Nuevo Distroller Tuesday, Apr 14 2009

I had another question the other day about Distroller franchises.  Now, I have no contact with Amparin Serrano, nor with anyone who works for Distroller.  But that one post I made two years ago about the company is one of the most read in my blog.  I get both coherent and incoherent comments left on my blog, mostly in Spanish.

It seems that the people at Distroller have gotten no more efficient at answering all of the inquiries fired at them by interested licensees.  Maybe they don’t need the money…  I did notice that more stores have opened in Mexico, and there are now two in the United States:  one in Miami and one in Los Angeles.

For those people interested in franchising, I would suggest that you try calling one of the U. S. stores.  See if you can get any information from them.  Here is their information:

DISTROLLER – LOS ANGELES
STONEWOOD CENTER
251 STONEWOOD STREET
DOWNEY, CA 90241
TEL: (562) 923-8800

DISTROLLER – MIAMI
328 CRANDON BLVD., SUITE 212
KEY BISCAYNE, FL 33149
TEL: (305) 365-3939

Good luck on that!  Also, I visited the Distroller website and found it completely re-vamped.  Really beautiful, and with new products, too.  I particularly loved the new books by A. Serrano and Marta Anchustegui.  They are written by Anchustegui and illustrated by Serrano.  The titles look definitely interesting.  Topics include body image, familial abuse, cancer, and alcoholism.  The new website is called Sopa de Letras.

Bety Ballena

I guess you can figure out what issues Bety has…

I think that the biggest attraction to the whole Distroller phenomenon is the awesome imagination of its creator, Amparin Serrano.  Who else would make premature baby dolls a hot item?  There are all sorts of medicines and nostrums to feed and care for the “neonato” – and the umbilical cord is prominent.  For those that are uncomfortable with newborn humans, there are also animals (Leonato and Monato – lion and monkey).  “Los viruses” are little disease dollies that are the “enemies” of the Neonatos.

Other options for buying Distroller are Ebay auctions.  There is a lot of piracy, however, so be forewarned.

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Update on Distroller information Friday, Feb 22 2008

Yesterday, I received a comment on my “Distroller strikes again!” post from Distroller’s lawyer:

Gabriela Pavon Rios Says:
February 21, 2008 at 4:34 pm   edit

Hello my name is Gabriela Pavon. I am Distroller´s attorney in México City. We are planning to open our stores in the US and South America very soon. Please don´t buy piracy. You can buy our stuff through our web page http://www.distroller.com.mx. If you are interested in opening one of our stores in your country or in selling our product please contact us at info@distroller.com.

Lately, I have been receiving a lot of comments on that post with links to people’s E-bay stores (that say they sell Distroller items).  I have deleted them – because any smart person can do a search for Distroller on E-bay.  Also, I still have some things to sell.

I just went to the updated Distroller website and it looks really good.  Go visit.  I did not, however, see any means of buying items online.  Perhaps she was referring to the listings of Distroller shops in Mexico – and the one in Ontario, California.  I am going to try and order something from them – I really want the new calendar.

I am also skeptical of her suggestion that you send an e-mail to the above link.  I and a friend from Mexico who wants to open a tienda have both tried that route with no results. I understand, however, that they must be swamped with requests.  I also heard a rumor that they were developing something for WalMart.

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Coolceras Thursday, Aug 9 2007

I don’t know if I have mentioned this lately, but I have a couple of auctions up on E-Bay. I purchased some pulseras (bracelets) from a guy in Guadalajara – they are very much like the Distroller pulseras. I also bought a couple of leather bracelets and two types of scapulars.  I had also bought a couple of other brands in Guanajuato – Blessed Bands and Chic-Wave.

Apparently, these cloth ribbon bracelets are very popular in Mexico.  They have them advertising soccer teams, political candidates, towns and states…  I have a feeling I’ve said this before…  I bought a couple of San Antonio ones as souvenirs of our visit to the Rincon de las Solteronas at San Miguel restaurant in Morelia.  I wish that I had bought more at the flea market in Guanajuato – they were not as inexpensive a the Coolceras, but there were a lot of them!  Oh, well!

I have had two days of school so far.  I am doing okay, because I am assessing.  That means  that I am giving tests… Yesterday, I had them write something.  Today, I gave them a listening test.  Tomorrow, it’s grammar.  If I can find a reading assessment, I will.  So far, they are very cute, and my numbers are low.  I wonder if that will change on Monday.  Maybe there are people who think school starts then.   It does in Gwinnett County.

This year, our school is enforcing a uniform dress code.  It is very interesting.  We teachers are rejoicing.  We are so tired of sagging pants and baggy t-shirts on boys and too short and too revealing clothes on girls.  One time, I almost made a boy and a girl exchange tops:  He was wearing a t-shirt that was way too long, and she was wearing one that was way too short.  The teachers have the option of dressing in uniform, or of wearing business dress.  Dress down Fridays still hold – I am going to have to smarten up my casual wardrobe.  I am one of those people who favors sweat pants…

I love my new classroom – it’s quite large.  I also got an extra sofa moved in and put my patchwork quilt on it.  I have covered the bulletin boards with colorful tie-dye flannel and with plastic shower curtains (dichos and loteria from Zarela).  Now I have to figure out what to put on them.  But I have been busy organizing my papers and my teaching materials.  Maybe one day I will have a filing cabinet to put them in…  Well, nothing’s perfect!

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New Assemblage Piece on Etsy Tuesday, Jul 24 2007

I finally got this piece on my Etsy.com site.  This piece started out with a Virgin of Guadalupe that I encrusted with sequins. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but I had a large piece of canvas board that I put inside of a frame.  I put the sequined piece smack in the middle, and was stuck for a while.  Then, I added a background of different papers with a serape striped border.   Actually, I started with the border, which came from a set of Fiesta party napkins from Garden Ridge!

I then decided to use a patchwork design of various papers to frame the Virgin.  In the foreground, I added some painted flowers that I made from the bamboo flowers on my chicken baskets.  It makes a little platform for the Virgin to stand on.  The pink roses add another unexpected element and they break up the regularity of the patchwork background.

The frame is hand-painted in two colors of turquoise – originally, I had the whole background in light blue, but I didn’t like it.  The frame was originally antiqued gold, but I painted it turquoise blue and highlighted the flower and leaf border.  I am very pleased with the result.  I know that my work is not everyone’s cup of tea – but I like color.  It makes me happy!

Today,  I got started on my new diet.  I have a blog for it – I recycled the one I was going to use for Mexico.  I don’t remember exactly when it was that I picked up an article called “The Frozen Food Diet.” I am pretty sure it was while I was waiting in an examining room during my physical – about 6 months ago. I picked up an old issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, and came across the article.  At the same time as I was reading this, the Jenny Craig program was getting a lot of publicity with Kirstie Alley as a spokesperson.

I did look into the program, but am shy about committing that much money at the moment. I also visited a lot of other sites that provide calorie-controlled meals to people who are dieting – there are quite a few, and they have some very attractive food. Some of it gourmet-quality, organic, etc.  So this is a try at keeping my own regime using purchased entrees.  You can go to the site if you are really interested – I won’t bore you here.  This will mean that I am going to try not to be cooking so much – I am going to try and channel that creativity into my art.

I am also working on getting my E-Bay auctions settled and mailed out.  The Coolceras (the Distroller-style bracelets that I purchased in Mexico.  I sold a whole lot of bracelets (pulseras, in Spanish) and a couple of the scapulars already.  I also have orders for crosses, Blue Dog shrines, both kinds of Guadalupe shrines, and fabric.  A pretty good week, but I have to get organized now!

My husband just got finished organizing all of our photos from Mexico.  He spent hours on Flickr.com, figuring out how to work out the hierarchy of sets and groups and collections.  He has a couple of panorama shots that are great!  I still have to go in and write comments, but go and check the pictures out!

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Distroller Update Monday, Jul 16 2007

One of my goals in going to Mexico this past summer was to visit a Distroller store, if not actually contact the founder of Distroller.  Now, while many people are not aware of this fashion phenomenon, I did run into some that were.  My conversation teachr, Paloma, had actually been interested in opening a store in Morelia.  Unfortunately, she had the same experience that many people have:  She contacted the company through their website, and no one got back to her.

While I am pretty sure I don’t want to open a shop, I have been reading as much about Amparin Serrano as the Internet will allow. I finally got to visit a store in Zapopan, a tony suburb of Guadalajara.  I bought a variety of items, including bumper stickers, pulseras (bracelets made of custom loomed ribbon), scapulars (without any medals inside), bookmarks, folders, wrapping paper, a notebook, and an agenda.  I considered myself pretty restrained – I got out with spending under $100 USD.

Now, I spoke to the manager of the store, who happened to be a man.  I asked him for ideas on how to contact the company for franchise information.  When he suggested that I go to the website, I explained that I (and many others) never got a response to our inquiries.  He said that he would look up the main store (the first store opened in Mexico City), but I would have to call him back for the number, as he couldn’t contact them on a Saturday.  I did try to call back once, but he was not available.  Still, I have the number should I need it.  Anyone else interested might try going to the Distroller website and finding the number of a store to call for information.

I don’t know why they are not answering – I have no inside scoop on the Distroller company.  Maybe they are just overwhelmed with interest and are trying to keep quality control tight.  I didi read that they were planning on designing a line for WalMart, and that it was possible that they would be opening the first U.S. store in Los Angeles.

I have come across many other variations on the pulsera trend.  Many have nothing to do with Distroller and its mock/serious religious symbolism.  Many are made to represent soccer (football) teams.  Others are made to promote political candidates and humanitarian causes.  I came across some at San Miguelito, a restaurant in Morelia, that were souvenirs of the place and of the Rincon de las Solteronas (the Spinster’s corner).

In the flea markets of Guanajuato, I came across scads of Distroller copies.  Some had no trademarked brand name.  Others were made by a company called Blessed Bands.  I have looked up Blessed Bands, and have still not found an actual website for a company.  There is, however, someone from Jalisco selling them on the Mexican version of E-Bay at 15 pesos each (minimum order of 100).

There is another company called Chic-Wave.com that actually has a website.  I bought a couple of their pulseras in Guanajuato.  They are good quality, and yes, they can be ordered through their website.  The minimum order was about $250 USD for 1000 bracelets, but they were not very clear on whether they could be a variety or if they had to be the same.

Finally, I got in touch with the maker of Coolceras – a man who is also from Jalisco.  I bought a small amount from him and have them currently on E-Bay.  If they sell, I may buy more!  Check them out!

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Journey into Gringolandia Tuesday, Jul 3 2007

First on my list of things to do in Guadalajara was to locate the Distroller store. My attempts to reach the creator of the line, Amparin Serrano, have been feeble, and I had not received any response from the website. I still want to write about her and the phenomenon that has spawned many copy-cat pulsera (cloth bracelet) designs. So, armed with address of the store, we set off in a taxi to Zapopan (cost: 70 pesos).

Like I mentioned before, Guadalajara is a big city. But it is also quite modern. Nearby, on Lake Chapala, is a growing settlement or U.S. and Canadian retirees and snowbirds. This may be part of the changes going on in the city. In Zapopan, there has been a lot of growth. But we had no idea how Americanized the city had become. There were Longhorn Steakhouses, Domino’s Pizza, several Walmarts, a Costco, and a huge mall. In fact, after a bit of circling by our cab driver, we deduced that Distroller was in the mall. Of course it was – where else would it be?

We entered the mall at about 11:00AM, and stood and stared in wonder and amazement. The mall is flanked by a large department store called Liverpool, and also by a Sears. We entered just below the food court and looked up to see a McDonalds, a Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts, Chili’s, an Outback Steakhouse and… a Hooters. Oy vay! Wheat took out the camera to record this, and a gentleman in a dark suit with one of those coiled microphone thingies tucked in his collar stopped us and told us we could not take pictures. Why???

We wandered around for quite a bit, because even though it was after 11AM, most of the stores were not open yet. Not even the Dunkin’ Donuts! As I may have mentioned before, donuts (“donas”, in Spanish) are apparently not considered morning food! Another problem about the mall was that there seemed to be no directory. We went around two of the three floors of the mall, called the Galleria (of course), checked out the 17 screen (not including the two or three IMAX screens) theatre, Cineopolis. Finally, I asked another security guard where Distroller was. He consulted another guy on his radio, shrugging at a flat screen panel that was supposed to be a working interactive directory. Then he gave us the necessary directions.

This was it – the moment I was going to walk into a Distroller store! Wheat told me to take all the time I needed. There were a lot of ceramic items there (Ms. Serrano started out with ceramic design), as well as a lot of bags and purses. I loved the prayer candles, but even though they were conveniently enclosed in plastic instead of glass, I didn’t buy any. I also just don’t get the whole NeoNato line (this is sort of like a Cabbage Patch doll thing, but your NeoNato – newborn – comes with real-life problems, like rashes and tuberculosis.). I guess, coming into the world with my own birth defects, maybe I don’t find this amusing.

I did, however purchase many pulseras (ribbon bracelets with intricate designs and messages – it’s amazing what you can do with computers these days!), two escapulars (usually worn around the neck – and I thought they were supposed to have religious medals in them?), a wonderful agenda with many of the Virgin of Guadalupes in it, along with most of the orations found on the candles, a notebook, four bookmarks, four stickers to put on your car or something else, and some wrapping paper. The grand total came to under $100 – I can’t believe I paid $9 for a notebook. But, I did.

As the salesgirl was ringing up the sale with a man on a computer, I asked if we could take a picture (for my students…). The answer was “no” of course. Then I asked the man if he was the store owner. He was the owner or manager, so I just asked him: how does one get in touch with the powers that be to find out how to open their own franchise store. He said, “go to the website.” Wrong – I explained that I had had no response. He said that if I called on Monday, he may be able to get the contact information for the main store in Mexico City. So, today or tomorrow, I will call. I may have my friend, Paloma, around to translate – but I think I can get the info. I just hope he was serious, because I am!

We made our way out of the mall, hailed a cab (70 pesos), and asked him to take us back to the hotel. From there, we planned on going to Tlaquepaque, another suburb of Guadalajara (in the opposite direction from Zapopan) where there are supposed to be a lot of galleries, craft shops, and restaurants with mariachis.

On the Home Front

We returned from Guadalajara to find our landlords (host family doesn’t really describe them) gone. As of today, they still have not returned. There was a girl who came in to clean, but when I asked her where the Fragas were, she just said ,”Salieron” – they left. No duh!!! When I asked if she had any idea where they had gone, or if there had been a family emergency, she just shrugged. Wheat told me this morning that we seemed to be getting low on hot water, and our infrequent internet connectivity is now zero. I am going to inquire about this to the housing coordinator.

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Distroller strikes again! Sunday, Sep 10 2006

Check out my Coolceras auctions on E-Bay!  Distroller style for half the price!! (posted 7/17/07)
As you may know from my former blog – I am a bit of a Virgin of Guadalupe fan. About a year ago, I found out about this great company called Distroller. It is a company out of Mexico City founded by a woman called Amparo Serrano – she has lots of designs and a bunch of prank gifts as well as cute little faux religious medals, scapulars, and watches. Now, I have an actual watch from Distroller that I bought from a third party on E-Bay, and it doesn’t actually work. I’ve been meaning to get it to a watch repair to see if it’s just the battery… OH, the buckle on the wristband is also broken… Still, the design is dynamite!

Just last night, I broke down and bought the bag above from a seller in Hidalgo, Texas. It’s a basic market bag, so it should be okay… Of course, I bought it before I saw the Virgincita purse. It’s to the right – isn’t it cute? I am just dying to make a road trip and head south of the border – just to check out one of the shops. I think that there is also one in Puebla, which is close to where my friends Pablo and Lisette live… Well, that will have to wait. I could jet down to Cancun and visit the store there, though. Would that I had that kind of lifestyle!

If I had not already lived the cautionary tale of a life in retail, I would sign on to be the first franchisee in the United States. I wonder if we have enough Spanish-speaking people here to buy stuff. I know that my students liked what they saw. Apparently, there is this teen Mexican telenovela called Rebelde, that is very popular with the kids, and some of the characters wear the Distroller wristbands and medals and such. My students have Rebelde pix all over their books and notebooks. I also purchased some stickers. Only a few of them are of the Virgin, so I may give the others away. I’m not so nice that I am going to get the wristbands (called pulseras) for them. Those are kind of like the “Live Strong” bracelets, but I think that they are nylon fabric with print on them.

I just wrote a letter to my friends in Atlixco, Mexico. They are the couple that I last visited three years ago with my Dad and husband. I really want to go and visit them again, but can’t yet. But, when I am ready, I may just make a month of it and go to the new Language School there. No, I don’t know what we will do with the dog, but my husband is welcome to join me! He might as well learn Spanish, too. We may even be able to stay at my friends’ hacienda – which just had a feature article in Casa & Gente. Dig the living/dining room area.

One last word on Distroller – I came across this awesome I-Pod Mini cover on sale on E-Bay. I have an I-Pod Shuffle that I just received for my birthday from my husband, so it won’t fit. And my husband does have an I-Pod Mini, but for some reason, he won’t let me buy this cover for him! Even after I explained to him that there is a blessing from the Virgin on it that may keep him from losing his I-Pod. The blessing around the screen reads: “Virgincita, estoy feliz con mi Ai-Po (That would apparently be I-Pod in the wierd modern slang Spanish that Distroller uses...), plis ayudame a no perderlo.” Of course, the bright colors would help one in not losing it as well.

I have obviously not been keeping up with my new blog: school has started, and it has not stopped for much! I am currently on a diet – it’s one I found in a Good Housekeeping magazine in my doctor’s office while waiting for an hour and a half for the results of my blood tests. I checked out fine, but I know that I need to lose weight.

Still, I cannot seem to get away from food. I think about food all the time. I once heard Dr. Phil say that you should go to all lengths to lose excess weight. One of his recommendations was that, if you work in the food industry, then maybe that wasn’t the best place for you to lose weight.

For the moment, I am trying to remove myself from the “food business” by not cooking so much. I am on the “frozen food” diet. I found a Frozen Food Diet on the Good Housekeeping website, but it is not really the same. I basically have a pretty rigid menu, but there is some variety because I get to choose 2 low fat frozen entrees to eat at lunch and dinner (along with a big salad). Breakfast, which I eat in my classroom while my boys eat their free breakfast, is a bowl of cereal (augmented by All-Bran) with milk and fruit. Of course, the first thing I did was to obsess about all of the different choices of frozen entrees there are… But I’m getting better. Maybe I can get this Distroller scale to weigh myself on. Okay, I’m done now.

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