BY CHRISTINA FERNANDEZ-MORROW FOR JEFAS: LATINAS IN BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Editor’s note: Fearless will be sharing one Jefas Magazine story in the first e-newsletter of the month through November. Jefas: Latinas in Business Magazine showcases Latina entrepreneurs. Find the magazine online and at Latina-owned businesses across Iowa, the Quad Cities, Chicago and Nebraska. To order copies for your place of business, contact Erika Macias at holaamerica2000@gmail.com.
Pictured: Paola Elena Acuña, owner of Piedras Haseya at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines. Photo by Wezz De La Rosa / Hola Iowa
Paola Elena Acuña moved to Des Moines two months before everything shut down. It gave her plenty of time to plan how she could kick-start the jewelry design business she started in New Jersey before the move. By 2021 she had her LLC for Piedras Haseya, an Indigenous word meaning “rise up.” A few weeks later she was selected as a vendor at the Valley Junction Farmers Market.
“Coming to Iowa has been a tremendous opportunity for my business,” Acuña said.
In New Jersey, she was taking a course load of business and entrepreneurship college classes, working full time and teaching Zumba while working on her designs. “Everything is more expensive than in Iowa, so I had to work all these jobs and couldn’t just focus on my business.”
Moving has allowed her to concentrate on her art and business full time.
As an Afro-Costa Rican, she infuses her heritage into her work to create unique pieces not found anywhere else in Iowa. “My culture as an Afro-Latina inspires my art. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved handmade jewelry that my mom bought me from artists in my country. Everywhere you go in Costa Rica there are artists selling their work.”
That’s what makes her pieces so special. Each one is designed using techniques she learned as a child, growing up among other artists who sold their work around Costa Rica. “I love designing earrings. Sometimes I’ll come up with a design and love it so much that I’ll make 20 in different colors,” she said, eyes sparkling in excitement. “Other times I create a design that I love, and I only make one.” The colors she prefers are bright, vibrant and of varied significance; they tell a story. Some of her signature designs use beads that are handmade in Africa using recycled materials symbolic of the African diaspora. “I like to honor my ancestors through my pieces,” she said of using these high-quality beads and crystals.
Offering these wearable works of art at a price point Iowans are comfortable paying is a challenge. She works with a financial coach at the Evelyn K. Davis Center, where she participated in a business accelerator program and met contacts who became colleagues and customers. “If you can’t manage your finances, your business won’t succeed,” she said of the ways she’s learned to make purchase decisions for the Triple-A grade crystals, gold, silver and stainless steel she uses for her jewelry. “I make a lot of sacrifices to invest in materials that ensure my jewelry will last a long time. No one wants beautiful jewelry that breaks as soon as they wear it.” Acuña also invests in traveling to other states to buy supplies, and in an accountant she trusts. Building her reputation as a solid businesswoman and artist is important in reaching her goal of participating in art shows and markets across the state and beyond. She applied for a spot at the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market in 2022 but wasn’t accepted, so she applied again the following year. She was selected in 2023 and again this year.
In the coming years, Acuña hopes to expand her offerings. She has partnered with a childhood friend, also an artist, who makes small accessories from wood and coconut shells. On a recent trip to Costa Rica, she stocked up on her work, plus gems, crystals and other supplies she’ll use to design jewelry for markets, shows and festivals. She works out of her space at Mainframe Studios in downtown Des Moines, where rent is affordable, and she is surrounded by other creatives. She has regular customers at their monthly First Friday events, where she sells what she’s made throughout the week and takes orders for custom pieces. Working near other artists has its perks. In April she collaborated with a fashion designer and several photographers for The Curve Factor, a body positivity fashion show and vendor showcase at Mainframe where models wore her jewelry.
An entrepreneur can’t help but see opportunity, and that was no different when Acuña became a first-time mother in 2023. Throughout her pregnancy she learned about the maternal health crisis in the U.S., with the highest maternal and infant mortality rate of all high-income countries in the world. For Black women, that rate is nearly three times higher than average, which really affected this new mom.
Soon after her daughter Konah was born, Acuña began the process of becoming a certified doula and lactation specialist. She is just a few months shy of meeting this goal and sees it as a much-needed niche in Des Moines. “I want to advocate for women like me, who have African ancestry, or who speak Spanish. I want to empower them to have healthy births because giving birth is a natural process and it should be safe.” This new adventure would be alongside Piedras Haseya but isn’t a stretch for a woman used to juggling multiple ventures at a time. It’s part of the legacy she hopes to instill in her daughter, who is almost a year old and has spent countless hours at her mother’s side as she designs and sells her jewelry. “I’ve gotten the opportunity to do so many things during the different seasons of my life. I want that for her. She’s growing up in the studio and goes to the markets and shows. I’d love for her to learn from me, but if she wants to be a doctor instead, that’s good, too,” said Acuña, as she lovingly nestled Konah on her lap while the baby babbled and smiled at her mother.
