The Mexican Connection: South of the Border, Down Panama (City) Way
By Bruce Collier February 13, 2003 Issue

South of the Border cannot be missed from Panama City Beach Parkway. The artistic contents of the building, a former pawnshop, have long-since spilled out onto the fenced outer grounds in a riotous pre- and post-Columbian gush. Owners Fran Antonelli and her daughter Darlene Walters have dubbed their business “Your Connection with Mexico.” The connection is strong and flourishing.

A California native who freely admits to a near complete lack of knowledge of the Spanish language, Antonelli started this business five years ago at a nearby location, moving into the present one two years ago. Formerly in retail management at a national department store, Antonelli was inspired on a trip to Guadalajara to “just start buying.” She returned to the United States with Mexican-made goods ready for sale. She estimates the store’s stock to be about 98 percent Mexican arts and crafts, with another 2 percent local artwork. The buying continues at a brisk pace, only now South of the Border relies on a professional buyer, David Hoover. Hoover has a command of the language, knowledge of the country and its art, excellent taste, and a job on the side. He’s a missionary.

“David gets to places we never could. He knows all the artists, knows the customs, what villages to go to. He uses the money made on selling the artwork to help the people directly. It goes from us to them.” The work often takes Hoover into truly out of the way places, where business is often conducted in a less formal manner. Hoover once had to leave a trailer full of merchandise behind to settle a repair bill. The vehicle had gouged a road, and the Federales required payment. The tab came to exactly one trailer. “They don’t sue each other much there,” says Antonelli, “they do things their own way.”

This applies to art as well as alternative dispute resolution. For example, in the case of Talavera pottery, the pots are made in three stages in three different villages, one supplying the clay, one the glazing, etc. Hoover makes regular visits to South of the Border, about once every three weeks, and Antonelli buys everything he brings. “Some of the art work is one of a kind, the artist only makes a few objects.” No particular artists are featured exclusively, though a good portion of the work comes from Mexican Indian artists. A tour around the shop finds one face to face with a shelf of crosses, a wall of smiling sun faces, endless pots, mirrors framed with hand-punched tin, jewelry, chimes, and a replica of the Aztec calendar. Clay and silver, both abundant in Mexico, are popular raw materials. Antonelli trusts Hoover as a good judge of clay: “It’s supposed to ‘ping’ like metal.”

Outside the building are rows of chimaeras, “patio fire pots,” suitable for warmth and, with some modification, cooking. “Of course then all your fires would smell like meat, wouldn’t they?” laughs Antonelli. Behind the shop is one of the most popular spots, the Pottery Graveyard. Any broken clay pots or ceramics are tossed there, and may be viewed or purchased by gardeners, who decorate their gardens with the pieces. A clay set piece of small people linking arms, called “Circle of Friends,” sells well. Also of cultural interest is a striking plaque of half-faces, images of childhood, maturity, and death, called a “Three Life.”

Frogs, fish, “cat” fish and build-it-yourself pottery fountains are all over the place. Everything outside stays outside, in all weather.

Antonelli herself does a little art, but has had no formal training aside from a few art classes. Daughter/co-owner Darlene Walters acts as accountant. “She keeps everything straight.” This time of year is relatively quiet, though Antonelli expects things to pick up soon.

Snowbirds, or locals seeking a bit of Mexican sun amid the wind and rain, might want to consider a short drive East to South of the Border. The fiesta sits waiting to be picked up and taken home, with only minor assembly required.

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