When Gaby, our managing partner went to visit her (old) hometown in the Netherlands back in March she never would have imagined like anyone else what was going to occur in this world and how it would affect her, friends, family and employees.
But when life gives you lemons....
"MAKE IT SIMPLE, BUT SIGNIFICANT" - DON DRAPER
Being always ambitious as she is, when the United States closed its doors, Gaby decided to see this as an opportunity- an opportunity to source new brands to bring to the United States and spending more time with the current brands we carry already. Besides the Eichholtz .brand we carry 12 other Dutch furniture brands on dutchfurniture.com – Oroa’s sister website! It has been an adventure being in Europe working and traveling with her beautiful daughter and also not knowing when it is finally possible to come back to the US. While The OROA Group’s team .has expanded and works and gets things done out of Miami, Gaby moved to Barcelona, Spain to source new amazing brands. Soon we will give you more details about our new Spanish brands and other exciting developments that recently occurred!
Barcelona is a beautiful, artistic city with history and life. With such a wide range of gorgeous architecture, you can find artists with virtually every talent imaginable here. It is a creatives dream. Modern artists like El Pez, Claudia Sahuquillo, Antoni Gaudí, and Joan Miro are/were residents of Barcelona and are constantly surrounded by its inspiring views.
Gaudi is one well known architect that will always leave you in awe. He designed a few of the most well-known architectural structures in Barcelona. The church of the Sagrada Familia is an impressionable building that people visit from all over the world. Gaudi is known to be the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. He sees spaces as something that can be manipulated, and designs structures that are out of the norm. Barcelona is one place that is worth the visit. Stroll through the streets and pick up fresh produce at your local mercado. Enjoy the sights, scenery, and people. Gaudi’s timeless work is everywhere, so admire and explore as you go.
Living in Barcelona, Gaby is most. inspired by Gaudi’s intricate designs and roams the streets meeting designers, artists, and developing new partnerships with furniture companies to bring new brands to the United States. While this was not what she was expecting this year, it has been an amazing experience and a true opportunity. The OROA Group’s team keeps in contact with her on daily basis, and hears about her exciting brand sourcing. She knows they will take care of keeping things running in the States as we have developed a strong and steady team. It’s especially in times like these, the OROA GROUP is in expansion mode and our team is quickly growing.
Sometimes you have to make the opportunities for yourself instead of waiting for doors to open for you...
by Natalia
