. : d u n i a > e c o s t o r e > O u r S t o r y : .

The idea goes back to about October of 2002. We were doing great. Max, our first-born, was about a year and a half old, and a quantum bundle of energy. Deeds was working as a product marketing manager at a high-tech startup in the Boston area. Paige, who studied retail management in college and went on to become a massage therapist, was spending most of her time keeping Max at bay.

Yes, life was sweet.

Still, there was something that didn't feel quite whole with this arrangement, and we started our quest. The mission was to fuse our day-to-day values with our day-to-day avocations. By Thanksgiving, we had worked up a PowerPoint presentation covering where we were in life, what we believed was missing, and how we planned to complete the picture.

Project Dunia had sprouted.

Over the next two years, we had another baby boy, whom we named Bodhi. We revised, refined and refocused our business plan. We read business books, bookmarked Web sites, and clipped articles out of magazines. We met with friendly business owners, went to conferences and exhibitions, and talked to anybody who would listen.

We dreamed. We prayed.

We doodled, we sketched and we chicken-scratched.

In our search for the perfect setting, we passed on over four other towns, and perhaps a dozen different storefront locations. What we found in Maynard was a former doctor’s office; what we saw was a showroom for a new esthetic for green living. We hired an architect, a carpenter, and a graphic designer. Paige put her merchandising mojo to work for us, and Deeds quit his job in high-tech to manage the construction.

It’s taken a lot of time and a lot of help from a lot of good people, but it looks as though we may actually have pulled it off. It's been tremendous fun for us both, and we've particularly enjoyed meeting all kinds of good people with infectious energy and limitless creativity

If after reading this you decide to stop in to Dunia for a quick visit, then our efforts will have been rewarded. If you introduce yourself to us while in our store, you will make our day.

Come on in and poke around.

See you soon,
Paige and Deeds

P.S. ~ The Press Archives: encouraging words from thoughtful writers. (Yes!)

Design Ideas E-Newsletter, May 2008

Boston Globe, April 6, 2008

Maynard Beacon-Villager, February 21, 2008

Lowell Sun, December 27, 2007

Boston Globe, December 23, 2007

Harvard Post, May 4, 2007

Maynard Beacon-Villager, May 3, 2007 (Remake/Reformat Juried Exhibit)

Maynard Beacon-Villager, May 3, 2007 (Loka: Land Beyond the River)

Boston Globe, April 19, 2007

Gift Shop Magazine, Spring 2007

Maynard Beacon-Villager, April 13, 2007

Boston Globe, April 9, 2007