mailing your bowl tomorrow), Scotland and a one couple that are bringing our products back to Israel.

Our stand yesterday:



The people and weather held until about a half hour before closing when the event organizers passed word down the line to break down a bit early as there were thunderstorms coming. In addition to being there to assist with the logistics, they always watch out for weather fronts and warn the venders.

We were lucky to get our products packed and everything tightly under the tent before the rain and wind hit us. After 20 minutes of torrential rain there enough of a break in the rain so i covered my head with our tablecloths and ran to get the van.

Pat called me Casper:


We "almost" got it packed in a light rain but he heavens opened up for my last three trips to get the tent and weights.

All good, as I rested today and will be on the Greenway next Saturday to meet new people.

Thanks all,

Pura Vida, Don Federico



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Location:Rose Kennedy Greenway