Juarez shop specializes in antique, unique and artisan

The owner of  a unique boutique in Juarez, called Julia & Ernestina, is hoping that the store’s mix of U.S. collectibles, Mexican antiques and artisan crafts can keep shoppers south of the border. “Everyone runs to El Paso to buy things, leaving Ciudad Juarez at a disadvantage,” said store owner Monica Renee Morales Gallo. She believes that in order for Ciudad Juarez to rebound economically money has to be circulating in the city and not outside. Julia & Ernestina is filled with products made by artisans, designers and companies from different parts of the Mexican republic. It also carries collectibles and one-of-a-kind items.

“Julia & Ernestina is a new concept here in Ciudad Juarez,” Morales said.

El Paso businesswoman’s trade talk trip turns to tourism after D.C. snowstorm

By Jose Soto, SHFWire.com

WASHINGTON – An El Paso businesswoman traveled to the capital hoping to make new business deals. Instead,  she found herself in the midst of heavy snowfall that shut the government and most everything else. Michele Beckley arrived in Washington on March 5 expecting to attend an event at the White House hosted by Business Forward to discuss U.S. international trade. Mother nature had other plans. Beckley found out just after her plane landed that the event had been postponed to March 18.