NIKITAS' BAGS

WHEN it came time to name her store, Dilcia Castillo turned to
her daughters for advice. They weren't much help. In the end,
she decided to go with the name of her pooch: Nikitas.

Small and cosy, Nikitas is a little gem.  Despite its small size, every
thing in it is set out just right to create a pleasing and inviting
environment. And all this Castillo accomplished with the aid of a few
carefully chosen elements: a slab of wood to prop a vase of flowers,
two stools upholstered with a leopard print, a mirror that makes
the place look much bigger than it actually is. The store, which has
a lovely wood floor, came with a wall-length banquette on one
side and, on the opposite side, a grid pattern of square niches,
perfect for showing off individual pieces.

Castillo's collection of cotton bags, all of them made by her, includes
totes and duffels of varying sizes and colors. The simplicity of their
design is countered by the eye-catching graphics of the fabrics.
Lined in contrasting materials, the bags are accessorized with
a large, interior pocket in which to store items for easy retrieval.
Prices start at $10.

Nikitas is more than a store. It also serves as Castillo's work space
in which to create her designs and also do some basic sewing for
clients who require services such as garment alterations, stitching
hems, and replacing zippers. The instruments of her trade are there
for all to see: three sturdy Singer machines, each devoted to a
specific task and each commandeering its own separate table.

If you like tote bags,
you'll certainly enjoy
Nikitas. But what makes
the store special is that
this is Castillo's first
business. It grew out of
the painful soul searching that
followed her divorce a few
years ago. If starting a
business was a totally new
experience, sewing was quite familiar to her. After all, she had
always made clothing for herself and her children.

"I love to sew. I've always wanted to have something that was
mine, to do something, help people," said Castillo.

Starting the store was not easy. Securing the permits took time,
hiring people to get the store ready for business took patience,
and scouting a space took luck. Her dream location was Loiza
Street, currently a hotspot for business activity, but once she found
the commercial rental just off Loiza Street, a neighboring merchant
advised her to take the deal and "you can always move later."

The store is still missing
its sign but Castillo is
pleased with the
results. Her children,
skeptical at first, are impressed. "You're really strong to tackle something like this at your age,"
said one of her daughters.

Looking at Castillo, you would never guess that she recently
turned 70. Still, she credits her age with kindling the spark to
pursue her goal.

"At my age you want to continue being useful," she said.
"I couldn't stay home and do nothing."

NIKITAS #101 Calle Diez de Andino 
San Juan, Puerto Rico
(787) 565.0741

                                                       

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL

L.A. is best known for its movie industry, but this city
also supports an multi-lingual and vibrant theater scene. One 
production worth catching this week is the English version of 
playwright Lina Gallegos' award-winning play, Wild in Wichita.

Wild in Wichita is a love story between two unlikely people:
a raunchy, 80-year-old Mexican Lothario with a high school 
education and multiple past marriages and a 78-year old Puerto
Rican woman, a former teacher who never married yet became
the mother to an adopted son. The interests of these two seniors
couldn't be more dissimilar but when they meet as the only
Spanish speakers in a nursing home in Wichita, sparks fly.

As one New York reviewer wrote of a production in
the Big Apple a couple of years ago, "This play...does not 
avoid familiar paths, either for love or for stories about
old people...Yet there is much that is sweet, funny, and
touching in the banter between the two central characters."

Wild in Wichita is presented by the Bilingual 
Foundation of The Arts (BFA) in a production directed by 
Denise Blasor, who also plays leading lady opposite Sal Lopez. 

Catch opening night Friday, May 24, or get tickets
for the week-end shows. The play runs through June 2, so
don't miss out on a wonderful evening of live theater.

BFA presents classic Spanish language drama and
contemporary plays on Hispanic themes to English and 
Spanish-speaking audiences.

Bilingual Foundation of The Arts
 #421 N. Avenue 19 Los Angeles, CA 90031
for reservations call (323) 225.4044 
or go to www.bfatheatre.org
               
                                                         

Photography by Denise Blasor

"This is how my sorrow became visible: Its dust,
piling up for years in my heart,
finally reached my eyes.

Faiz Ahmad Faiz

  ☛EYE ON PRODUCTS

If you are not familiar with The Grommet, then you are in for
a surprise: this inventive website features "products with a
purpose invented by people with stories."

One item that recently caught our attention is the sort of product
that consumers, searching for quality, might appreciate. It is an
item for the kitchen that also happens to be a beautiful object
in itself: a handcrafted clay pot known in Japan as Donabe and
used as a rice cooker or to cook one pot dishes such as soups
and stews.

The Kamado-san Donabe featured in The Grommet is handmade
by craftspeople at Nagatani-en, a company based in Iga, Japan
that has been in one family for eight generations. It takes two
weeks to produce each pot which is made out of a porous clay
from the Iga region "known for its high absorbency and heat
retention properties. The heavy clay pots are treated with a
special glaze and finished with a double lid, which circulates
steam and has the effect of pressure cooking."

This earthenware comes in different sizes and prices, ranging from
 $65 for a Hakeme, a smaller classic-style Donabe, to $180 for the
larger size Kamado-san.

"In Japan, Donabe is so close to people's hearts (that) almost every
 household owns at least one ...for regular use."

thegrommet.com

             

Photography by Denise Blasor

"I am an excitable person
who only understands life lyrically, musically,
in whom feelings are much stronger than reason.
I am so thirsty for the marvelous
 that only the marvelous
has power over me...
Reality doesn't impress me.
I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy,
and when ordinary life shackles me,
I escape, one way or another.
No more walls.

Anais Nin

© 2013 Lorraine Blasor all rights reserved