Village Business Profile: Karma Fine Imported Crafts

Karma Fine Imported Crafts

57 Union Street, Newton Centre

Part specialty retail, part gallery, part cultural exchange. Karma blends traditional techniques and modern bridging cultures through fair trade.

Phuni Kim Meston, who currently lives in Weston (after being a Newton resident for 12 years), established Karma Fine Imported Crafts in 2006. She has 2 employees.

What motivated you to get into business? I never was interested in having a “business”, per se.  I attended Brandeis, and my foundation of social justice comes from that experience.  This led me to open a business that is socially responsible and educates people.

What is the biggest kick you get out of doing business in Newton? I feel like this is my community, and I now know two generations of Newtonians.  We have a close connection to our customers — we share good and bad life experiences with them.

Who inspires you? My father and my husband.  My parents left Tibet after the Communist Chinese invasion.  My husband is strong inspiration – he has empathy for people from all different cultural backgrounds.  He is a deep thinker and a philosopher who is always on a quest for the truth.

What is your biggest business challenge? Ensuring that all the goods we sell are fair trade, and that they conform to our definition of social responsibility – not just that the suppliers and artisans are paid a fair price, but also that that we are supporting their overall family and economic sustainability.

What do you know for sure? We are all here to give love and receive love.

What do you do when you need to recharge your batteries? I am a big family person.  If my family is in a good place, and healthy, that recharges me.  I also run – I try to run in the woods every morning.

What one piece of advice would you offer a new/prospective Newton business owner? Learn to co-exist and share information with other merchants and members of the community.   There is space for everyone.  Newton is an amazing community.

What do you want your customers to know about you? We want people to feel really comfortable coming into our shop – even if it’s just to look.  We appreciate their support.

Your favorite stops in Newton: Waban Shoes, Lee’s Burgers.