Cyrina was started as a business by Nancy and Erin to make and sell beaded jewelry. The name is derived from a combination of their names and is pronounced "serene-a"! Many thanks go to Nancy's good friend Regina Lazo, who came up with the idea for the name.

Initially, they sold their wares at craft fairs, but decided that sitting in a booth for hours on end was not as rewarding as actually making the jewelry. Enter the internet!

Nancy has been a librarian and storyteller for many years and has always had an interest in crafts of one sort or another.

Erin is Nancy's daughter and has been working with her mother as a storyteller and craftsperson for most of her life. She has dealt with lung disease (Cystic Fibrosis) for many years and came up with the Nebulizer Buddy hat so that she could use her hands during those boring breathing treatments. In June of 2005 Erin passed away due to complications from a double lung transplant. She was 26 years old. We really miss her!

Tribal Business

A tribal business, as articulated by Daniel Quinn in his book Beyond Civilization, has nothing to do with ethnic tribes. It is a particular way of organizing a business. A tribal business is a group of people working together to make a living. How is this different from a conventional business? A conventional business exists mainly to make profits for its owners. A tribal business, on the other hand, exists mainly to provide a living for its members—all its members, not just the bosses.

Many small businesses start out as tribal in nature but become hierarchical and profit-driven as they grow larger. It is our belief that money is not the only measure of a business's success or failure. Equally important (if not more so) is whether or not the business is providing its members with what they want and need. This is our goal, then, for Cyrina: to grow our business while remaining tribal and remaining true to our values.

For more information on this and related subjects, check out Daniel Quinn's Ishmael series, particularly Beyond Civilization, and also The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken. And be sure to check out ishmael.com and readishmael.com. Also, read the inspiring story of Ray C. Anderson at http://www.friendsofishmael.org/action/industry/anderson.shtml