Forty years ago Don Jose Arauz Useda made circular and oval rugs for homes out of cabuya. These original designs lacked the beautiful landscapes, people and folklore you now see in the gallery today.
One day a gentleman from Managua by the name of Jose Baez dropped by his workshop to ask if he could create a few custom designs he had drawn up. Intrigued, Mr. Useda now had an excuse to test out new ways to expand the creativity of his work. As he successfully completed the designs requested by Mr. Baez, he came up with a few other basic designs and realized that he could turn his cabuya rugs into artwork good enough for placement on walls.
Mr. Useda perfected his craft for over 30 years before turning the workshop over to his son Don Antonio. Don Antonio now oversees the artwork produced and turns the cabuya fiber into the cord that makes up the paintings. Don Antonio’s son Sylvio now creates all of the new designs that come out of the workshop.
Currently they have four employees; all family members and can produce up to four a week depending on the demand. They sell zero to three pieces a week, their goal is to generate four orders a week to employ their employees’ full time.
Together with this web site and the catalogs I am working on we can help turn Mr. Useda’s little rug workshop into a successful family business.
