Jungle-Gems Newsletter, July 2005

Jungle-Gems Newsletter

October 2010

 

Hello old friends. Yep, sure been a long time eh?

For those of you who care and know me as a friend, I’ll say a little more in the latter part of this newsletter. Otherwise, I’ll come straight to the point so as to not waste anyone’s time:

I’m retiring from the trade, and looking to sell out!

This means that I’m looking to liquidate the inventory at www.jungle-gems.com AS A LOT, including the up and running website, ably and professionally administered for almost 10 yrs by Rob Jewell of superior-sites.com, based in Tucson AZ. All the goods shown on the site are also stored in Tucson AZ. Hopefully, this arrangement might help facilitate a deal when one of you in the trade might be in Tucson for the coming show. I’m willing to keep any of the more expensive items to help facilitate a more agreeable price and eliminate excess haggling. To submit an offer or open discussions, please contact me direct at this address:

thomasinbrazil@yahoo.com

So, on a more personal level you might be wondering WHY? Well, the traveling which I had always enjoyed became a heart wrenching exercise due to my three small kids: Tomas 9, Alycia 4, and Vitoria 3. I decided that watching them grow up was a one time chance that is worth more to me than any level of profits which the travel generates. So instead of the constant movement I’ve morphed into a couch potato I guess. I’m a homebody hangin with the kids. Here is a recent picture:

I sincerely miss all my friends and contacts in the trade, and kinda miss “the hunt”, but maybe after they are grown in another 15 years or so I’ll make a comeback... who knows?
But that is so far away that it’s impossible to visualize.

I’m currently still in Minas Gerais, but will likely be moving to one of the many beautiful small beach towns along the Brazilian coastline within the coming year. If any of you have time for a social get-together during a buying trip to Brasil, look me up. I’d love a visit and the trade gossip!

I hope to be taking the kids to Disneyland periodically, and show them their “other country”, since they are also Americans even though they were all born in Teofilo Otoni.
If the timing is right we might visit the Tucson show someday, so perhaps we may meet again someday. But otherwise, I wish everyone well and a prosperous future in the world’s oldest profession.

Abracos – Kirk Bond aka “Tomas”