Panama People: Meet Doña Daisy, a true Casco Antiguo Institution
Collaboration by: Iranovy Grenald
Artesania Daisy
Walking around in Avenida A and Calle Primera in Casco Antiguo near the Bovedas, you can find several little shops with souvenirs and different things to keep a memory of your visit of Panama. If you are a tourist and even if you are from Panama, there are a lot of items which can look well in your house and closet.
The unique designs that Daisy uses with the mola’s on her clothes calls everybody attention; playing with colors and geometric figures in order to have a unique piece which is your own. She has been working with molas for twenty years. The actual molas are made by the Kunas, the colorfully dresses of one of the best known indigenous tribes in Panama (there are 7 different tribes). The only material used in the design is cotton. The Kunas take Daisy’s design and execute them according to her instructions. Daisy’s creativity and work surprises a lot of people that don´t know that a mola can be adapted for many uses such as a purse, belt, baby clothes, for CD cases and even eyeglass cases. Pillows are popular also. The uses are unlimited. Through the years, she has built a loyal clientele.
Daisy has been working in Casco Antiguo for 40 years ago; her son drives her from Parque Lefevre to Casco Antiguo every morning to open the shop by 8:00 a.m. As a young girl, Daisy grew up on Calle 4 and Avenida A so she likes to be near her old neighborhood.
For all these years Artesania Daisy has never done any marketing other than opening her door and relying on her colorful shop to attract clientele.