Mazahar:
Rebirth in Willits

Story by Margi Gomez

“I was minding my own business, traveling with my son, who was eight years old at the time,” begins Sara Romi. Romi, later to become Sara Mann, was born in Israel and still has a large family there with whom she is very close. She took her long awaited global adventure almost twenty-eight years ago.

“We had been exploring Greece and India, and we also came to northern California, which I had always wanted to experience. I fell in love with Mendocino County,” Sara recalls. “It reminded me of a place in Israel called the Upper Galilee, a place that had always meant a lot to me.”

“I really never intended to leave Israel,” Sara explains. “But I started meeting people and making friends in the community. In about a year, with my visa expiring, I looked down at my feet and saw roots growing!”

She met her husband and partner Tom Mann soon thereafter, and the two married, raising three children together.
They grew their community roots ever deeper, becoming involved in organic gardening, and sharing their skills in ceramics and martial arts with children in the Willits area.

Sara studied ceramics for four years in an arts high school in Israel, and after that was mostly self taught. Ceramics has been a lifelong passion ever since. She worked out of a large studio at the Willits Grange, traveling to craft shows to sell her work and teaching ceramics to children. “I loved it,” she reminisces.

About six years ago, Sara’s life was changing, and she knew she needed a new project—as she calls it, “a healing project.” She had run several businesses in her native Israel, as well as having had her own boutique there, so opening a clothing and craft business on Main Street in Willits was natural.

Sara explains, “I knew that I wanted something new and engrossing. As much as I loved my ceramic work, it demands a lot of alone time, which was not right for me at the time. So when the Main Street location space came available, we took courage and stepped into the void. I’ve had a longtime philosophy for my life—no matter how big the leap, you’re not going to fall off the planet!”

She called the shop Mazahar, a name that has translations in Arabic, Judaic, and Spanish cultures. “Ma in Arabic means water, and Azhar refers to the essence of the citrus blossom. Mazahar is a scent that has always evoked springtime for me.”

“In a wider sense,” says Sara, “the term can be translated as ‘water of splendor,’ or even ‘inner splendor.’ There is also an element of purification, uplift, and love to the concept of Mazahar,” she adds. “Just recently I realized that the name also includes parts of my grandson’s and my son’s Hebrew names!”

Mazahar offers crafts, furniture, and furnishings from near and far, with clothing, jewelry, and accessories that Sara says appeal to a very diverse group of customers. She says the clothing line includes dancewear, tribal and festival fashions, specialties for youth, pregnant and plus-size styles, and products for babies, children and men. “The term ‘gypsy chic’ has been used to describe us,” she says. “I think it’s a good one.”

Sara explains that while independent and local designers have been her major focus, Mazahar also incorporates global crafts from such countries as Africa, China, Bali, Vietnam, and Sara’s native Israel. “From the day we first opened the doors, we saw people coming in from near and far, who were genuinely interested in fair trade,” Sara says.
“We consult with organizations like CCC, the Clean Clothes Campaign, who work with manufacturers all over the world to promote organic fibers, decent wages and working conditions globally. Interestingly, there are more and more producers and vendors from the U.S. participating in CCC all the time.”

Mazahar’s independent designers include a number of Willits and Mendocino County entrepreneurs, including Keith Monroe, who makes “exquisite one-of-a-kind jewelry,” and Ethereal Elements, Willits-based clothing designers. Sara says that there are really too many local and California craftspeople represented at Mazahar to name. Among many, she mentions Shady Brady from Ukiah and Headin Home, a family hat-making business from Monterey.

“Besides wanting to create a space of love and joy for the community, my vision is to offer clothing and crafts that are clearly unique. I also like to focus on the element of humor, and try to blend that in with the more ‘serious’ crafts,” Sara shares.

Sara says that relationships with both clients and vendors have been integral to Mazahar’s growth from its inception. “Main Street in Willits is Highway 101, and although we have a lot of local customers, we also have a lot of people stopping in who are doing some serious traveling,” she explains.

“A lot of people come through telling me that they were told by friends that they just had to stop at Mazahar. I’ve found many new friendships through the store, and have developed personal relationships with people who have their own really strong fair trade oriented relationships with global craftspeople. It’s the kind of thing I really love to hear about, and it puts a story to a product in a way that adds value to what we do and sell,” Sara says. Just this week, she was surprised to get an e-mail from a recent customer who personifies this dynamic.

The visitor wrote, “I felt so connected to Sara and loved hearing about your expansion, blankets made by elderly women in Israel from recycled plastic bags, and the philosophical ideas behind the style and expression that you promote…Well, I just wanted to say that you touched me that day and I left feeling inspired…You became a piece of my path and I wanted to thank you!”

Sara describes her husband Tom as her “…absolute other half.” “Tom has been a core element in the birth and now the rebirth of the shop.” She adds, “The initial opening of the store involved weeks and months of time and effort on Tom’s part, including creating built-in counters, dressing rooms, and storage spaces as well as special lighting.” She continues, “Tom has been incredibly supportive. He is an inspiration and a great partner in decision making and execution. He also has a great aesthetic eye.”

Recently the opportunity arose for Mazahar to double its size, and she and Tom found themselves contemplating the work that it would involve. Sara relates, “We started over, with Tom renovating once again. We had to close for two weeks, and pack up everything. And we’re still not completely done.” But Sara says she’s happy to report that most of the work is on schedule, and she and Tom have no regrets. “We’ll be having a grand opening soon, but our doors are finally open again, and the place is lighter and more open. It looks and feels great.”

She continues, “Actually this week Mazahar resembles a flower shop. So many of our local customers have dropped by and brought flowers to celebrate the reopening.” She explains that community participation has always been a priority for her. “Being in the heart of the downtown area, I definitely feel linked to the Willits community. I try to contribute what I can to every good cause, from small fund-raisers to help individuals with personal tragedies, to city-wide events like the July Willits Hometown Celebration and participation in the Willits Local First initiative. I feel a responsibility to support and donate whenever I can.”

Sara emphasizes that her staff is a huge part of Mazahar’s success up to this point. “Wendi Hammang Rowland, my ex-daughter in law and good friend, has been a huge help for the past three years. She’s now on maternity leave, and I rely on my other great employees who are amazing. We call ourselves Team Mazahar! Brenda Orenstein keeps me on track with my finances. We have a fantastic duo in our sales people Melody Guss and Maggie Rodriguez. They have been a great addition to Mazahar.” Sara says she is pretty particular when it comes to staffing. “A good employee has to have artistic skills as well as people skills, and also feel a strong sense of commitment. And of course they have to enjoy what they’re doing. I feel lucky to have had such good teamwork.”

“I find the interactions in the store fascinating,” Sara continues. “I would never tell anyone that they look good in something when they don’t. I would rather spend the time and be sure they ended up with something they are really satisfied with.” She goes on, “There are so many friends, family members, customers, and vendors, too many to name, who deserve our gratitude. Mazahar has truly been a group effort!”

Sara says that although she intends to provide a modest living from the boutique for herself and a few local families, she really does what she does because she loves it. “For me, the store is a formative life experience. I love people, and although it’s been a lot of very hard work, it’s has been worth it. It’s very labor intensive, but it’s a labor of love.”

For the past several months, Tom Mann has been working on fixing up an old outbuilding that was rotting in the backyard of their home, which will eventually house a workshop for him and a renewed ceramics studio for Sara. “I knew I would have to stop doing ceramics in order to establish the store. I just could not provide the time or the overhead for both.” She explains that they have had to put the studio project on hold during the renovation and expansion of the store. She is looking forward to incorporating her first love, ceramics, into a new “reborn” Mazahar.

Local events and specials at Mazahar are ongoing, and an e-mail request to circlesinmotion@sbcglobal.net will enter the writer into a current raffle. The phone number at Mazahar is 707-459-3034, and information and reviews are available on yelp.com, at the Mendocino Bulletin Board at merchantcircle.com, and on the Mazahar Facebook page.

To experience Mazahar for yourself, visit the store at 38 South Main Street in Willits during their business hours, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. (Store hours may be extended during the summer.)

Team Mazahar will keep the doors open late for a grand opening celebration of the newly renovated store on the evening of Friday, May 21. Live Latin music will be provided by Mendocino County’s own PURA VIDA, along with refreshments and store specials.