Handmade treasures are everywhere at Back from Tomboctou, a wholesale business and retail shop selling ethnic folk art and collectibles from all over the world.
Claudio Delucca and Maribel Siman-Delucca have been running the shop for 40 years and consider folk art a ion. Delucca has background in anthropology and ethnic studies and Siman-Delucca, who was born in El Salvador, is a psychologist.
Their initial intent with the business was to help people in El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War. Since 1983, the couple has been specializing in items sourced from throughout Central America, as well as Mexico, Peru and Indonesia.
They opened the Adams Avenue store in the 1990s, making a name for themselves as the one of the “first ones in this country to bring in (these types of) products commercially,” Delucca said.
The store’s offerings include Guatemalan weavings, ceramics, ritual objects, Día de los Muertos products and “huipiles,” or traditional indigenous garments.
“One of our missions is to try to maintain artisan traditions alive,” Delucca said.
Everything is handmade by artisans, nothing is factory-made or produced in China, Siman-Delucca said. Prices are also affordable, with items ranging from $1 to $40.
“We have a good eye for beautiful things that are authentic and people will recognize that,” she said. “I think a lot of people feel comfortable shopping with us and explaining things to them.”
The store also holds regular workshops to educate the community about various art forms and keep artisan traditions alive. In preparation for the Day of the Dead in November, the shop will hold a series of altar-making and sugar skull-decorating workshops. Find details on the store’s website.
Visit backfromtomboctou.com.
Roxana Becerril is a freelance writer.
