Gallery Textiles' origin began in 2003 with a simple vacation by two friends from Santa Rosa, California. But these two women found much more than they bargained for on their trip through Peru.

In the Andes, they were greatly impressed by both the scenery and the amazing artistry of the Peruvian weavers. Here they found sweaters, scarves and accessories of outstanding quality.

Later, while traveling by boat up a small tributary of the great Amazon River, they found something else that inspired them: a small village schoolhouse filled with eager students being taught by a local priest, and without books, paper or pencils. As Pam says it, “We couldn’t help but be touched by these beautiful children, many obviously suffering from malnutrition and parasites. Looking at their bodies and into their eyes, we needed to make their lives better.”

Time for action ...

Pam has been a Soroptimist for more than 20 years and was no stranger to international humanitarian projects involving women, children, education and clean water (Read more about the Amazon Village School Project). But she also wanted to use her business experience to help a Peruvian cottage industry prosper.

On her first trip to Peru, she envisioned that in time she could help provide a successful and sustainable business for a Peruvian family. At the same time, provide a source of funding to help those destitute children she met in the Amazon villages and elsewhere in Peru.

Within months of first visiting Peru, she returned and encountered a talented Quechua family in Arequipa that had a very small home-based alpaca sweater business. Over the first three years, her business expertise and the talent of the artisans has helped to grow the cottage-based industry from a small staff with three looms to eight employees operating six looms. Their sweaters are distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada by Gallery Textiles' partner retailers.

In the process, Pam has provided the family with financing, product designs and advice coupled with valuable business acumen.

Goals met with high hopes ...

All of Gallery Textiles' initial goals are being fulfilled through in-kind gifts and donations from Gallery Textiles, so that projects aiding Peruvian children will continue to benefit and grow. It is indeed a win-win situation!