Tuesday, July 03, 2007

We stopped in at my local furniture maker yesterday. I have wanted to have four stools in the kitchen so we could eat lunch at the island, or for when I am spending many hours preparing gourmet meals. The furniture factory is a one man operation with a helper who was hand sanding a piece of wood. He has many American furniture catalogs including the Pottery Barn for you to look at and he will build everything custom the way you want it. We gave him a $20.00 deposit (about 10mil colones), discussed the height and left knowing we would receive our beautiful stools as ordered, later this week.

I love platform beds and he had several he was working on for another customer. How lucky am I to be able to order custom furniture at affordable prices in my town. I have seen various pieces of furniture on the dock space of this shop since I have been here. No it is not an inviting place, not even a sign. He does not even have floor samples for you to view, apparently he does not need to as he is well known and stays busy by word of mouth. He also restores old doors that most of us would just toss out. His work is that of a fine craftsman.

They rarely throw anything away here, including old umbrellas and shoes. You have them repaired, resoled, fixed, and they are good for another life. Perhaps they will even last longer the second time around.

We see cars and trucks on the road that have not been made since the 50’s. Datson, now known at Nisson should be proud to see some of their antiques still running with the best of them under some really bad road conditions. Many are in amazingly beautiful condition despite their vintage.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello, we are planning to move to Costa Rica in February. I have been looking all over the website to find out what we can buy there. We want to support the local community as much as possible. I read that you have a local furniture maker in your area. Can you give me more ideas of how and where I can find things locally?
Thank you! Sincerely, Marillyn

Ginnee Hancock said...

HI,

Your best source for finding what you want, is to make friends with locals in your new town. Our local doctor knows everyone and where everything is found. The best mechanic, meat, lumber, he knows every source. When it comes to small kitchen appliances and tools (kitchen or shop) bring them. If they are here, you will pay dearly for even a far lesser quality.

Think of your shopping adventure here as an Easter egg hunt; it is all here (for the most part), you just need to find it. But exploring your region, town and the surrounding area is part of the fun and adventure.

Furniture makers are everywhere, just show them a picture of what you want, they will duplicate it. Look at the quality of work they are doing in their shop.

Learn a little Spanish, put all details in writing, be flexible and clear. Just because it was a no-brainer to you, does not mean that they understand or get it. Now be kind and gentle, most are trying very hard to please you and meet your needs. This is still a third world country with pockets of lovelyness.