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A
True Story...
Over the years, by trial and much error, we have collected an unparalleled
group of quality furniture builders. We never know where we will find
them: by venturing down some bamboo lined road at the edge of a rice paddy; a
chance meeting in a late night restaurant; or by following a chain of
introductions. Here is one story:
We started our business in 1990 on a tiny island off the coast of Java. On
the veranda of the only hotel in town, on any given evening, a group of local
men could be found, hanging out, laughing, smoking, gossiping, and accosting
the few tourists (Tourist: Any person of European descent) who happened to
pass by this remote spot on the edge of the earth. This is where we met
Suno.
From the outset, he stood out from the others. Aside from his skills in
English and an intelligent mind, a sweetness and integrity shone through. As
we got to know him over the next few days, he revealed to us that his dream
was to be a tourist guide or to work as a translator. He
explained to us that although his English was already good by local
standards, without a certificate from a college, he had few prospects of
employment. As he was, in his words, "a poor man" he could not afford
college. Much to his initial embarrassment, we offered to pay for his
tuition.
The next time we saw him, he had completed six months of schooling and was
finding occasional tourists to guide. We hired him for a sample tour. He
took us to a batik factory that was closed, a bull race with no bulls, and a
monkey forest with no monkeys. We feared we had wasted our money.
Sometime after this, the Asian money crisis hit and the president of
Indonesia was deposed. With the newscasts of violence abroad, the few
tourists that once passed through quit coming. Suno had to re-define
himself.
For some years, the town had been home to a number of antique dealers. With
the antiques drying up, the dealers had become producers. But few of them
knew how to build properly, nor had they an understanding of Western
concepts such as "deadlines". The long-time dealers regarded Suno as a
likable fool. "Suno's stupid", they would joke with us in his presence.
Still, some foreign buyers would hire him to look after their production.
But the established dealers refused to take him seriously. Frustrated with
their lax attitude, Suno built a table of his own, made of recycled teak. On
one of our visits, he showed it to us.
Although the proportions were not right, we realized he was on to something.
We sketched him a collection with the sort of items and the measurements we
knew people in the U.S. wanted and gave him a lesson in proper furniture
construction. He listened carefully, never claiming that he understood until
he had fully grasped a concept. His longstanding complaint about the other
dealers in his quality control days was "They just don't care". Suno cared.
Today, our Suno Collection is our best selling line. Suno is not only able
to support his wife and child, but he is able to hire many of the young men
who live in his village and to help out his extended family when emergencies
arise. He still remembers the day when he was a "poor man" and treats his
workers accordingly. Still, he is proud to say, "Five years ago I was a poor
man. Now when I enter the workshop, seventeen people call me boss".
All of our products are environmentally friendly: We do not destroy any
rainforests in the production of our furniture. All of our new items are
produced from either recycled woods or plantation-grown teak, mahogany or
birch.
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