Show Time at Manos Amigas

It is show time at Manos Amigas.  Muestras or more literally “shows” is the name for product samples the artisans submit to be considered for the new catalog that goes out to clients.  From December through January artisans bring in the bulk of their muestras which also allows them to be considered for inclusion for a large gift fair in Germany that Manos Amigas has participated in in recent years.  In the past Manos Amigas has generated many new product orders through this fair so it is a good opportunity for the artisans to have their products selected for the fair.

I have had the opportunity to sit in on some of the sessions when artisans have brought their muestras to show Yannina.  It is fun seeing the great variety of products that come in and it has been especially neat for me to see how artisans have incorporated some of the suggestions I made during a training on characteristics of best-selling products I did a few months ago.

When samples are brought in the artisan sits across from Yannina and the items are put out on her desk.  She always compliments the artisan on their good work and exclaims over how nice their items look.  You can tell when she is really excited about a product but even when she is not she shows her appreciation. Manos Amigas really wants to encourage artisans to bring in more product ideas/samples to be considered for the catalog.  But it is a risk to the artisan to do so because they may spend a lot of time and energy creating a new product and then that product may not end up being included in the catalog.  It may be because it is not in line with what Manos Amigas is looking for or the quality may be too low.  However, Manos Amigas does include the great majority of muestras in their catalog but that still doesn’t mean an order will be placed for the item.  In fact, typically only about 10% of what is in the catalog will actually be ordered by a client. 

Manos Amigas has a goal of diversifying its product line beyond the heavy Christmas focus they currently have. During the capacity building training I stressed teacher gifts as one way to achieve this.  This was one artisan's interpretation of that message.  These will be appearing at Global Gifts in April.

 

Yannina works with the artisans by making suggestions for modifications in color, style, and so on to give the product the best chance possible.  In many cases, artisans return with the modifications within a week or so.  It has been fun to see this process in action. Sitting in on many of these sessions I have been asked to offer my opinion as well.  I am honored to be asked and because of my years in the stores I think I can bring a valuable perspective.  But at the same time I feel a great sense of responsibility in offering suggestions because these products represent the livelihood of folks who are living with little or no extra income.  Lack of orders may mean a child has to withdraw from school or a family has to move from a house with running water to one without it.  In one instance, Yannina learned from an artisan that his daughter was going to withdraw from university due to lack of funds.  She asked him about his situation, asked for a letter from the daughter about the importance of her education, and asked him to email her a picture of the entire family.  Later I asked if Manos Amigas was going to help pay the daughter’s tuition.  “He is one of our best artisans,” she said, “right now he has no orders.”  Yes, she was going to help pay the daughter's school fees, at least for a time.  Maurelio came back the next day with his daughter so they could thank Yannina together.

Maurelio in his workshop.

It is fun to see the artisans’ creativity at work in this process.  Often there is a discussion about size, shape, and color.  For example Yannina might say,

·         Those figurines look a little cartoonish in their facial expression. 

·         These sculptures are beautiful but I am not sure if they can sell at that price. 

·         This cow and sheep are too large for that nativity. 

While these are all types of constructive feedback that Yannina give, of course she offers a lot of praise and encouragement as well. 



This represents a "modern day" nativity.  We had a good time talking about who could stand in for the 3 wisemen.  Will this be a popular nativity?  I have no idea, but it certainly is different.  I did believe in it enough to order some for Global Gifts.



This year I understand more muestras have come in than usual.  During the capacity building training we emphasized the importance of continually creating new items.  We said the risk of not creating new items is greater than the risk of creating new items and having them not sell.  Because even a great selling item won’t remain strong forever, their line of products needs to continually be renewed.  It is gratifying to see the increase in muestras this year and I wonder if the training had something to do with it.  Either way, being part of this experience has been educational.  Perhaps even more exciting is that soon many of these products will be available at Global Gifts.  After going through this process, I had to place an order!

 

This fine couple represents another attempt to diversify away from Christmas.  During a training I suggested that figures of couples or families with children are popular items at Global Gifts.  This was one of several items that came in as a result.  You will be able to find it at Global Gifts sometime this spring!





These ceramic eggs will be great for Easter. I hope we will have them in at Global Gifts in time for this year's holiday!