Today we’d like to introduce you to Medardo and Christian Garcia.
I started making Cuban links in 1983, right out of high school, as an apprentice for Oscas Benitez, a chain maker from Cuba. In 1990, I bought the business from Oscar’s partner Moises Weintrub, after they dissolved their partnership. This business operated under the name of Links in Gold until 2008, when the economy crashed and buying gold jewelry was not a priority anymore. I put all my machinery and tools in a storage and moved to Raleigh, NC. I have always loved making chains and knew that I will someday come back to making chains again. That happened in 2013 when I received a call from an old friend asking me if I wanted to start making Cuban links again. Of course, the answer was yes and so, I moved back to Miami and started what’s today CMG Links together with my son Christian and my wife Yohanka. My son is my partner and I have thought him everything he knows. He is also our marketing and social media expert, which has helped get our name out there. My wife runs the front of the house and all the administrative part of the business. This is a small family business but everything that comes out of our shop is done with pride and love for the art of making handmade jewelry.
Has it been a smooth road?
There is always struggles when running a business. It is very difficult to find people for the job and so training people takes a lot of us. We have lost employees in the middle of a heavy season and so on.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
CMG Links is a small family owned business located in the Seybold Building in Downtown, Miami. We specialize in handmade Cuban link chains and bracelets. We are currently developing other products with the same Cuban link design to cater to women. We are proud of the product because we want it to become the Cartier of Cuban links. We don’t operate a factory where you produce 50 chains in a day. We take our time making our pieces and the result is a top quality handmade Cuban link. That is what sets us apart from others.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Miami is the perfect place for a business like ours because we are making Cuban jewelry and what a better place than Miami. It is the closest thing to Cuba, LOL!
Contact Info:
- Address: 36 NE 1st Street
Suite 506
Miami, FL 33132 - Website: www.cmglinksmiami.com
- Phone: 786-534-6157
- Email: cmglinksmiami@gmail.com
- Instagram: @cmglinks
- Facebook: @cmglinks
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