vp05.02.13

PRESSBUSINESS
Inka Arts now open in new location
By Jennifer Senofonte
Staff Writer
Inka Arts has opened its ecofriendly
doors in a new location
this spring.
e specialty store sells handmade
items from crafters around
the world as well as from local people.
Previously located in
Simsmore Square, the store reopened
April 19 down the street at
928 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, in
the Simsburytown Shops below
Subway.
“I was doing so many craft
shows and doing very well, I
thought maybe my store wasn’t in
the right location,” owner Mercedes
Esposito said of her first location in
Simsmore Square, which she called
a good starting point.
She decided to move to the
Simsburytown Shops for a more
visible storefront in a retail location,
she said. With her new space
comes new items from local
crafters from Avon, Simsbury, West
Hartford, Bloomfield, Tariffville
and Farmington.
“Because we expanded and
because I’m a crafter, I wanted to
help other crafters,” Esposito said.
“With the new space, I was able to
bring in others. I met them when I
was doing my craft shows.”
Other people she met included
representatives of nonprofit
organizations from Haiti, Uganda
and Guatemala. Call to Care
Uganda helps children and women
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28 The Valley Press May 2, 2013
Photo by Jennifer Senofonte
Mercedes Esposito, owner of Inka Arts, stands at the storefront of her
new location at 928 Hopmeadow St., Simbsury, in the Simsburytown
Shops below Subway.
in villages by supplying clean water
and schools. e Center for Reflection,
Education and Action, or
CREA, is a nonprofit organization
from Guatemala that helps people
in poor areas develop products to
sell.
“e idea is to raise money so
they can have a better life,” Esposito
said.
“ey don’t have their own
store, so I brought them here,” she
said of the people from the organizations
she met whose products
she now sells to benefit them.
As a native of Peru, she carries
many Peruvian handmade products
including alpaca accessories,
A “must see” before you go
anywhere else to buy a leather
couch or chair. Made from only
high-end, quality skin.
Made in the USA!
Please contact Imperial for all
of your custom reupholstering,
furniture restoration, and furniture
repair needs. We do rush &
cane weaving too.
stones she makes into jewelry,
hand-harvested cotton products
and more.
Other items she sells in the
store are African, Colombian and
Mexican. “Everything is handmade
from recyclable materials and ecofriendly,”
she said.
She carries woven bicycle baskets,
kites, bags, wallets, clothes for
children and adults, hats, jewelry,
all natural beauty products and
home items like vases, bowls and
much more.
For more information visit
inkaartsllc.com or stop in the Inka
Arts store and see Esposito – she’s
happy to show you around.
Getting past the first hurdles
in financial planning
In my experience,
people don’t
generally seek out
financial planning
advice from a professional
until they
are motivated by
an event that is either
a game Nancy Fellinger
changer or serves as a kind of tipping
point. And because for many it’s the first
time they’ve gotten serious about financial
planning, it’s not surprising that some
people come into the process with unrealistic
expectations for results or having
placed undue pressure on themselves.
How you mentally and emotionally approach
financial planning is important to
your success, so it is helpful to go at this
understanding some of the things that
can cause people to trip up early on and
perhaps become discouraged.
“Myopia” When finances become
more complex or money gets tight, some
people will naturally tend to focus more
of their energies only on what they can
see right in front of them, hoping that
somehow whatever is in the distance will
take care of itself. It’s important to deal
with short-term concerns, but gaining
control over your finances is not a shortterm
project. If you can look at the opportunity
to use financial planning to help
you over your lifetime, the benefits will
most likely last as long. A good plan will
take time to develop, and any product implementation
or changes in strategies
need to happen thoughtfully. at takes
time and the capacity to consider the
long-term, in addition to what may be
right in front of you.
“Lipstick on a pig” I’m not entirely
sure if pigs even have lips, but as rhetorical
expressions go, this is a useful one. e notion
that some product or concept that’s
all the rage will do the trick is wishful
thinking at best. Cosmetic changes don’t
cancel out the need for fundamental improvements.
You want to be sure you understand
what is being proposed and,
more importantly, how it will both impact
and enhance your financial infrastructure.
Colorful graphics, bold words in large font
and pictures of happy people living a carefree
life may sell, but remember, you’re
going to have to live with whatever you’ve
bought. Make sure it will still look as good
under a less flattering light. Almost anything
involving your finances involves a
trade-off, so appreciate the upside, but if
you’re not seeing any downside, you may
not be looking closely enough.
“It’s a no-brainer” or the ever popular
“slam dunk.” ose who suggest that
there is an easy answer to whatever financial
concerns you have is either looking for
a quick sale of something or doesn’t have
the energy or the skill set to deal with your
bigger picture needs. ey’ll take you
down the easy path because they know
that’s the path of least resistance and one
you’d probably find more enjoyable. e
problem is that for most people there are
really multiple intertwined issues – including
money, but also family concerns,
values and experiences – that are anything
but “no-brainers.” If you’re hearing
about solutions to your needs (which
haven’t even been fully explored) in the
first or second meeting – especially those
that involve products such as annuities,
non-tradable REITs, or some other “doesn’t
cost you anything” or “safe” investment
– that may be a warning sign that the adviser
has already decided what you need
based on what s/he has to offer. Be patient
with yourself and the process and expect
that it will take time to explore what
would truly serve your needs both shortand
long-term. If an adviser seems in a
hurry to move the process along, suggest
that that adviser move along.
“Allowing for stuff happens” Recognize
that despite your best efforts and
intentions, you’re going to stumble.
Whether it’s the unexpected bill that puts
a hole in your well-planned budget or an
investment that doesn’t yield the income
you expected, something is bound to
happen that could, if you let it, throw you
off course. If you’re truly committed to
gaining greater control over your finances
and you value the long-term benefits of
having a regularly updated financial plan,
you’ll face any early trip-ups – recognizing
that you’re far from alone in experiencing
them – right yourself and keep moving
forward.
Nancy B. Fellinger, CLU®, ChFC®, CFP®,
CRPC®
Nancy Fellinger is a Certified Financial
Planner practitioner and a VP of Investments
at Coburn & Meredith, Inc. in Simsbury.
She is past president and board chair
of Financial Planning Association/CT Valley.
Her practice is designed to serve the investment,
income and financial planning
needs of women who are single, widowed
or divorced and of couples who are retired
or interested in planning for retirement.
Contact her directly at 860-784-2605
or nfellinger@coburnfinancial.com.