We had the good fortune of connecting with Susana Cerna and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Susana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I always thought that I had to do something so as not to miss my country and generate income for my things. It doesn’t depend entirely on my husband. but mainly I expected a lot in my country and that made me create Mawisa Handicraft. a place where I can show the beautiful part of my country Colombia through its crafts. because we are very lucky to have a culture full of diverse crafts.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What differentiates me from other handicraft stores is that through these I want to show the beautiful face of Colombia. I teach people that Colombia is not only about drug trafficking and drugs. If not, it is a country very rich in culture and art. That we have a rich landscape and fauna. I feel very proud when someone from here is interested in our culture and in learning about my country. Little by little I am achieving it and I am reaching that goal that I want. I just need to have a physical store where they can come and see and feel like you are in Colombia. That’s my next step to reach.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were with me, I would take you back to the memories we have enjoying the beach in Colombia. Where we only sat down to eat shrimp cocktails and the rumbas were eternal. finally things of youth.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give credit for my achievement to my mother Angely Luz Escobar. Despite the distance, she has been a great support to me. Helping me to grow either by advising me or helping me choose the most beautiful handicrafts and why not, giving me that financial support to continue with this project.

Website: www.mawisahandicraft.com

Instagram: @mawisa_handicraft

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mawisalover

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.