The Palm Beach Post By Susan Salisbury, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Monday, June 7, 2004

Passion for pottery inspires import firm

Alicia Lomba once took an empty backpack on a trip to Spain so she could stuff it with the hand-painted pottery she bought there and tote it back to the States.

Now the 31-year-old former international trade attorney is importing dozens of pieces of Spanish pottery, but no longer in backpacks. Lomba, of suburban Lake Worth, has turned her love of fine Spanish ceramics into a business she and her husband, Antonio, launched last year called A Touch of Spain LLC.

"I am a pottery fanatic. I would find these beautiful pieces and drag them back on the plane," Alicia said. "The Spanish have not found their way into the U.S. market the way some other countries have."

In 2002, Spain ranked fifth in pottery imports to the United States, with $39 million, less than 10 percent of the imports from the leading country, China, with $463 million.

The Lombas hope for an increasing share of that market. With the launching of their Web site, www.atouchofspainllc.com, in May, the company is officially in Phase Two of its business plan. More than 180 items now can be ordered directly from the company's Web site.

The first phase was to test the market by selling the ceramics, priced from $6.50 for a spoon to $650 for a birdbath, by selling at various festivals, shows and green markets. The Lombas import serving pieces, kitchen accessories, planters and home decor items to Miami, then truck the merchandise to a Lake Worth-area warehouse.

Keeping different tastes and decors in mind, A Touch of Spain offers five lines of ceramics made by four families, all from either the Castilla-La Mancha or the Andalusia region, and each with a distinctive look in the styles and colors chosen, from soft to bold. They have named them Mediterranean, Giralda, Oliva, Clasica and Mosaic. All are hand-painted. Some are hand-thrown, while others are made from molds, but each is one of a kind.

"We wanted to capture the zest of it," Alicia said. "The Spanish have such a warmth for living."

'It's really exceptional'

The couple covered the start-up costs of about $15,000 from their savings.

From October 2003 through April 2004, they sold more than 400 ceramic items, as well as handmade embroidered tablecloths and tile murals, all made by artisans and craftsmen in Spain.

Customers such as dental hygienist Kathy Demming of West Palm Beach, who has bought several platters as well as a tea set for her 8-year-old daughter, Claire, love the ceramics' uniqueness and reasonable prices.

"I like the idea these are from a family that has a business in Spain and they did this," Demming said. "You turn something over and it says 'Made in China,' and you get tired of it. It goes well with my Fiestaware. It's so festive."

Wayne Moses, president of the Boca Raton-based Humanitarian Society, bought several pieces, including a cake platter.

"You don't see a lot of things of this quality. It's really exceptional," Moses said. "Antonio and Alicia are very selective."

Antonio Lomba, 35, a Spanish native, works in Miami as executive director of the Spanish National Distance University. He met his future wife when Alicia, who grew up in West Palm Beach and graduated from The King's Academy, did a year abroad in Granada as a junior at the University of Miami.

The next phase in their business plan is to open a retail store, possibly in downtown West Palm Beach, later this year, the Lombas said.

Finding the merchandise was much more complicated than just picking up the phone and ordering it, but a lot more fun. The couple traveled to Spain where they found the best pottery makers through word of mouth, often by striking up a conversation with people they met in tiny cafes in the small towns.

Antonio explained the search: "You find them in remote areas working with goats around them. A common pattern is to find a man and his two brothers who are in charge of shaping the pottery. Their wives do the painting.

"A good portion of the artisanship in Spain is done by family-owned businesses," he said.

The Lombas have bought only ceramics that are deemed safe for food use because they are made with lead-free paints. Other than the use of safe paints, little has changed over the centuries as the craft has been passed down from generation to generation.

"All that's changed is the type of oven they use," Antonio said. "They used to use brick ovens fired by wood and coal. Now they use a modern gas oven."

Niche in wedding favors

They looked for work that was especially detailed and beautiful and conveyed a lively mood, but they also wanted practical items for every day use, Alicia said. For example, the product mix includes everything from salt-and-pepper sets to entire sets of china.

Wedding favors are another marketing niche. Jennifer Kjellgren, a 34-year Atlanta real estate agent, bought more than 100 small vases from A Touch of Spain to hand out to guests at her wedding to Jonathan Freeman. The couple plans to wed Friday in California's Napa Valley.

"We wanted something different. I did not want standard wedding favors such as almonds, chocolates or matchbooks. These will look beautiful on the table," Kjellgren said.

The Lombas themselves had something of a storybook wedding. After falling in love in Spain, the two took turns flying across the ocean to see each other while Alicia was attending Georgetown University Law Center.

In 2000 they were married, quite fittingly at an ancient monastery that had been brought from Spain and rebuilt in North Miami, and have lived in suburban Lake Worth since 2002.

"We decided to relocate to Lake Worth where we would at least be near one of our families," Alicia said.

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