Luxe Jewelry on webblog

Almost three years ago, Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center nurse Ruth Adomunes decided to design and make some tiffany jewelry to satisfy her creative impulses. Looking around for materials, she fashioned several pairs of bracelets, creating bright, colorful designs that match her outgoing personality.

One day, when she wore her first bracelet to work, several co-workers admired it and asked her to make one for them. The trinkets became quite popular, and soon folks were placing orders to give as gifts.

When she brought the bracelets to her regular Friday night dinner at her husband’s restaurant in Adams Village, she was met with more plaudits- and many more orders for the bracelets.

She soon realized there was a real demand for the product and she decided she would donate the proceeds of the sales to a charity. When co-worker Marianne McAuliffe told her she and her husband Paul were volunteers working to help the rural poor in Haiti, under the auspices of the non-profit Haitian Health Foundation (HHF), she resolved to earmark her proceeds to that program.

Adomunes learned that the charity, described as “a charitable outreach to neighbors in need,” had devised a way to build homes for needy Haitian families in the village of Jeremie for just $500 per unit. These “Happy Houses” provide safe shelter for families with 5-8 children who otherwise live in hovel-like spaces made of cardboard, rags, straw and banana leaf. With a cement floor, tin roof, windows and doors, the houses give poor families a proper home and a future of hope. So Ruth Adomunes resolved that she would designate all her sales to build a few Happy Houses.

That’s how “Designs by Ruth” was born, and over the ensuing 30 months, the little home-based business has grown and the artisan has developed a following that far exceeds her immediate circle of friends. During the recent holiday season, she hosted receptions at Milton’s Hoosic Club and at Gerard’s Restaurant, and sold more bracelets jewelry to aid the efforts in Haiti.

Last Sunday, January 25, the founder of the Haitian Health Foundation traveled to Dorchester from his home in Connecticut to meet the jewelry-maker and her friends, and to thank them for the contribu- tions they have made to his program. Dr. Jer- emiah Lowney is a Fall River-born orthodontist who made his first visit to Haiti in 1982 to pro- vide free dental care to the poor, and after more than a quarter century he speaks proudly of the work his foundation has accomplished, much of it through the generos- ity of people like Ruth Adomunes.

Lowney said HHF recently completed restoring a fishing village named Testasse. With financial support from Florida real estate tycoon Frank McKinney, he targeted the village which had been devastated by hurricanes.

“He told us he would like to restore a village,” Lowney said in an interview at Sunday afternoon’s reception at Gerard’s. ” He said, ‘If you can find a village, I will pay for it.’

“So we found this village where we were already building houses. We liked the priest there- he had this beatup old school. We put the package together, we repaired the school, and built a community center, a dispensary, 60 more Happy Houses, 30 latrines, and a fishing co-op with deep freezes so they can freeze their fish and sell it at the market in Port-au-Prince.” The foundation even purchased “six big fiberglass boats with motors and GPS” for the village, he said proudly. He credits the fundraising done locally for helping the village project gain traction.

“Ruth is the one who started it in this village. She built a dozen, maybe 15 Happy Houses,” he said. In all, proceeds from her jewelry has helped to fund significant projects, both in Testasse and in nearby Jeremie,

“I am thrilled just to have become involved,” Adomunes said this week. “I called it a marathon- the ’starfish team’. People had jewelry parties in their homes, and helped out to raise the funds.” In total, she says some $20,000 was raised last year to repair the school in Testasse, and another $7000 paid for construction of 14 Happy Houses.

Her jewelry sales also have assisted three local non-profits- DOVE, New England Medical Center Breast Clinic cufflinks and the OCD Foundation- with the crafting and sale of bracelets, in an amount she estimates “has got to be in the thousands.”

This year, she has pledged to add the New England Home for Little Wanderers to the list of charities she supports. “But we’re going to continue supporting Haiti,” she said. Dr. Lowney has invited her to visit the country and see the projects she has assisted, and she hopes to visit someday soon.

“I would like to go to Haiti, and I hope to go with my friends Marianne and Paul McAuliffe,” she promised.

A new store in Mount Zion is designed to offer supplies for creative art and craft ideas.

Creative Dangles will be opening at 155 Debby Drive on March 10, owner Diana Kinkelaar said. At the store, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pins and wearable art can be created, she said.

In-store lessons for making jewelry are available, Kinkelaar said. Class offerings include beginner tiffany jewelry making, sewing and youth classes. The store also is available to host birthday parties, Kinkelaar said.

The idea for the business came about after Kinkelaar realized she had a lot of the inventory already. She made her own handmade jewelry.

“In order to get my beads at lower prices, I started to buy them in bulk,” Kinkelaar said. “Then I became a little overwhelmed with my quantity of beads.”

Creative Dangles will be open noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday.

Call 521-2317.

The Downtown Barber Shop has a new owner who says it will remain a place designed exclusively for men.

The shop at 239 S. Main St. in Decatur offers a place where traditional barbering meets modern men’s styling, said new owner Suzie Phebus. She took over the business from Dean Blancett at the beginning of the year.

Blancett plans to continue cutting hair rings on a scaled back schedule, Phebus said.

“We’re making changes gradually,” Phebus said. “It’s always been a men’s place. We’re going to keep it a men’s place. Slowly but surely we’re bringing in more things, adding more services and every day taking it up a notch.”

All of Phebus’ customers receive a shampoo and scalp massage. She said men deserve a place of their own.

The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday by appointment.

Call 428-6311.

Roger Mullinax has for 12 years helped people plan and fund funeral services, working with funeral homes throughout Illinois and neighboring states. Now, he is bringing a new approach to his business.

The Decatur man’s business, Final Benefit Advantage, is starting to focus on meeting the needs of younger people rather than those who are usually between 60 and 80 years of age, he said. He said younger people are less willing to choose a funeral home and are less interested in planning services.

Still, they should be setting funds aside, Mullinax said.

“Both things are good because I can’t imagine a worse time to come up with money,” Mullinax said. “I encourage people to do something. Anything is better than nothing.”

Mullinax plans to work with area employers to offer an optional employee benefit bracelets of setting aside money to one day pay for funeral costs.

Call 899-0557.

Macon Ice Cream and More at 190 Merchant St. in downtown Decatur began this week offering a new lunch menu.

The menu includes soups, calzones, Panini and wrap sandwiches. A side salad will be offered for the first time.

“We wanted to continue focusing on offering something different,” Macon Resources spokeswoman Amy Malachowski-Taute said.

The store known for its variety of ice creams was originally opened in March 2006 to provide work opportunities for people with disabilities.

Winter hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Call 424-2365.

Bergner’s customers are invited to support Project Success by buying $5 coupon books containing coupons worth $10 at the store on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Businesses, organizations and schools are also invited to participate in Project Success Casual Days cufflinks every Friday in March. By donating $1 for each employee to dress casually on those days, organizations will support the agency’s efforts to promote school attendance and achievement.

For more information, contact Project Success at les@projsuccess.org or 421-8074.

On Biz, published Fridays in the Herald & Review, highlights business developments. Contact Tony Reid at treid@herald-review.com or 421-7977 or Chris Lusvardi at clusvardi@herald-review.com or 421-7972. Theresa Churchill contributed to this column.