By Lori EhdeHandcrafted imports from around the world arrived in crates and boxes to downtown Luverne over the weekend.Import World is opening Monday in the former Chamber of Commerce building on Main Street next to the Palace Theatre.Owners Jennifer Anderson and Arturo Martinez met and married in Mexico City, so the store has a distinctive Mexican influence, right down to silver jewelry. "We’re able to get the merchandise working directly with the artisans," Anderson said.She describes the business as a home decorating store that also carries imports from Europe and the Orient, in addition to Mexico."I’ve always been interested in other cultures," Anderson said. "Anybody that comes in my house wants to know, ‘Where did you get that?’ So I know there’s an interest in what I have."Customers can choose from "rustic" furniture in the store, or they can buy made-to-order pieces through a catalog.Anderson describes Import World as "completely different" from existing businesses in Luverne.The couple moved from Mexico City, population 25 million, to Luverne in May 2003 so Anderson could be closer to her family in South Dakota."I grew up in Beresford, so I know all about small-town life," she said.She found her current job as human resources manager at Sara Lee in Chandler through an Internet job posting.Anderson has a degree in international business with a minor in Spanish. She worked in retail in Mexico City.Martinez has a degree in business administration but still has limited English. He left a Pepsi Co. sales management position in Mexico City to work at Luverne’s Gold’n Plump poultry plant.Both plan to keep their current jobs until the business is running smoothly."We’re very excited about being next to the theater. We’re going to be open when there’s anything going on at the Palace," Anderson said."It’s a nice community, and we plan to stick around for a while."The Luverne Economic Development Authority helped the business with a $5,000 loan through the state’s Small Cities Development Program.Anderson and Martinez are otherwise financing the venture themselves and plan to hire three part-time employees by the second year.
