Juliana Sproesser's family has had a shop in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for 20 years so she feels at home in her boutique, Joya, at 153 Victoria Ave.
Joya is a Portuguese word translating to "everything that is good".
For Ms Sproesser, Joya is the window to the many people who come to
browse the racks of clothing and the new friends she has made since settling in Wanganui who support her with their trade.
"When people wear my things I am very happy," she says.
Joya offers clothing and other "funky, coloured and different" items, she says. Wellington's Iko Iko on Cuba St was her inspiration.
Her affordably priced items are a mix of lines from Brazil, Asia and America and she now sources clothing from Europe.
Joya stocked clothing and items that were different from everyone else, she said. The shop contains an eclectic mix of jewellery, watches, clear plastic pockets with coloured designs turn into a vase for flowers; jandals that have been stitched with colours to make them more fun, baby leggings, shorts, belts, bags, tops, dresses, and swimwear.
She is also an agent for Brazilian students who come to Wanganui High School.
Ms Sproesser studied hospitality at university on the island of Florianopolis and was manager of an Italian hotel for five years.
Florianopolis has a population of 300,000 people but in the summer months visitors flock to the 42 beaches, the most beautiful and safe place in Brazil, she says.
The island's temperatures sometimes drop to 9C in the winter which Ms Sproesser says she no longer thinks cold after New Zealand's winters.
