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The gift of South American culture
By PIPER JONES CASTILLO © St. Petersburg Times, published December 17, 2000 Ten years ago, as St. Petersburg struggled to jump-start downtown redevelopment, a student at Javerina University in Colombia struggled to accept the fact that he wanted to make a career, not in dentistry, but in art. "Since I can remember, I loved art, and I grew up in an artist environment," said Cesar Barragan, 30. "I became a dentist because that was expected, but I have always been dedicated to art and woodworking. Since I first visited Florida as a child, I wanted to live here, so I changed careers and moved here." Fast forward to April 2000. Barragan, who returned to school for a master's degree in business administration, is in Florida on a work visa. Ready to open a business selling South American art, he finds a storefront at Plaza Tower and Courtyard Shops at 203 First St. N, across the street from BayWalk's construction. "I was driving around St. Petersburg searching for a location for a store, and I saw all the construction on Second Avenue," Barragan said. "I didn't know about BayWalk, but I felt like things were going on here." On May 5, Barragan and his Russian fiancee, Ekaterina Kisseleva, 26, opened Amazonas Old River. It is filled with art created by natives of the Amazon rain forest. There are hand-carved animals, hammocks and jewelry made of tagua (coconut shells) and silver. Walls are lined with hangings of wool, decorated with silkworm cocoons. Barragan's own creations -- wooden cutting blocks and humidors -- also are on display. Barragan, who most recently traveled to South America to purchase items in July, admits that bringing Amazona to St. Petersburg at times has been a daunting task. He had no credit history in the United States, and banks would not supply him with a traditional small business loan. "The most difficult thing in the United States is to create credit," he said. "I had to take my own savings of $7,000, put it in the bank and then take out a secured loan to establish credit history." Once the business was opened in May, Barragan said he spent many days watching more construction traffic than foot traffic. "It is tremendously different now that the movie theatres are open. Before, I could spend one week with not one customer. We had five really slow months," Barragan said. "I only regret that I opened so soon." All twelve shops at Plaza Tower, anchored by Republic Bank, suffered during the construction of BayWalk. The toughest time was from June through September, says Kim Green, senior property manager for Regis Property Management, the management company for Plaza Tower. "We asked all our tenants to be patient and to remember the construction was going to bring in more foot traffic," Green said. "I do think Amazonas will be a great success. Cesar is so energetic, excited and creative. "We especially like for tenants to do for themselves, and when you walk into his store, every bit of that store's layout design comes from him." Barragan stresses that his major goal is to share his culture with Americans. "My favorite part of the business is knowing that people learn something when they come in here. I'm able to educate people on where I come from," he said. "It makes the hard parts worth the trouble." Understanding the mountains of paperwork, including tax forms, leasing agreements and code inspections, has been trouble, he said. "Tax and other legal papers are done differently here in the United States. I have a business degree, but it's from another country," said Barragan, whose key adviser has been his father, a lawyer in Colombia. "Actually, Ekaterina is taking a business class at SPJC (St. Petersburg Junior College), and studying the textbooks with her has actually been very helpful." According to Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington D.C., Barragan's struggle is not different from many immigrants who traditionally lack financial support and education. "However, it sounds like he (Barragan) has a certain level of higher education, and his sophistication makes it more likely his business could succeed." Barragan's work visa is good through May 2001. The lease at Plaza Tower and Courtyard Shops is for three years. "What is hardest is making sure I understand and follow all the business laws correctly. I'm always concerned I will make a mistake because of not understanding the language. Then my visa will not be extended. If I lose my visa. I lose my business, and I have to leave the United States." Although both admit to homesickness, especially now, Barragan and Kisseleva will stay in Florida for the holidays. "Ekaterina and I are working very hard," Barragan said. "Fortunately, because of sales, the store paid for itself in November, and December also looks good. So there's no choice. The business depends on the sales of Christmas, and we have to stay here to make this work."
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