Create Your Space is a work in progress by Guyanese-born Jo-Netta Caesar, who, having lived and worked in the United States for several years, has set herself the goal of bringing an enhanced taste to local homes and other spaces by placing a number of one-of-a-kind finds on the local market.
Earlier this week, Stabroek Business was offered a peek at part of the range of ornamental bowls, vases, candle holders and decanters carefully acquired by Caesar during her travels in Asia, the Middle East and other regions. The little we saw suggests that she has been a meticulous collector. The pictures displayed with this story only barely do justice to the full range of her choice. She openly admits to being a flea market addict: someone who frequents unusual trading places hoping to find rare and beautiful objects. It is this, she says, largely, that accounts for her unique taste.
During a conversation with Stabroek Business on Tuesday, Caesar conceded that creating an appreciation of the beautiful things among Guyanese has become one of her passions. While she is much too modest to say so, hers is a sort of protest against the predominance of inexpensive and entirely forgettable and commonplace bric-a-brac, much of which is imported from Asia and which does little if anything for the spaces they occupy.
Caesar believes that part of maturing as a society includes cultivating fine tastes and as far as giving back to the country of her birth is concerned she believes that helping to create an appreciation for finer things may well be her niche.
Nor does she believe, she says, that good taste is the exclusive domain of the wealthy. She accepts that “quality costs a bit more” and she also believes that there are people on all sides of the economic divide who are prepared to make the sort of feel good investments that are part of her unique collection.
In the first instance she is seeking to whet local appetites by offering a short-term viewing and purchasing event in the city. Thereafter, she intends to secure permanent premises to establish a Create Your Space outlet and to firm up her connections with selected vendors in various countries including China and India and elsewhere.
Inquiries about Create Your space can be made by telephoning 592-698-8304; emailing: jocaesar@createyourspacellc.com or finding Jonetta Dublin Caesar on Facebook.
