Oct. 21 -- A downtown retail store specializing in sustainable, ethically sourced products turns 40 this month, now older than the owner was when she started it.
Khira Korpi was in her 30s when she moved to Santa Fe in 1984 with nothing but a group of friends from North Carolina, a horticulture degree and very little money and, with a friend, started Maya in a 5-by-6-foot booth at Jackalope.
Forty years later, the shop is now located in more spacious quarters at 108 Galisteo St., Korpi is the sole owner and, while she no longer runs the business herself, it continues to specialize in sustainable, ethically sourced clothing, world arts, home accents, jewelry and gifts.
Korpi attributes Maya's longevity to prioritizing kindness and respect, operating from the heart, making wise buying decisions and engaging and trusting her team. She's relied on that team since 2003, when Korpi suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident.
"It was a bad accident; I was unable to work for 12 years and never stepped back into running Maya. My team stepped forward and [has] been running it ever since," she said.
Korpi was managing Jackalope's greenhouse operations when she jumped into the jewelry venture. Her friend made the jewelry, while Korpi served as business manager and began to learn the trade. Korpi previously had zero interest in business but quickly discovered she had the acumen for it.
Within four years, Korpi had moved Maya to the Galisteo Street space and bought her partner out.
"By then, I had gotten an idea of what kind of volume we could sell and what kind of rent I could handle, and it gave me the courage to step forward," Korpi said.
During Maya's early years, Korpi lived in a tipi in Pecos to save money.
"Vendors would come into my store trying to sell me elegant home décor ... and the dazed look on their face when I told them that it was absolutely beautiful, but there was no place on my tipi wall for me to hang that," Korpi said with a laugh.
When business began doing really well, Korpi left her tipi to travel to places like Bali, Nepal, India and Mexico to buy one-of-a-kind pieces directly from the artisans. From the start, Korpi said she was intentional when deciding whom she would buy from.
"What I realized right away was that I had the ability to decide where money went, and I decided to support ethical companies," Korpi said, adding she wanted Maya to represent companies that give back to their communities, care about the environment and treat their employees fairly.
Maya now carries 43 product lines from ethically transparent designers based in the U.S. and 35 from designers based outside of the U.S. across 18 countries.
Maya's early integration of ethical practices was ahead of the time. Today, 82% of consumers surveyed want the businesses they support to be people-oriented and prioritize the environment and values over profit, according to a 2022 report from Talkwalker, a consumer intelligence and analytics platform.
In addition to supporting ethical companies, Korpi said she wanted Maya to be one by creating a healthy workplace where employees feel respected and empowered. She trains her workers to be involved in the business and even become buyers, engaging with vendors and choosing what goes in the store.
Korpi has since moved to Denver to be closer to family and to continue her recovery as she hikes, reads and kayaks. She checks in on Maya virtually, in addition to visiting once or twice a year. While unusual for a small-business owner to be so "hands off," as Korpi put it, she said the talent and support of her team make it work.
One of those team members is Mariannah Amster, who joined Maya in 1999, became a buyer and stepped up to become general manager as well after the accident.
Amster saw the business through other events, too: 9/11, the global pandemic and a flood, as well as various changes in the retail industry, including an increase in online shopping. Both Korpi and Amster said during moments of national disarray, customers have come into the store saying they felt safe and welcome there.
With Amster about to transition back to buyer only, assistant manager Ariel Gottschall is getting ready to step into the general manager job. She's been with Maya since 2022 but shopped there long before that, always coming back because of the quality and origin of the products.
"There was a level of sophistication about the clothing and the jewelry without seeming stuck up or like I was trying to be anything else than I am," Gottschall said. Learning the meaning behind the products, and now getting to convey that information to customers, is also part of what makes Maya special, she added.
Amster said she feels grateful for the staff, for Santa Fe and for Korpi's trust as the business turns 40.
Maya's success really comes down to is the people, on both sides of the retail counter, she said.
"We're trying to contribute to making a better world -- on a small scale, really, we're just a retail store -- but I feel like everybody does what they can, and that's really what we're doing, is doing what we can to support the better good for everybody," Amster said.