People start small businesses for various reasons, but not many start them out of love for one’s cultural heritage. However, that’s exactly what prompted Rayka Kumru to start SAF Jewelry earlier this year. Together with business partner Danielle Allan, the two young entrepreneurs, both recent graduates of the University of British Columbia, opened their Turkish jewelry import business in March 2012. Their website (safjewelry.com) came online only a few weeks ago, but their fledgling company is doing well, despite being in its infancy.
Kumru wasn’t planning to become a businesswoman. She finished high school in Istanbul, Turkey, and it took some interesting twists of the road to transform a Jewish teenager from Istanbul into a business owner in Vancouver.
“I knew I wanted to study at a university in North America, but I thought it would be the U.S.,” she explained in a phone interview from Istanbul with the Jewish Independent. “Then a representative from UBC came to Istanbul. She showed us beautiful photos of British Columbia, of the campus. I liked what she told me about UBC, I liked the photos, so I applied and got in. I loved it there.”
She didn’t know anyone when she moved to Vancouver. “Buses were a big surprise,” she laughed. “In Istanbul, buses stop in the middle of the road, wherever a passenger needs – and people jaywalk everywhere. I tried to jaywalk in Vancouver too, at first.”
Despite the cultural differences between the two countries, she soon found her footing. In her second year, she became active at the UBC Hillel. She studied sociology and sexuality and envisioned her future in those fields, but each time she flew back home for a vacation, she immersed herself lavishly in her beloved Istanbul.
“I love jewelry,” she said. “Especially rings. I always wear three or four rings on my hands. I’ve been shopping for my jewelry at the same store in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul for years.”
Her youthful voice reflected her enthusiasm and pride in the great historical landmark of her hometown, as she continued. “Grand Bazaar is the first shopping mall in the world. It’s one of the top tourist destinations in Turkey, a historical place. I went there every time I came home for a vacation. I knew the owner of the shop that sold my favorite jewelry. We chatted, had tea together every time I visited the shop. We bargained. Then, when I returned to Vancouver, all my friends would admire my new jewelry. They would urge me to sell it, but I liked giving it away as gifts.”
Among her new friends was Allan, who Kumru met during her second year. The two very different young women hit it off right away.
“Danielle studied business. She has great organizational skills and is very organized,” Kumru said with admiration. “And I always come up with some crazy ideas. Danielle told me we should start a business together, but we didn’t know which one. Frankly, I thought it would never happen. We just chatted. We even had a fake business meeting once. We dressed up nice, with good shoes and all and decided to go someplace fancy. We went to the Four Seasons and had coffee there, but nothing came of it – until last year.”
Allan remembered those discussions, as well. “We were both passionate about charity,” she told the Independent. “At first, we thought about starting a literacy charity in Turkey but then decided we should have a business first and earn some money before we proceeded with charity. Maybe in 10 years. We both graduated in December 2011, and Rayka flew home for a [winter] vacation. She called me from there, very excited. She [had] talked to the jewelry supplier, and he was for it. I liked the idea of the jewelry import business too.”
They named their company SAF, which means pure in Turkish. The central, original concept for the new enterprise came from Kumru. “We decided to sell Turkish jewelry you can’t buy anywhere else in Vancouver. And we wanted to recreate the entire cultural experience of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. To do that, we started offering private showcases. We’d come to someone’s home with a case full of jewelry, put on Turkish music, make Turkish tea, talk, tell stories of the pieces and listen to our customers. We bargain; this is a major social interaction. This is what tourists like in Istanbul – the warm, personal experience – so we brought it to Vancouver. We offered the first few sessions in Vancouver and on Bowen Island – that’s where Danielle is from – and it was a success. People loved us.”
Allan supported the uncommon business model. “I visited Turkey in the summer 2011, and Rayka showed me the Grand Bazaar and her favorite jewelry store. I loved Turkey…. The customers love our presentations too. They feel exclusive.”
As a professional in business, she also urged her partner to start a website to generate more sales, but Kumru was opposed to the idea of a website in the beginning. She thought that selling online would remove the personal angle she finds so essential.
“Danielle persuaded me to start the website and sell online,” she said. “Without a website, we had to turn down customers, and we hated it. Some people heard of us in the U.S. There were lots of requests to see samples online, so, after awhile, I went with it. But we’ll continue booking private showcases. The cultural component matters. It’s very important to us: to give people a taste of the Great Bazaar.”
Even though Kumru returned to Istanbul earlier this year, she keeps up with the business. While working full time in corporate communications, she continues selecting and buying jewelry and sending it to Vancouver. “This is the biggest challenge for us now – the long distance. We have meetings … on Skype. I work full time here, in addition to SAF. She works full time there too, so we both have to juggle things.”
Despite their busy schedule, both partners persevere. The precious idea behind SAF – to bring a piece of Kumru’s cherished homeland to Vancouver – feels too sweet to let go.
Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at olgagodim@gmail.com.