Palomas Oilcloth Designs: A Worker-owned Success Story!

A precision cut begins the process of creating an apron from Mexican oilcloth.

Beginnings of the oilcloth business

In 2008, the Mexican women who pioneered what would become Palomas Oilcloth Designs, participated in an artisans’ co-op in Palomas. Ivonne Romero, owner of Palomas’s iconic Pink Store, suggested to some New Mexican co-op volunteers, that the women could fabricate items from the oilcloth that the Pink Store sold. Ivonne thought that she could sell those products at her popular store.

Initially only two women agreed to try sewing an apron from the oilcloth. The fabric was heavy, slippery, and not easy to work with. Their sewing machines had to be outfitted for heavyduty sewing before the stitches were acceptable.

A pivotal meeting between Ivonne and Tom Aageson, the executive director of the Museum Foundation of New Mexico, who believes “cultural entrepreneurship” is an economic development tool, launched the business. When Tom learned about the proposed new co-op in Palomas, he immediately made a personal donation to start the group. His seed money made it possible for the women to earn money up front for each quality item they produced.

More women joined the enterprise and, by February 2009, seven women were planning products they could make from oilcloth. Soon they expressed an interest in learning aspects of running their own business. The group decided to always share the work equally and therefore, also the money.

Palomas Oilcloth Designs Today

Since September 2009, each of the women have earned an average of $50 per week, based on a rate of $5.00 per hour. Since a typical good job in Palomas pays about $50-75 a week, co-op participants now earn the equivalent of an average wage. However, the women would like to increase their average income to $70 per week, enough to pay all their household expenses. As their products get better and better, we know they can reach their goal!

In March 2010, Tom and Carol Aageson gave an additional grant to the co-op to pay two of the women to share the coordinating tasks for the group. As the women took on more of the management tasks–purchasing materials, keeping track of orders, communicating with customers–administrative work was taking more time for a few people. It seemed fair that they should be paid for that time. Eventually, the money to pay a coordinator will come from sales.

Gradually, the women in the collective have learned and taken over all aspects of purchasing materials, designing products, inventory control, and sewing. Only marketing and sales are done by volunteers in the U.S.. Bookkeeping responsibilities are shared by personnel on both sides of the border.

Palomas Oilcloth Designs customers are happy with their purchases. We guarantee our products.

Hopes for the Future

This business will eventually stand independent of Border Partners’ support. We hope that as sales grow, we’ll be able to expand, involving more women in the business and, thus, offering more families stable income from honest work. Your support of Palomas Oilcloth Designs, a fair trade business, will make that future a reality. Support our work and s hop online or find us on Facebook.

Palomas Oilcloth Design Co-op members

Palomas Oilcloth Designs co-op members are (l-r) front: Maria Lazcano Moreno, Martha Chavez Ramirez; back: Socorro Ortega Espinoza, Juana Lozoya Ortega, Juliana Lazca, Ludivina Loya Moncada, Rosario Covarrubias Vega (Chayo), and Berenice Garrido Chavez (not pictured).