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Edgardo Fabro Cuala
We are saluting Edgardo
Fabro Cuala, or “Edgar,” as our Featured Artist.
Edgar says he has been with us for 11 years now, but
it feels like we have known him forever. We have a
hard time imagining life in the office without him.
He is leaving at the end of this month to return to
the Philippines and care for his elderly Mother. We
had the good fortune to meet his Mom, Francesca, when
she visited several years ago and it is easy to see
how Edgar turned out to be such a nice guy when you
meet her.
We are proud that Edgar found a way to build a house
near Manila during his time with us. He will be
seeing it for the first time.
At first you might wonder how Edgar would qualify as
an “artist.” But, he definitely is in his own way.
When he takes on a project or a responsibility, he
makes it his own and over time finds the best and
most efficient way to get it done. For example, when
we started having a hard time getting more of our
trademark baskets, he asked us to order strands of
cane and he undertook an intensive project of fixing
the baskets we had on hand. Turns out, his family had
been in the basket business. They looked like new
when he finished.
When Edgar took on a project, he was like the
proverbial pit bull on your ankle. He would not let
go until he did finish. He was clearly the most
goal-oriented of the four of us. He would get so
preoccupied that the three of us would ask each
other, “What’s wrong with Edgar?” He was especially
good at organizing things quickly.
In fact, we have been truly blessed to have had both
Edgar and David Portell as long time help. David P
has been with us even a little longer, but has had
two tours with us. What has been nice is how much
they enjoy each other, to the point where we feel
like the odd ones out. But, that is probably how it
should be.
We first came to know Edgar when he worked at the
copy shop down the street and we were working out of
the building where we live. We went to post an ad for
help and Edgar saw it and said to us, “I can do
this.” His hours had become unpredictable there and
he wanted something more secure.
When Edgar said he was “dreaming” of something, he
meant he saw something and wanted to try it.
Along the way, he met his soul mate, Edna. We have
not had the pleasure of meeting her yet. None of us
knew he had even gotten hitched, we only learned when
we went to his dentist and she alluded to Edgar’s
“wife.”
We grew to love his stories. Every once in a while,
after a hard week or a show week, we would kick back
with champagne on a Friday night. As the champagne
poured out, so did Edgar’s stories. We got so we
would request our favorites—like the people with
tails who would come down from the mountains in the
Philippines.
Edgar did his best to prepare us for his departure.
He sat us down a few months ago to break the news. He
said he would stay through the New York Show because
he knew how much we would need his expertise. He
spent a couple of days over in our storage by Javits
Center, organizing it and even replacing tattered
boxes.
Our plan is to keep his job open for a couple of
months to make sure he is comfortable back home. The
plan is that Edna will join him in the Philippines
later in the year and that they will eventually move
to Rome, where Edna’s daughter lives. We still hold
out hope of luring him back, even holding out the
possibility of season’s tickets for his beloved
Knicks.
We hope you had the chance to say good-bye; but if
not, you can otherwise wish him well at efcnyc (at)
yahoo (dot) com.
Edgar, dear friend, we will miss you! Thank you for
all that you have done for us, for our artists, and
for our customers.
Constance
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