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Business hopes to market a mosaic of unique Portuguese items
By: VANESSA REBOCA 01/25/2008

BROCKTON - Linda Denmark is not Danish or Portuguese. She is an American born in Vermont, but her love for Portugal's art and culture led her to establish Porto de Mos, a company named after a Portuguese town that imports hand-painted tiles.

The first time Denmark visited Portugal was in 2002. She absorbed and took in every single portion of Portugal's culture. "I was impressed with the art quality, the style and the uniqueness of different items," said Denmark, who has lived in Brockton for seven years. She said she first bought pottery, ceramics, lace, tiles and a mural. The floral ceramic mural she acquired at Carlos Alberto Godinho store in Mealhada, Portugal, would change her professional life forever. When she returned to the United States, she placed the mural on a table and started wondering the infinity of things she could do with it. "The murals can be used as kitchen tiles, backsplash decorative tiles or wall art," she said. So, she decided to create her own hand-painted imported tiles business. "I had a business card from the business where I bought my mural. I contacted them and they took my request and forwarded it to the place where they buy their tiles, which is Mosdecor," she said. She then received a Mosdecor catalog with different styles of murals and tiles. By the end of November 2005, she had launched a website and started importing their tiles.

Denmark, 58, who has worked for many years for a company of commercial floor, began calling and sending out marketing postcards to designers, stores and architects. "My first sale was in February 2006 and it was for a costumer in Florida, who is not Portuguese," said Denmark, who studied import/export at Middlesex Community College. In order to improve and grow her business, she started participating in major design shows in Boston to establish contacts with companies, architects, designers and other professionals in the field. She joined the South Shore Women Business Network, an organization of professionals seeking to grow their businesses through networking. She also joined the International Furnishings and Design Association, a worldwide alliance of residential and commercial furnishings and design professionals. "The Portuguese hand-painted murals are now spread across the country," said Denmark, pointing to a map (designated with pins) she hung up on her living room wall. "I receive a lot of international inquiries. I sold one mural to a costumer in England and I have people contacting me from South Africa, Australia, Aruba and Canada." Some of the murals Denmark imports from Portugal -which depict landscapes, seascapes, rural scenes, medieval and religious themes - were featured in home décor magazines and have been an inspiration for many homeowners and architects, she said.

In a recent business trip to Portugal, Denmark discovered a very unique Portuguese art form that she hopes will soon become as popular as the tiles she sells. She found that a company in Algarve is producing cork items used for decoration purposes and as fashion accessories. "I saw Pelcor products and I wrote down their website," she said. "I know people are going to love this type of materials," she said. "It is 'green.' It is a leather alternative. It is durable, lightweight and waterproof. People will love the look, the texture, [and] the feel of cork." Pelcor items offer a wide spectrum of alternatives, from the simplest daily object to the most sophisticated fashion accessory. "It has a wide variety of purses, wallets, umbrellas, hats, gloves and other fashion accessories, office and house products, travel products," she added. Pelcor recently displayed its "Wind Rose" collection of purses and wallets at the exhibition "Discoveries: Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th centuries" in Washington, D.C. Denmark said she takes great pride in these distinctive products and aspires to expand her business and introduce them to the vast American market. "I am going to target consumers who are interested in 'green' products and market [them] on the internet," said Denmark. "I will also send out marketing postcards to stores and boutiques." But what really sparked her passion for Portuguese products? "I think Portugal has a good value; they do beautiful work," she said. For more information please visit www.portodemos.com or www.ecocorktraders.com