Meet Maryluz
For nearly two years, Maryluz has run a boutique in Newark selling jewelry and accessories.
In Peru, Maryluz was a clinical psychologist and when she first moved to the United States, she cooked and sold Peruvian food out of her house to make an income. Juggling three children with her husband, Maryluz quickly recognized that she needed a more consistent income with flexible hours.
Maryluz is on her second loan from Grameen America. With the capital, she purchased merchandise for the store, created a website and set up a business number to keep in touch with clients. Her favorite part of owning a store is interacting with customers—the phone has changed her business.
“Now, I have more enquires and customers are coming by the store to see what I’m selling.”
Maryluz holds the weekly center meetings at her house and enjoys meeting with other women entrepreneurs in her community. With the revenue from the store, she is saving and with her punctual loan payments, her credit is steadily increasing.
With the help from her fellow members, Maryluz learned how to organize her inventory more efficiently. Maryluz’s best selling item is the jewelry. She purchases some of her stock from wholesale markets and makes the hair accessories herself.