A local boutique recently celebrated its opening on Saturday.
Iris’s Accesorios de Panamá specializes in Panamanian products that are made by natives of Panama.
“I started the business in 2008 in the Belton Lake area with a few hats and just little things,” said owner Iris Bess. “Then I said ‘You know what I really like this,’ and people liked my stuff so I brought more stuff from Panama.”
Bess, who is originally from Chiriqui, Panama, came to the United States in 1987.
“I moved to Fort Lewis in Washington,” she said. “Then to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, MacDill Air Force Base in Apollo, Florida and then Fort Hood in 2003.”
Currently, Bess operates her boutique out of her house.
“I got a permit to be at my house and sell,” Bess said. “My daughters Angie and Antoinette are stakeholders in my business and if I need help they come out and help me with my business.”
“I sell bags, handbags, jewelry, earrings, hats, shoes,” she said. “This past summer I sold custom made swim suits, coverall suits too. I do men’s clothing as well.”
Everything that Bess sells is tied to the folklore and indigenous culture of Panama.
“I wanna bring the culture of Panama here and help people,” she said. “Whenever I source or have something made by the indigenous people of Panama or live in Panama, I provide the income. I ask them how much they charge for something to be made for their skills for them to be able to prosper and live comfortably.”
To buy products from the store, Bess said that people can reach out to her and she will create an order for them or will send the address to her store.
For more information contact Bess at 254-458-7387 or visit her Facebook page at Iris’s Accesorios de Panamá.
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