Episode 133 – Coffee N5 – Connecting Cultures Through Design with Julia Camara Calvo

Where does value come from? Discover the soulful source of value with Julia Camara Calvo, the artisan retailer bridging cultures and telling captivating stories from artisans all over Latin America, Spain, and Portugal and their handmade home decor. From mentee to entrepreneur, her extraordinary story starts with a call from the universe, and Dora Medrano, founder of Atacama Home. This story is fueled by the passion for telling the true narrative of Latin American home design and looking beyond design misconceptions. There’s something magical about this design shop in West Hollywood, where magic breathes life into captivating creations. Julia’s passion is infectious as she understands value starts with fostering genuine connections with the artisans. Join us for a story celebrating authenticity, love, and Latin American culture.

We’ll talk about:

  • The driving force behind Atacama reveals authentic Latin American home decor. 
  • Learn the power of storytelling through connections and passion. 
  • The different mindset for running someone’s business to actually owning the business.
  • Learn how to trust your instincts as a business owner, even if mistakes follow. 
  • How to triple your marketing efforts by leveraging the power of trade associations and communication organizations.

For more information, visit Atacama Home’s website.

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About Julia Camara Calvo

Julia is a native of the La Rioja region in Northern Spain (wine country). She studied in Spain and the US, and moved to LA in 2013. She was a production manager and a stage actor before switching gears with her current adventure, Atacama Home. Julia is so proud to be taking over Atacama Home as its new owner, and is working hard to build strong, meaningful relationships with every single artisan, studio, collective and designer she collaborates with. Her ultimate goal is to bring unique, beautiful, high-quality, and timeless objects that brighten peoples days and homes, and follow in the steps of her mentor, Dora Medrano (founder of Atacama Home). Some fun facts about Julia: she works as a professional party faerie on the weekends, has a three-legged cat named Gatita, she’s had all sort of jobs (from market cashier to teaching robotics to children), she volunteered at an animal shelter for years (where she would read books to cats, among other tasks), and she’s studied 7 languages… of which she only fluently speaks 2.5.

Lara Schmoisman 0:05
This is Coffee Number Five. I’m your host, Lara Schmoisman. Hello. Welcome back to Coffee Number Five. You know, my mom always have the thing that everything needs to match in the house, everything the curtains, the cushions need to match when you I mean, from very early on in my life, I knew that the contrast between clothing and I mean, people thought I was crazy, because I was little little. I said, Oh, that doesn’t match but my mom taught me. And that’s what I knew. But the house is so important. I mean, the place that we feel at home, even in the office, and now come on, so many people work in the home offices. And one thing is to have a house and another thing is to have at home. So today, I invited a dear friend of mine, and how can I introduce her? Because she does magic. And she’s magical, too. So Julia, thank you for being here with me at Coffee Number Five.

Julia Camara Calvo 1:13
Thank you Lara, that was beautiful. Thank you.

Lara Schmoisman 1:16
I, we’re going to talk a little bit more about why you are magical in a minute. Sure. Well, we’ll get into that. But I mean, Julia is the new owner of Atacama Home. Atacama is an beautiful design store in West Hollywood. And it’s very unique because it has that Latin Flair. So right, tell us a little more about Atacama and how you became part of Atacama. I know the story and I think it’s so -l that I want everyone to know it.

Julia Camara Calvo 1:51
It’s a bit of a long story, but I’ll I’ll try to be brief. Atacama Home was born in the beautiful head of a woman called Dora Medrano was my mentor and my old boss. And her and her husband had a production company, they did commercials in the for the US Hispanic market for 30 plus years. But that that work took them all over Latin America and Spain, Javier is from Spain, Dora was from Cuba, working for the Hispanic market in the US again, they traveled all over Latin America and Spain. And Dora studied design. And she was a huge design aficionado. She had an amazing eye for design and clothing and decor. And the idea for it to come, uh, grew from that, from that passion for design, from those travels that took them all over Latin America to see the incredible crafts and Weaver’s and designs that all Latin American Spain had to offer. And the others dpark, I think the real spark that brought to come to fruition was the fact that and it is changing. But back in the day 90s, early aughts, there was here in the States a huge misconception of what I’m going to do air quotes Latin design was, and Dora would always tell the story of being onset for a commercial again, US, the Hispanic US market. And she had helped design a set it was meant to be a home of a Hispanic family in the US. And they worked really hard. It was a beautiful set and the client came in client or agency came in and they said that it was something like Oh, this this doesn’t look like a Hispanic home. It it’s too stylish. What? Where are the Santeria? Were the you know, like where’s that you know, like kind of and then hit a such a sensitive chord with Dora she she fell so insulted.

Lara Schmoisman 4:14
Well, I do too and my mother, let’s not even talk about my mother.

Julia Camara Calvo 4:18
You know, it’s cultural. It’s all these misconceptions of what a culture that’s not yours looks like, right? how other people live and what things they surround themselves with. How do they dress? You know, I deal with that. I’m from Spain. I deal with that a lot, too. You know, I tell people I don’t like –

Lara Schmoisman 4:39
So you don’t walk around with castañuelas?

Julia Camara Calvo 4:42
No, no. I tell people I don’t like Sp- sorry. I like spicy food and people are but you’re Spanish and I was like Spanish food is not spicy. Mexican food is spicy, but I’m not from Mexico. So these me conceptions you, you’re from Argentina. I know, like, I’m sure. And so that was the real spark that was a passion, you know, like that was like I’m going to show you.
So Dora, you know, started putting together this dream, theis passion projects that now it’s Atacama Home. When she was ready to launch, she had her first SKUs ready. She had a website that was almost ready, she had signed up for a trade show in LA. She reached out to me, I had worked for them for their production company from come from the production world. For a few years, I was now doing freelancing, but I was ready to change gears. And right at that moment, just the universe, right at the moment when I was like, Okay, I don’t want to do this anymore. What do I do with my life? Dora calls me and says Hey Julia, I already knew about Atacama? I’m ready. We’re ready to launch Atacama Home. But I need help. I signed up to this trade show, you know, can you help me? Can you just work with me for a month to launch the company? And I was like, Yes, perfect. I love it. I’m so I’m excited for you. And that was March of 2018. And now I’m here. So that’s kind of how it started. I really started with them from almost zero. Again, the idea had already been born. And she already had the first products. But and they had a showroom in downtown LA. But I really I was the one who clicked lauch on the very first website of Atacama home and who was there presenting the brand to our very first customers.

Lara Schmoisman 6:48
What is what is really interesting about Atacama Home is that you work with the public, because you have public come in and buying pieces you work. Also you have a website that you can sell products, but also we work with designers, you work with experts. So what’s the different for you as a business owner, because when you work with a designer is not really saying I’m working with another business is really working with an expert. It’s not because I’ve worked with a we talk with a lot of people here in Coffee Number Five that they work, b2c, or b2b. And for you, this is like the, the in between working with. So how was different to work with a designer than a customer or a wholesaler in this case?

Julia Camara Calvo 7:38
Are you I mean, the first thing I would say is that is really cool. And you really need to take your, your doubts about yourself and your what’s it called, when you don’t believe you’re right for the job, you know, you need to put it out of, you know, the door, I don’t need you today, be open to learn from your customers. You know, I’m not I’m technically not a designer, but I work with the best designers in in, in California, in LA in the US. And the great thing for me is that I learned from a grade designer who was Dora. So but the other thing is that you need to be able to change gears really quickly. When I’m at the store, we have a brick and mortar store, I can get customer in who is a tourist visit in LA and he’s just looking for a nice little unique gift to take with them in their suitcase. And the next person who’s going to come in is a rep for a huge design firm in LA, who’s doing this incredible project is going to be featured in Architecture Digest and needs custom Rex, so you know, it’s it’s all very, you’re never bored. You’re never like you’re always on your toes.

Lara Schmoisman 9:08
The fact that you’re working with such a specialist, in this case, interior designers, you really need to know your staff and the textures that you work. I mean, in your case, each piece has a history or a story behind

Julia Camara Calvo 9:27
that right or I would always say you know, if somebody likes a product, they’re gonna buy it, no matter what the story is behind it. But the story behind it is gonna give it the value. You know, they’re the extra value the I love the yields. Yeah, it did. She used to say that. She was like, you know, and I’ve seen that like, there’s people who buy from me who, you know, don’t ask me about you know, most people do but a lot right. Some people don’t. Don’t really care don’t don’t care who made it who Designed and when it’s made off that you’re ready. Yeah, they just like it, somebody falls in love with a product, they’re just gonna buy it, that somebody is looking for something. Right? I’m renovating my house and I need new pillows with a variety of rug. And they like what they see, but they I come in. And that’s, that’s my forte. You know, I may not be an expert designer, but I’m an expert on what I sell. And I know every single person who has made every single product that I sell, and I know what every single thing is made off, I know, you know, wherever you can go single thing is, is from why materials

Lara Schmoisman 10:41
Is like we say marketing people don’t buy, why you sell they buy why yourself they story on I mean, I, it’s easy to buy a product without knowing the story. But when you know, the story reading makes that product valuable and special.

Julia Camara Calvo 10:56
It’s true. It’s for me is every time somebody calls me or sends me an email or comes into my store, I get butterflies, like, you know, and of course, you know, like, I always let people will let me know if you have any questions. I don’t like crowded people or, yeah, the moment somebody shows any interest in knowing more about my product, and my my company, is I get giddy, I get that

Lara Schmoisman 11:25
It’s another -. But I mean, you love it so much that it’s just come out of you that you want to share that passion for those pieces with everyone even for you about your business. Yes.

Julia Camara Calvo 11:39
And the you know, the best conversations are when people, you know, don’t just ask about the products, but about the company, because just the name, you know, people come in and like, so did you steal things from Mexico? And I was like, well, not just Mexico. But all over Latin America, you my spiel is we sell handmade home decor. We partner with artisans from all over Latin America, Spain and Portugal. That’s the niche, right? Like, Europe, European design is everywhere. African design is huge. Asian design is huge, but Latin America, and we’re throwing Spain and Portugal to because you know, I’m from Spain, it’s kind of like a cultural, right. It’s not that well or hasn’t been that well represented in the design world. It’s kind of been overlooked. Because, again, all these misconceptions, I think, cultural misconceptions, at least in the US. Yeah. So that that by itself adds a certain uniqueness. You know, it piques people’s interest of like, Oh, okay. Why do you call it to come out with a loan to name their study Chile ID? So you know, and you tell them how the Atacama looks like and why we’re called to come on why our logos a star? And you know, and yeah, it’s, it’s really cool.

Lara Schmoisman 13:03
Yeah, again, talking about business for you, you have an very interesting journey, you were working in this business, and then you made it your own, you purchase a business. So it’s an interesting transition. Tell us a little bit about that. Because it’s not the same, like starting a business from scratch than to have to keep going a business that it’s already running.

Julia Camara Calvo 13:28
It has its challenges. And its pros and cons. Obviously, it is not your classic intrapreneur story of somebody who has this idea, you know, build from from the ground up with, you know, nothing, that’s it gives that kind of door story, right? She she did that. Mine is, again, it was more of a timing universe thing, like I, Dora needed help and thought of me at the right moment in my life when I was ready to change my life. And I didn’t know what my next chapter was. And it just grew on me. A huge part of that was Dora and working with her and for her. Another huge part of it is learning about design learning about, you know, the relationship with our artisans. And he got to a point, you know, it was a mix of just meeting a hard working person and also the pandemic and door unfortunately, getting sick. In 2021 I went it was kind of like, quote, unquote, forced to really be in charge of this company, almost by myself. And it was one of those things I Well, if I don’t do this door, I can do it. Then that’s it. And I didn’t want that. You know, I didn’t want this has to be it. Right. And I knew I could do it. I knew everything about the business, you know, I had been there from day one. So I just kept going. And I just more and more,

Lara Schmoisman 15:12
How did you have to change your mindset? Because from one thing is to run the business for another person, and the other one is to be responsible for paying the bills that is on you. Yeah.

Julia Camara Calvo 15:24
And that and that is what really changed once I officially became the owner in February of this year. And it’s been a learning curve. It’s been, and I guess this applies to anybody who starts a business, even though these work, this business already existed. But it’s pretty much the same guy. I’m sure everybody can relate, you make a lot of mistakes.

Lara Schmoisman 15:46
You’ll have things that you need to start making your own. Because yeah, and

Julia Camara Calvo 15:51
that’s another thing. And that’s, I think that’s a challenge. That’s maybe a column that intrapreneurs, who start from zero don’t have is that I’m taking something that already exists that people already know, that already has an image and identity. And how do I keep that? How do I keep that essence. But I’d also make it my own, but also like, you know, it’s growing. It’s like a like, like, a lot like I’ve been

Lara Schmoisman 16:19
Yeah. Now it’s been a few months. I mean, your business is still running and improving. But how do you make that story that brand? How do you make it yours?

Julia Camara Calvo 16:30
To be honest, I’m still working on it. I’m still working on it. And I think I myself still discovering it. And that’s part of the beauty of the scary part, you know, because I still need to do the daily things, right, I need to continue doing everything that the business needs to continue working the way it’s been working. But also I need to invest in new things. And she make changes that are scary, because I was like, Okay, we’ve been doing this for since the beginning, we’ve been doing it this way. But we need to change it because it’s not working, or we need to change this because it’s outdated. So I’m still, I’m still figuring it out. I’m still you know, I’m I’m still finding the right balance. And that’s when you want to surround yourself by the right people who support you so I’m very lucky to have much commerce system has been working for, for me staying way before I became the owner since 2021. And she knows the business you know, she’s the next person who knows the most about the business,

Lara Schmoisman 17:50
I know that you have a very unique relationship with all your vendors. I do but you’ll make sure that you have an I think that’s incredible, because you’re not only getting the pieces the story, but you keep having constantly something that you don’t let anyone else though, then you’re working with your vendors. And that makes makes your everything you bring in so unique. So how you manage that relationship and how it’s changed when he took over the visits.

Julia Camara Calvo 18:23
When we took over, it was almost seamless. – Dora’s husband will obviously took over after Dora passed, he sent you know, and email to all our artisans, all our vendors. But the thing is, the one person that they all were dealing with already on a daily basis was me. So it was more of just a technical thing more than nothing really changed for them. Because they I was already the the person of reference, right? I was the one talking with them on a daily basis. I was the one asking them, you know, for quotes, I was I was the one placing the orders. I was the one just chatting with them. You know, constant communication is very important. Some of them I talk with Slack, literally daily. Some of them my, you know, weekly WhatsApps. You know, sometimes it’s about, you know, the business and a question or here and there. Sometimes it’s like, Hey, how are you doing?

Lara Schmoisman 19:29
Yeah. And that’s great. And that’s what makes you very unique and being able to have these unique pieces that you have at the store.

Julia Camara Calvo 19:39
But yeah, it’s great.

Lara Schmoisman 19:41
But talking about this, you were saying about taking risks. I always say that being an entrepreneur is kind of a job of being a risk manager. Because you’re always assessing risks like can you if I spend in this can I spend on this Is it-

Julia Camara Calvo 20:02
Right? sometimes you’re gonna be right, and sometimes you’re gonna have, you’re gonna be wrong

Lara Schmoisman 20:11
But at the same time, you need to be fair and you need to give things time to work because you, but also something you need to follow your instincts, how much of yours you use as your instinct, as should I do this or not,

Julia Camara Calvo 20:27
I wouldn’t call it so much of an instinct, as of I just know, my business well enough, that I can take certain risk. And again, it’s retail, you never really know. But I also and maybe it’s because of the industry, you know, it’s home decor. And our motto is beauty can change the world, I just look for things that are, that are beautiful to me, and that are made by beautiful people who have come out at the end of the day like that, that’s the biggest thing that I look for, if something just feels right. You know, and the people who are behind our products, I think, make the biggest difference. Obviously, the product needs to be right. Or my, the aesthetic of the brand. But that’s fairly easy, right? Like there’s amazing products out there at the end of the day

Lara Schmoisman 21:32
How do you pick a product because he’s artists makes a lot so you take everything from the artist or you say these I have the feel that they will sell that well or these… That’s what I’m asking also

Julia Camara Calvo 21:44
Yeah, I actually I work most of the artisans and the studios and the collectors I work with they actually specialized in you know, they are their only do cotton pillows, or they do rugs or they do wrestling decor. You know, when it comes to discerning, wide variety, specifically from their collections, a lot of times it’s also a numbers thing, you know, I really like this product, but this product is not gonna sell in my store, because I know my customers are not gonna like it, or I love this product. But I know it’s not gonna sell because of a price thing. You know, it’s just too expensive, right? It’s gonna cost me too much right? To bring it here.

Lara Schmoisman 22:36
In your case, also, you need to take in consideration

Julia Camara Calvo 22:38
I import everything. Yeah, so things that are for example, breakable are very tricky. You know, you need to take visitors, not just how much is it going to cost you to buy the product? But how much is it going to cost you to bring it here, insurance, things.

Lara Schmoisman 22:54
And that’s tricky working with Latin American countries, it’s even more of difficult

Julia Camara Calvo 23:01
Custom fields, you know, you name it. So there’s a lot of, once you decide that a product and a maker are right for you, then you need to get unfortunately to the more not so, you know, nicer, pretty components, which is sometimes a lot of times like I love I want to work with you, I want to carry your products. It’s not gonna, it’s also not gonna make, it’s not gonna work. Yeah. And unfortunately, that that happens. And that’s when that’s that that’s one of the harder part like logistics for me are that my Achilles

Lara Schmoisman 23:38
That happens to any manufacturer, and every retail that you have all these costs, but at the same time, you have also to create awareness for your products. And for them, you just had a very successful way. So you want to tell us a little more about because you the partnership with a successful TV show also. And so because this is really important to you to get known in the Design Distric

Julia Camara Calvo 24:09
It’s huge. And we’re super lucky that our showroom and store is on Melrose in the middle of the Design District, the West Hollywood design district. So Location, location, location, right? I mean, the right place. I’m not gonna let that plays go for nothing. So that’s one, right the especially in a city like LA, you know, you you don’t want to be lost somewhere where nobody walks or no one’s there

Lara Schmoisman 24:38
Exactly, that’s actually one of the few places you walk in LA.

Julia Camara Calvo 24:41
I know. I know. I’m super lucky so and designers work, right. It’s like the back ride customer. And the other thing in in my case in this industry is to be part of organizations or trade associations. So I’m part of the, for example, Latina design quarter, which is which organizes elections every year, which let’s explain some time being,

Lara Schmoisman 25:09
I think being part of associations is an amazing investment. But investment and you need to make it work for you.

Julia Camara Calvo 25:17
Yes, one a cost money, because most of them are private organizations. Yeah. And even even for example, I’m also a member and it’s very valuable of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and I think it’s a very valuable not from the more no for the more so the design sighs but like the, the logistics, you know, like making sure that if anything goes wrong with the CD, you have somebody to take care of you. If there’s construction II, there’s permitting issues, if there’s anything from bad, more legal Oh,

Lara Schmoisman 25:55
so totally worth it to be in the altar.

Julia Camara Calvo 25:59
Yeah. And that that is technically not that is technically a nonprofit, but it’s a political, legal, you know, nonprofit, any costly, it also costs money to be part of everything costs

Lara Schmoisman 26:10
Money

Julia Camara Calvo 26:11
Everything costs money. But that’s when you know, what I know, for example, being a member of the chamber has brought me a lot of value. Yeah.

Lara Schmoisman 26:24
I was part, between last year COVID. And all the things I find out that I was part of so many associations and groups. And last year, it was like, I’m done, I just two or three. And yeah, the only ones that I can really put because you need to put the work on it.

Julia Camara Calvo 26:43
But it’s, and I’m only one person, you know, we’re a small company can’t be part of pen organization. So I’m part of The Chamber, which has brought a lot of value. I’m part of the La Cienega design quarter. And the biggest value of it is Legends, which is the event we have last week, which is a big design fair. And brings a lot of designers, that’s just designer awareness, you just had concept designers on my door, literally, right there where I want them, you know, in front of me in front of my products. And the the only other one that I’m part of, and these when I don’t pay, because I’m just like, by just by being there, I’m already part of the West Hollywood Design District, which is kind of part of the chamber. And that’s again, that’s just more local. Yeah, but being in there very vulnerable, but it’s not there, in my membership is not going to do the trick. You need to you have to organize events, you have to send them content, you know, because they are constantly, they have websites, you know, they have, they have their own marketing budgets. So you need to be super active, you need to attend the meetings, you need to organize the events, you will need to send them content. If you’re doing a pop up, if you’re doing a promo, let them know. So they can, you know, you can multiply your reach with, like the two or three organizations that I’m in. I already like, strictly – my reach if I’m doing anything special at my store, right? But I need to let them know, like, just by paying, you know, just by having my name

Lara Schmoisman 28:28
But also if they have events, you need to show up once in a while.

Julia Camara Calvo 28:31
I go to all of the events, all of them like all of the mixers all of the you know, everybody knows my face.

Lara Schmoisman 28:44
If you’re not being a fairy. And that’s when the secret came out.

Julia Camara Calvo 28:53
During the week during the week, I go to the mixers and I’m all available for Atacama but on the weekend I’m not Julia anymore.

Lara Schmoisman 28:59
Yes, I love this about the whole Yeah, but I tell her Hey, Julia, let’s go this place. No, I’m being a fairy this weekend. So she has these amazing outlet and I really respect her for this outlet because she does something she loves. So you want to tell us what do you do?

Julia Camara Calvo 29:25
Yes, I am a professional party fairy. I so I am I am I’m an actor. I’ve always been an actor. I’m mainly a stage actor. But since the pandemic I used to be part of a theatre company but the pandemic and approaching so that and Atacama Home change so that I can’t really, really have the time to do that anymore. But for the last year plus, I again by chance the universe just you know, I’ve been working for this amazing company based in Santa Cruz. And they trained me and they gave me all these amazing costumes and supplies. And on the weekends, they book me to go to mainly children’s birthday parties, sometimes they’re all there, you know, corporate parties, Quinceañeras,

Lara Schmoisman 30:19
Let’s be clear this, and this is why I bring it here in the podcast, I’m not bringing it oh, let’s discover the secret. I just love that. She’s a businesswoman. And she’s running serious business. But this is how important is to find as a business or as a leader, an outlet, something that you really love to do. Because

Julia Camara Calvo 30:40
That has nothing to that has nothing to do with your business, by the way.

Lara Schmoisman 30:44
Exactly. And it’s very important because you love it. And I don’t think you do it for the money either.

Julia Camara Calvo 30:50
I don’t, I really don’t. It’s very. So this is what when when I became the official owner of Atacama, I really considered like, maybe I should quit the fairies. Because I, you know, I need my weekends, I need time. And but then, you know, I have, again, surround myself by great people, I have a couple of mentors, and I brought this up to them. And I realized that if I didn’t have some sort of creative outlet, it could be the fairies, itcould be, you name it,

Lara Schmoisman 31:26
You are the kind of person that tomorrow if it’s not the fairies you’re gonna find something else. Because

Julia Camara Calvo 31:32
If I don’t have that, I know, you know what would happen, I would bring work home on the weekend. And I would not have an end eventually, all that I’m a creative person, that would just get all bubbled up inside and not have that released, all that creative energy, all that right. And that gets you sick, little literally sick, mentally sick, physically sick, you need to get that out. And also, mentally, you need that break you need to force yourself to stop thinking and worrying about your business for like, a day. It really helps me it really helps.

Lara Schmoisman 32:10
Everyone knows that I’m in kind of a workaholic. Everyone knows that. And I’m not gonna lie. But every time that I have to go even my so called vacations, which are meaning working from somewhere else somewhere else, yep. Maybe in a different time zone even. But every time I take that little distance I’m in I’m in a different place with a different air, different food, different weather, I don’t know, you can see things in perspective. And a lot of things and a lot of things that I want to do with my business, you get that your mind to be open. So I think it’s so important to find those spaces because I think even when you’re playing the fairy or the mermaid, you still a business owner in the back of your head and the most amazing idea or concept can come to your mind.

Julia Camara Calvo 33:06
And sometimes it’s just your your brain just needs a break. Not to you know what I mean? Like because it is, you know, you’re a business owner to it is very stressful. It is. It gives you a lot of anxiety. And you wake up at five it’s like, oh, there’s this there’s this there’s this oh, I need to tell – this or I need to tell that. But we need to do this, like

Lara Schmoisman 33:28
My theme. My theme. The ongoing joke is how many messages Lara will leave on the weekend.

Julia Camara Calvo 33:35
Yeah, no. See, that’s why I try to avoid but I know I won’t be able to do it unless I like force myself to have that break. And these job right now of being a professional fairy kind of forces me even if it’s just for a few hours on the weekend to put glitter on my face, put wings on and of course a and go play with kids.

Lara Schmoisman 34:03
That’s amazing. That’s I’m so proud of you that you allowed yourself to do this for some people can they go and go to the gym? Whatever it is. It’s okay to let yourself take a break a mental break a physical break and get out of your comfort zone to

Julia Camara Calvo 34:23
Yeah and it does open more synapses in your brain when you’re really do you know meet other people even when it’s a two year old. You know you can learn so much from kids

Lara Schmoisman 34:33
So much so much.

Julia Camara Calvo 34:36
I think one of the biggest things for me that extrapolates from the fairy world to my you know to my retail world is learning how to deal with people. Get learning how to be kind learning how to be more patient learning how to communicate better, make sure that people understand

Lara Schmoisman 34:58
When you’re selling expensive pieces. It’s sometimes it’s not easy for someone to buy something expensive. You need a lot of money, it’s a lot of money

Julia Camara Calvo 35:12
A lot of money for something that’s not a need. It’s not a medication it’s not, you know, not even clothing. You know, people need clothing like you don’t really need to properly

Lara Schmoisman 35:23
Yeah, not so you need to have. But when you’re selling something that is expensive as the salesperson you need to be a lot more patient because you need to let the buyer process the cost also, and that this is not a necessity. Of course it doesn’t have and the price tag for everyone for someone can be super expensive or song can be super, yes, doesn’t matter. But when you selling pieces that they could be expensive for people, there is all that buyer remorse, also pre buyer’s remorse,

Julia Camara Calvo 35:55
You want to avoid and you want to again, and we both go back to the very beginning that we were talking about is to relate that passion and relate that value. relate those stories, right? And the fact that everything in my case, everything that I sell is handmade, and I know the makers, that as I think that that takes care of that buyer’s remorse most of the time. Well, I want to think that it takes care of it, I don’t know, five and most people don’t return on average, you know, the bridges this, but you know, it’s like, you know, they they invest in this first like, you know, so and so made this with their hands in this part of the world and now it’s making my home more beautiful and making me happy because, you know,

Lara Schmoisman 36:44
That’s, that’s why I said that Julia makes magic.

Julia Camara Calvo 36:49
Ah, thank you Lara.

Lara Schmoisman 36:51
Oh, well, Julia thank you so much for being here and having coffee with me. I always enjoy talking to you so much.

Julia Camara Calvo 37:00
Gracias, Lara, thank you so much for having me.

Lara Schmoisman 37:03
And to you guys. I hope that you join me next week with more Coffee Number Five. Find everything you need at Laraschmoisman.com or in the Episode Notes right below. Don’t forget to subscribe. We’re so good to have you here today. See you next time. Catch you on the flip side. Ciao ciao.

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