I was just having a long, lazy stroll around a different part of town when I spied furniture, tastefully arranged on the boulevard (rather than thrown out) and accidentally found what looked to be a good old fashioned thrift store. It's called "Nueva Para Mi" (New For Me, translated literally) and was crammed with furniture, kitchen appliances, televisions, tools, computers and pretty much a bit of everything else thrown in for good measure, including used medical aids like crutches and walkers (not that I need those anymore!)
Well, I can’t resist a good browse through other people’s supposed junk and stepped inside and was greeted by the owner, Allan Lorenzana, a charming gentleman who is also a bilingual Catracho. We proceeded to have a delightful conversation about the business and the various services that he offers to both Hondurans and the expat community, all the while he was tending to customers and I was browsing and being quite thankful for the air conditioning.
He also specializes in both a consignment service (you set the price, deliver it to the shop and he sells it for a percentage commission) and an "encargo" service. In English, I believe this to be an expediting service whereby he will find what you want (new or used) in the USA and then arrange shipping, customs and delivery to you. He'll determine all the costs, confirm with you that you're still willing to pay said costs and take care of all the ensuing hassles for you.
Given some of the nightmares I’ve heard about people moving here only to live without their furniture and belongings for weeks (even months!), while they struggle to get the correct paper work to the correct official in the hope of ransoming their shipping containers, the expedited service Don Lorenzana offers seems like a true blessing!
So here’s my little bit of promotion for Nuevo Para Mi and a taste of the simple adventures that I find for myself in La Ceiba. Happy browsing!
*Catracho is a more respectful term of address for a Honduran man.
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