Part of the pleasure of travel is finding unique things that reflect the beauty of another culture. On a trip to Morocco in the early '90's, Glenn and Ellen Wunderley discovered classically beautiful wood boxes fashioned in tiny shops. These boxes, and the burled Thuja wood they were made from were so exquisite that we believed that people in the U.S., who would never have an opportunity to travel to Morocco to appreciate them, would be interested in purchasing them if they were available here. For this reason, we formed Wunderley Imports. Since that time, we have made many additional trips to this exotic land where the souks are filled with artisans working with the most basic materials and tools. The art they create reflects the beauty of a culture that Europe knew as the Moors in Spain - a culture rich in Islamic art as it melded with other ideas at this crossroads of Africa, Arabia and Europe. We were fascinated by the ability of a poor people to create beauty from what we in America would consider nothing. We were happy to work with hardworking craftspeople to encourage quality control and to introduce some of their products and culture to the American market. This culture includes classic Moorish pottery designs, Moroccan tea accessories, henna designs and items fashioned of camel bone.
Our travels also led us to other treasures of the Mediterranean region that we had not seen in this country. In Damascus, another ancient crossroads, we found artisans skilled in the old art of Intarsia, or inlay of fine wood, shell and mother-of-pearl in wood boxes and furniture, as well as Damask and Damascene silk brocade.
It is our pleasure to continue our search for fine products new to the U.S. market. We receive personal satisfaction by being able to offer an outlet to a number of superb craftspeople. But, when we chose to put our name on the company, we made a commitment to quality, value and customer satisfaction. We are proud to stand behind our name, knowing that it stands for uniquely beautiful products and your satisfied customer.
