I want to taste and glory in each day,
and never be afraid to experience pain.

Sylvia Plath

Photography by Denise Blasor

LEN.T.JUELA GOES LOIZA STREET

With its grey facade and lively window
displays, Len.t.juela carves out a
beguiling presence on Loiza Street.

San Juan -- "Fabulous." "Welcoming."  "I 
love the sparkle and the exclusivity of each
piece.""It's Not a store It's more than that. 
It's culture, family, good taste, love. Good
stuff!!!!!!!"

That's the sort of enthused comments
you'll find posted on the Facebook page
of vintage boutique Len.t.juela in response 
to the store's new location on Loiza St.  

All deserving plaudits.

The new store is a winner. It sports a hip,
industrial look (notice the black cement floor),
lots of colorful details and an eclectic mix of
glass cases to enshrine all the lovely objects 
of bygone decades that store owner Valeria Bosch
and her partner in vintage Bryant Huffman have 
culled for their clients' consideration.

The new locale gives Len.t.juela the kind of 
visibility missing from its former location,
which was just around the corner but off the 
main drag. 

It is sure to translate into more traffic and
consequently more business for this special 
store that proves yet again the value of 
recycling. Well-made products can live if not
forever,at least a very long time, and each
user contributes a story to each object as
it passes from one person to another in a
continuing chain of ownership.

Here you will find clothing (on its official opening day, frocks were flying off the racks),costume 
jewelry aplenty, accessories
like bags and hats,plus
items for home or hobby 
(from pretty china cups 
to old cameras and movie 
cameras).

The store is accommodating: its hours run from 11 am to 7 pm so people can stop by after work, a
perfect detour to make after a long day and a way to while away a little time while the customary 
late afternoon traffic eases up. 

len.t.juela, 1852 Calle Loiza
next to Oro Centro 787.408.7111
Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm

Photography by Denise Blasor

All that lives must die eventually,
passing through nature to eternity.

Shakespeare, "HAMLET"

OF RAGS &  RICHES

It turns out that donating used clothing may not be such a
helpful thing after all.

True, it may fill a donor's heart with satisfaction but based
on recent online reports, only a small portion of the
clothes that people donate is actually kept by charities
to either donate or resell in their stores. The rest is sold off
in third world areas where these goods compete with the
textile industries in some of these countries, to the
disadvantage of these industries and the vital jobs they
represent.

So next time you want to head over to the Salvation
Army or some other charity organization, donate only
the best clothing and the rest, well, you're better off cutting
up the material into pieces of different sizes and keeping it
handy around the house to mop off spills, use as dust cloths
and for other home cleaning duties that would otherwise require
paper towels.

Photography by Ulrike Blasor

Where is it, this present?
It has melted in our grasp,
fled ere we could touch it,
gone in the instant of becoming.

William James

☛  A SIMPLE TIP: Those plastic pouches (with or without
zipper locks) so commonly used for packaging these days
are not usually recyclable; it would be great if companies
would find an alternative that is environmentally-friendly.

In the interim, use these bags to fill with water and place
in the icebox for a convenient ice pack to soothe a sprain,
aching joints, or arthritis flare.

Artwork by Lorraine Blasor

Today you are you, 

that is truer than true.

There is no one alive

who is youer

that you.

Dr. Seuss

Cupcake Madness

New York has Magnolia Bakery, tucked away on a corner
of Bleeker street and made famous by the ladies of Sex &
the City. San Juan has its own heaven for cupcake madness
and it too is tucked in a corner on the ground floor of Casa
Bella in touristy Condado.

The cupcakes at Vanilla Bean Cupcakery are truly scrumptuous.
Nanette Cordóva, the woman behind these delights, makes them
in nearly two dozen flavors but no matter which one you choose,
you can't go wrong. At $2 a pop, these small, delicious confections
reward the palate without ruining your diet or your figure.

True to her beginnings as an interior designer, Cordóva turned
the Condado store into the visual equivalent of her baked
goods: luscious pink walls, white glass display cases to show off
the wide selection of cupcakes all neatly lined up like precious
jewels in their white trays, and a wall chockful of motivational and
life-affirming sentiments set off by decorative frames suggestive
of flowery cake ornaments.

Vanilla Bean combines the joy of baking with the joy of design:
Cordóva's twin loves, a double treat for the price of one.


Vanilla Bean Cupcakery
1400 Magdalena Ave. Condado
787.283.8989/6868
Tue through Sat. 9 am - 8 pm
Sunday 11 am - 8 pm
(Other locations: Torrimar Shopping Center &
Galeria Paseos)


ⓒ 2014 Lorraine Blasor, All Rights REserved☂

                               
LA CHIWINHA, WATER CLOCKS & DIVA CUPS

A bend in the road is not the end of the road...
unless you fail to make the turn.

Helen Keller

(Photo by Denise Blasor)

 SAN JUAN OASIS: LA CHIWINHA

 La Chiwinha

TEA and sympathy are comforting. Tea, or coffee, accompanied
by a scrumptious dessert are comforting and a delight to the
palate, especially if you are enjoying the treat at one of San Juan's
best well-kept secrets: La Chiwinha.

This charming store tucked in a quiet, residential corner of Río
Piedras, within walking distance of the University of Puerto
Rico, is many things under one roof but above all it is a business
committed to serving the community and upholding fair trade
practices that help guarantee a living wage to artisans and manual
laborers in the world's poorest regions. More than 50 per cent of the
store's inventory is fair trade.

In the language of Peru and Bolivia's Aymara people, the word
chiwinha means "a meeting place" and that is precisely what La
Chiwinha has become since opening for business in 2008.

It is a welcoming store. Owners Joel Franqui and Karla
Duran -- a married couple and professional landscape architects
turned entrepreneurs -- have clearly taken a lot of care and effort
into making it the kind of place where people can feel at ease,
whether they are buying or curiously perusing through the eclectic
inventory. The decor is decidedly funky:  mismatched furniture,
disparate shelving. The cool, white tiling on the floor and the
overhead fans hark to another time. In one corner, a bookcase
invites you to pick up a book and take it with you with the tacit
proviso that on another occasion, you might leave a book there for
someone else to take home. The street-level space has the feel of a
well-lived living room: Homey, inviting, colorful.

Follow these directions to get to La Chiwinha
(the box in the middle of the map)

Here you will find food products like chocolate, grains, spices,
coffee and tea, many of them organic; beauty care and home
products, items of clothing such as T-shirts, tote bags, handcrafted
goods and toys, lovely jewelry from around the world. The store
is also a café cum compact kitchen that serves up light meals like
homemade soups and sandwiches and incredibly delish baked
goods made by some of San Juan's best bakers, including Gisela
Jung.

Franqui said he and Duran were exposed to the concept of fair trade
during their travels. "Fair trade is not charity," he explained.
"It allows people to build a dignified life through their work." One
aspect he likes about dealing directly with fair trade cooperatives is
that "you are developing a long-term relationship with a producer,"
said Franqui, adding that his store helps to support cooperatives in
more than 20 countries. The location of some of these co-ops are
marked on the large map of the world that takes up a back wall,
proof of the importance of commerce in raising the living standards
of so many.

Any day is a good day to visit La Chiwinha but Wednesday is
especially favorable because on that day the café offers a special
vegetarian lunch menu inspired by the slow food movement.
Priced at around $11 per person, the meal is served between
11:30 am and 1:30 pm.

The imperative of slow food is to celebrate regional cuisines
and to create food using the freshest ingredients, particularly
locally grown produce and fruits. Each week a different chef takes
charge in creating a delectable meal that includes two or three
choices for people to enjoy. Quantities are limited, so diners are
advised to call ahead of time, either Monday or Tuesday, so as to
reserve the plate of their choice. The menu is posted at the store's
Facebook page (check events) but keep in mind that this special
lunch will not be available in June or July, when the chefs take a
break.

In addition to its role in promoting ethical business practices through
fair trade and healthy eating through its Wednesday slow food
lunches, La Chiwinha also contributes to the community by
offering its space for workshops, presentations and performances.
These activities are usually programmed on Thursday.

No wonder then that it has developed such a devoted following.
The business has grown to the point that its owners are now
considering moving to a bigger locale that would allow them,
among other things, to run a bakery.  But for the time being,
La Chiwinha is staying just where it is, an oasis for many
in the big sprawling city of San Juan.

La Chiwinha
1051 Calle  Gonzalez Rio Piedras 787.925.0707
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11:30 am - 6:30 pm
Saturday, 11 am - 5 pm
For activities, go to http://www.lachiwinha.com

Photography by David Uozumi

"Language is the house in which man dwells."

Jean Luc Goddard

 ☛ EYE ON PRODUCTS:

IT RUNS ON WATER
Photography by Lorelei Albanese

Too many battery-operated gadgets?

Then head over to Echo Verde, purveyors of
environmentally friendly
consumer goods
and some positively astounding finds
such as a clock powered by water, instead of batteries.
It comes in a variety of colors and all you have to do with
it is change the water every four months.

There are so many interesting products in this store that you
practically need to devote a few hours to carefully examine its
many offerings. And while you look around, don't forget to
check out the marvelous repurposed pallets used as tables
throughout the store and the beautiful stained glass checkout counter.

Echo Verde is located at Montemar Plaza, which is just up the
street from Best Buy in Hato Rey.

Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm; Sunday, 12 pm - 4 pm
www.echoverde.net    787.756.8163


MONTHLY VISITOR

If you are female and have not reached menopause, then you're
all too familiar with the monthly visitor and the requisite need
for tampons and pads. But a new product on the market could
very well do away with both those options, perhaps not for
all women but for many of them. It's called The Diva Cup,
"a reusable, bell-shaped menstrual cup worn internally,
collecting rather than absorbing your menstrual flow. Menstrual
cups have existed since the 1930s when women were searching
for an alternative to the choices of the time. Yet, its breakthrough
into the feminine hygiene industry is much more recent."

Due to the nature of the product, its mention in Consumer Planet
is not meant to be an endorsement; however, we consider it such
an interesting alternative that we encourage those curious enough
to learn more about it by going to divacup.com where they will
find plenty of information. Here in San Juan, The Diva Cup can
be purchased at La Chiwinha.

Photography by Denise Blasor

Joy delights in joy.

Shakespeare

 © 2013 Lorraine Blasor all rights reserved☂