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How it all Got Started... Joe Natural has been in business since 1993. After graduating university, I decided to take a few weeks off to reassess my job opportunities. It started with my 6 months in West Glacier, Montana, then it was not long before I had the Caribe sand between my toes and tropical drinks in my hands. Lets just say, that wherever I turned I was surrounded by beauty of all shapes and sizes. Lots of rhythm, lots of coconuts, and lots of time on my hands. I picked up weaving bracelets and necklaces from the local artesians. I was weaving leather around anything you could wrap leather around. I had a hammock, machete and coconuts and friends sailboats, I was happy, smiles came easy and so did the craft... with paradise as my background and time on my hands, I gradually started learning the age old craft of knot tying and weaving... and working with leather. Weeks ended up into months... maybe a year... After hurricane season ended, I had the opportunity to sail northward to the Virgin Islands. I was not sure what I was going to do on those islands called St. Thomas or St. John, it never dawned on me that my leather weaving hobby would one day be my tools of my trade, my soul income. I just thought it was cool and it would make some great gifts for friends back home. As one door opens and another closes, I found myself Limin (lazy days at the beach) on Magan's beach, St. Thomas. With the end of season and the beginning of hurricane season looming, I got out off island... back to South America and really kicking back... Rethought my business and decided I would pattern my business after migrational patterns of mother nature, or the Joe Natural migrational survival tendencies... Road trips ensued, I worked festival to festival mainly for survival, trying to keep the dream alive... Trials and tribulations... merchandise stolen, steamy... and I mean steamy summer days in Nawlins and lets not forget 6th street in Austin, right in front of Bob Popular, or was it called Toulouse... Yes there has been many nights where I have slept in the car, with the Lone mosquitoes assassins buzzing the ears... or driving to Canyon lake and camping out free. Joe Natural has evolved from those crazy days and nights and beaches when it was all about either making it work or going back to the real world and getting a job, getting married and living in the civilized world. . We ARE moving Up in this world... I now have moved to a more permanent place. The Joe Natural shop is located in International Plaza right below the Hard Rock Café. It's open year around. I also participate in the Texas Renaissance Festival Oct - Nov 15. The booth is #45. Occasionally I will work the summers in New Orleans or go on the road trips marketing my wares. Somehow, someway Joe Natural has survived and has grown. I still do a lot of the work... Absolutely all of the design and layouts and majority of the weaving, but we are getting bigger...We have added several people throughout the Caribe. We believe in making Joe Natural wares in paradise, underneath, the stars, or over the ocean or just plain ole paradise. Through my experience, I have found that the closer that I am to nature the more Joe Natural wares reflects all the love and joy and happiness of Mother Nature. That's what we are about, weaving lots of love and attention into each and everyone of our products. Joe Natural |
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