Putting the dreams of a better life aside, relocating is hard!  It doesn�t matter where in the world you are going�.a thousand miles or five thousand, there will be many a day when you sit with head in hands and think, �what am I doing here�!!  And it�s the little things that get you - aside from language difficulties and cultural differences.  The thing that almost pushed me over the edge, was the furniture issue. Back in January of 2002 my husband and I bought our first villa in Mexico.  It was a very exciting time in our lives and we were so thrilled to finally realize our dream of owning a vacation home.  Actually closing the purchase deal was a process completely outside of our experience, but we were lucky to have bought a home that had clear title and find lawyer who would complete the deal correctly.  By July of that same year we were owners of our new villa.  One of the most exciting jobs for me was to decorate the villa.  After all the stress and worry of actually buying the property I was going to have some fun  - I would  be able to buy all those Mexican pieces that were so expensive up in Canada and have them in my new home in Mexico.  So, we took a weeks holiday, jumped on a plane to Mexico, rented a car, planned out what stores we were going to go to and set off on our first full day believing we were prepared and organized.  It seemed easy enough and there�d be time for the beach too.  Within the first few hours we realized we had underestimated the magnitude of the task and there was not going to be a single moment left for anything other than shopping.  Bye-bye to the beach, bye-bye to any rest or relaxation we had hoped to get. This week was going to consist of getting up at the crack of dawn, driving around, getting lost, driving around again, getting lost again and trying to furnish our villa with something acceptable.  The thrill of the idea was rapidly replaced with panic and thoughts of going over our budget. Not knowing the language posed a bigger problem than we had anticipated.  The inability to use our credit card posed a huge risk as we had to withdraw large amounts of cash out and carry it around. But getting what we bought delivered was the most frustrating to us.  Most items we wanted had a 3-4 week delivery which would not work as we�d be back home by then.  When we changed our choices to things in stock we compromised what we wanted and realized we were also paying far too much.  We bought furnishing at different stores and had to pay full delivery at each place.  The deliveries came at different times during the week which stopped us from accomplishing more because we had to sit at home and wait for things to arrive.....and, as we all know, nothing arrives on time in Mexico and we wasted precious days waiting for trucks that never materialized.

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In 2005, gluttons for punishment that we were, we began construction on a new vacation home in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, on the Mayan riviera; the thought of furnishing a place twice the size of our previous project left me feeling dejected, and that is when an idea took seed in my mind.  Why not start a business sourcing and providing furniture for people in the same situation as myself, and use this new house as a test run.  And that is when Gringo Furniture was born.  I researched, found partners, got financing and to my delight I was able to pick out exactly what I wanted for the villa in the comfort of myhome in Canada.  Measuring each piece and comparing it to the construction details of the new villa, I knew exactly if a piece of furniture was going to fit or not.  he final price tag was probably the best surprise.  I was under budget by $10,000 and had not compromised on anything.

I then booked a flight to Mexico for mid October to receive the furniture. I arrived on the Sunday and the furniture materialised on the Monday at 11:00am.  By 6:00pm that evening the house was furnished and I was able to go out for a long, enjoyable dinner.  I now had the rest of the week to get things exactly the way I wanted them, hang pictures, buy nick-knacks, visit with friends and most of all take long walks on the beach.

Unfortunately, life is never as we expect and Hurricane Wilma dropped by for a visit the Thursday of that week.  Not only did the new villa withstand the category 5 hurricane winds but so did the furniture and incredibly, so did the town of Puerto Morelos.  Within weeks, things were on track to being rebuilt and the town was ready for high season which was a mere 6 week�s post Wilma.

Gringo Furniture is now ready to hit the marketplace.  It will be focused initially on the Mayan Riviera but hopes to grow throughout Mexico in the next few months.  Different lines are being researched and new products will be added.  Currently Gringo Furniture is sourcing out vendors for all areas of the home to make it a �One Stop� store for all home needs.  Customers will be able to buy all their furniture safely and securely on-line then have it delivered to their home within 4 weeks; they will be able to choose from an assortment of fabrics and finishes to suit their tastes. 
 

A new Gringo is in town and Gringo Furniture is going to fill a long standing need for foreigners burying in Mexico.  It will take out some of the stresses of rebuilding your life - no language difficulties, over pricing, endless trips to different stores with no problems with deliveries.
 

Retire In Mexico - Live Better For Less -Retire In Mexico - Live Better For Less - While there are some people who come to Mexico for a week�s vacation and end up living here for the next twenty years, most people adopt a more prudent course and do some homework first.  Dru Pearson is a person who did her homework and she is someone who knows about retirement in Mexico. While there may be a few expatriates scattered in a dozen villages throughout Mexico, most Americans and Canadians settle in one of five locations:  San Miguel de Allende, Mazatlan, Oaxaca, Guadalajara, or Lake Chapala. Dru Pearson visited all these areas before settling in Lake Chapala. Dru gives sound and thoughtful advice on retirement in Mexico. Everything from how to pick your location to Mexican paperwork is covered.  If you've ever considered retirement in Mexico please read this report first. It has the information that would otherwise take you months of frustration to acquire