A local businesswoman began to wonder if people had gotten used to walking by the empty windows of her store with the brown paper and "coming soon" signs.

Five months later, the signs are finally gone and vivid, charismatic, flamboyant figurines and pottery adorn the large windows of the place.

The idea of the gift shop, El Baul, which translates to trunk or chest, came to Maria De Lourdes Falch after noticing how much friends and family praised the decor in her home.

A Mexico native, Maria, travels to Morelia her hometown to visit relatives. On her visits she has made it a routine to purchase items that are typical and traditional to that particular area of Mexico.

"I talked to my husband, my sister and brother-in-law about the idea and they liked it so we looked around and found this establishment to rent," Maria said.

Excited to finally have everything ready for the business, Maria's sister and brother-in-law set out to Morelia to buy the merchandise. However, on the way back, the couple suffered an accident and lost all they had bought.

"That's why we have so few things in the store right now," Maria explained. Her face with a hopeful smile, continued, "We had to recover from the monetary los and start all over again. But honestly, we are just glad that the my sister and her husband are OK."

The store displays and array of traditional handcrafted pottery and carvings and sculptures, cloths, quilts, frames, candles, coasters, belts, books and intriguing knick-knacks from Morelia, Michuacan, where nearly 50 to 60 percent of the population are artisans for a living.

"It is not only seeing my dream come true, but also wanting to promote the Mexican culture, so people can see other aspects of what we have and what we do," she said. "Maria said the a lot of people when they travel to Mexico only travel near the border so they do not have the opportunity to see the country, acquiring an erroneous perception of what Mexico is about."

Most of the items in the store Maria said she chose because they are not too common in the area. Maria also makes her own crafts for baptisms, weddings and quinceaneras celebrations.

Terry Falch, Maria's husband and co-owner of the store said he is happy to finally see his wife's dream come true. "She has wanted to do this for a while, and even after the accident she never gave up."

The Falchs want their store to be successful and be a

place for everyone to feel comfortable no matter what their background is. "We are hoping to serve everybody," Falch said.

The prices on the store range from item to item, one can purchase a ceramic bowl for a $1.50 or a wooden sculpture for $25.

"We have faith that it will be worth all the sacrifice," Maria said.

The store is located on 410 N. Main St. and the hours are currently noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursdays.

Roxana Orellana can be reach at 434-2214 or by e-mail at roxana.orellana@austindailyherald.com