Irina Brown was getting ready to launch her new San Juan Bautista store, Anatolia’s Stone Jewelry, in February when she heard that war had broken out in her Ukrainian homeland and her family and friends were in danger.
“When it happened, I cried,” she said. “I could not open the shop right then—I could not do anything because I was so heartbroken. The situation was bad for my family and friends. The people needed basics, like food, and I wanted to do what I could to help them because I feel so much pain for them, I can barely stand it.”
Now that the shop is open, Brown, 55, is celebrating the beauty of Ukraine’s arts and crafts while supporting people in her homeland by donating to aid organizations from her sales.
Brown’s journey from Ukraine to her shop at 106-C Third Street began when she met her future husband, Ivan Brown, an executive at Hollister’s American Casting Company, in 2003, while working at the Hotel Montana in Kyiv.
“He came four or five times to visit,” she said, “and then brought me to Hollister with him in 2004. I worked for him for a while, then began taking business classes at Gavilan College because I wanted to start my own house cleaning service.”
Brown also trained at Rovella’s Gym as a pro athletic bodybuilder in her spare time, which culminated in her award for Best Woman Presentation at the California Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships in 2013. But in 2014 everything changed.
“I became very ill in the wintertime,” she said. “It was like a very bad cold, but I could not breathe. It went on for weeks, and my doctors told me there was not much they could do for me.”
Finding no relief, she began studying the folklore of gems and minerals.
“I heard about the most powerful healing stones, like rose quartz and turquoise,” she said. “I made a necklace and a bracelet—it was my first-ever jewelry. I put it on, and two hours later, my brain woke up and cleared. Magic happens only when you believe in it. I decided if the stones helped me, they would help others, and that became my mission with my jewelry.”
Relying on word of mouth, she began selling to her friends at Rovella’s Gym. In 2015, when a spot became available at Bear Flag Gallery, a seller’s co-op in San Juan Bautista, she began selling there.
“My business kept growing,” she said. “Then I started connecting with people back in Ukraine to bring clothing and art from home to sell. I wanted people to see Ukrainian art that is real, unique and beautiful.”
Today she carries an expanded selection of embroidered clothing, beadwork, folk art, dolls and hand-painted decorative objects from throughout Ukraine, especially from the small town of Petrykivka, which holds a well-known art festival every year.
“They have specific painting techniques in Petrykivka that nobody else has,” she said. “There is a college there, the Folk Art Center, where people learn how to paint Petrykivka art. Everybody paints the insides and outsides of their homes in this fabulous style. They paint on wood for gifts, decorations, and souvenirs to make their living.”
She said the local reception for her inventory crosses cultural lines quite easily.
“We have Latino people come in and say, ‘We have embroidery and beadwork that looks like yours,’” she said, “and I tell them, “See? We are all the same, just with a different accent. So, it’s OK!’ They love it, and I love it, too.”
Her focus right now is on finding ways to help her family and friends who are still in harm’s way.
“I talked to my sister, and she said they still hear sirens every night,” Brown said. “People in Ukraine are praying for an end to the war. I am not a political person, but I am doing everything I can to support people from Ukraine who need help with the basics of life in this difficult time.”
Brown’s final thoughts are a plea for peace.
“I think people are supposed to enjoy life, not be caught up in war or problems,” she said. “I would like us all to be more kind to each other so we could have a better world for all. People dream about their home and enjoying their family time. That is the most precious thing we have.”
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