Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Taveras.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Diana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
First Joys was born one early morning at 3:00 am. I was a brand new mom of my baby girl Joy. I couldn’t go back to sleep after nursing so I decided to start harvesting the dream. This dream came to me after I left a trip I took to Guatemala that past year. On this particular trip, I had the desire to watch women weave on a loom. Guatemala is known for its colorful and intricate textiles. It’s a national pride and part of our culture so, I wanted to witness it myself. I decided to visit a market known for handcrafted goods. To my surprise, I couldn’t find any of these women weaving. I had heard you could find these women there. So, started asking around where I could observe the making of real textiles. I say real because there is a mock textiles industry that claims to sell mayan textiles but they are machine made. This mock industry was the reason why I couldn’t find these women. As I continued to ask around in the market, more and more people started confirming my fear. The mayan handcrafted industry was disappearing. I heard this comment over and over again: “Seño, las cosas tejidas a mano ya casi no se venden. Es muy caro y la gente no quiere comprarlo. Prefieren cosas hechas a maquina. Es mas barato, Seño, y eso ya no se ve mucho. Solo las señoras mayores saben hacer eso y lo hacen en su casa.” (Ms, handmade textiles don’t sell anymore. It’s expensive and people don’t want to pay for it. They prefer the cheaper machine made things. Ms, you rarely see that anymore. Only the older women know how to that and they do it from home.)
My mind started to turn to try and find a solution to bring value to handcrafted goods. My trip to the market turned from a wish into an investigation. How could centuries of culture die? How could the art and pride of Guatemala die and never come back? I wanted to provide jobs to mayan men and women. I wanted to specifically provide jobs to native hand-crafters and allow them to expand their art and teach younger generations. Part of the reason why younger generations do not want to take part in learning is due to the lack of pay for handcrafted goods. They are seeking better pay opportunities. They don’t want to carry this beautiful legacy. I want to change that.
I decided to start First Joys at 3:00 am. First Joys is a tiny handcrafted goods company that links countries. I say tiny because we currently focus on children’s products. It is in our plans to expand to adult products soon. It is a company that supports native families and their art. Our vision is to expand to other countries too. I decided to start, in hopes someone would believe in it.
That same night, I decided to book a flight to go on a search for mayan families willing to jump on board. The next day, I called one of my best friends and told her about what I was hoping to do in Guatemala. She connected me with a mutual old friend that lives in Guatemala. She told me to give her a call because she had a similar vision.
I packed my things, my child, and my mom. Together we embarked on a trip to start First Joys Co. When I arrived, I honestly didn’t know where to start. So, I decided to give my old friend Sharlin a call. I spoke to her about what our mutual friend had said and to our surprise, our visions matched. We met up and in our first meeting we decided to start this adventure.
Sharlin and I own First Joys Co. She is the logistics, manufacturing, and personal relations manager in Guatemala. She works directly with the makers. She also does all the logistics to ensure materials, tools, makers, and shipments to the US flow together. She is the heartbeat of First Joys. On the other hand, I manage all the logistics in the United States. I make sure design, marketing, customer relations, shipments to clients, and sales flow together. It is surely a partnership! We enjoy it and we were each other’s answered prayer. We needed each other! As for Joy, my daughter has borrowed her name to us. We decided to keep the name First Joys because our items are made with love and joy. They are also received by parents and clients with much joy!
It’s been a journey full of overcoming struggles but full of happiness! Our heart is to share with the world the beauty and value behind our brand. We are much more than a brand. We are a legacy and a purpose. We bring joy and link countries together. We invite you to support us and follow our journey.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of our biggest struggles has been reeducating our followers about the value of handcrafted goods. We live in a time in which society would rather buy a machine made item than a handcrafted item.
We have noticed three big misconceptions:
1. The misconception. Potential Customers believe handcrafted goods are of less quality. This can be true if the item was made poorly and with no standards of excellence. Our products go through several months of rigorous testing. We test materials, fit, and design for each of our collections. We also test it on very active toddlers to ensure the shoe is comfortable and long lasting. We don’t put to sale any item that has not met our high quality standards. Also, our makers have more than 20 years of experience in the handcrafting field. Their art is fine!
2. The misunderstood price. Explaining why our products tend to be a little pricier than a common product. Our heart is to help. Our goal is to bring back value to handcrafting goods. We are on a mission to keep a legacy alive. We believe in fair pay and not exploiting our makers, for this reason, we must ask for what is fair. We have our potential customer’s wallets in mind too. We try our hardest to provide fair prices for our makers and clients. Every time someone purchases one of our items, it is directly connected to a families labor. Someone spent hours making that item from scratch with their hands. The impact a purchase does go beyond a pair of shoes. It is attached to a living, a legacy and a purpose.
3. The competition. The real competition is the total machine made goods. We are competing with the manufactured goods industry. We have had to pave our way and bring light back to the beauty of handcrafting. Again, it is cheaper to buy another product. That product didn’t have a legacy and story attached to it. That is what makes us so different.
Tell us about your business.
We bring Joy! We focus on handcrafted goods. We sell high quality products that could last you a lifetime and can impact the lives of many. Through our products, we provide native mayan families an income and a chance to pass down their legacy.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Passion.
Pricing:
- LEATHER BOOTS – $55-$60
- TEXTILE SANDALS – $40-$45
- LEATHER SANDALS – -$35-$40
Contact Info:
- Website: firstjoysco.com
- Phone: 2398518598
- Email: info@firstjoysco.com
- Instagram: @FirstJoys
- Facebook: @firstjoys
Image Credit:
Sarahi Tan
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