by Sara Nesbitt
(Reprinted from the "Colorado Springs Gazette," October 12, 2001.)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The cash register and credit card machines at Maketi Mua look the same as in any other retail store. But they don't sound the same. They talk.
And Maketi Mua co-owner DeAnna Noriega listens. It's the only way she could make a sale.
Noriega, who lost her sight from congenital glaucoma when she was 8, needs the audio devices to run the imported handmade craft store at 2403 W. Colorado Ave.
Noriega believes her lack of sight has never held her back from owning and operating a business. Actually, it's just the opposite.
In retail, "You can organize the way it best suits you, and you're not having to fit into a pre-existing mold," Noriega said. "You're a little more in charge of things."
Noriega has a sociology degree from California State University at Stanislaus, but after college, she couldn't get interviews and paperwork for social work jobs to work for her.
Noriega said it was easy to land job interviews. But when she showed up, the line of questioning turned into something different.
"Suddenly it's like, 'Who braided your hair? Who matches your clothes? How did you get here this morning?'" Noriega said.
That eventually led Noriega and her husband, Curtis, to open up a take-out pizza parlor in Grants Pass, Ore. They eventually opened another store, and it became so successful that a Papa Murphy's franchisee ended up buying the two stores. By that time, the Noriegas were grossing more than $1 million a year.
They moved to Colorado Springs four years ago because one of their daughters was attending the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. Although she's not much different from your average shop owner, Noriega does use some tools a seeing business owner probably can't imagine. When she slides the bill under one machine, it says "20," or "five" or whatever the denomination of the bill.
And she has a Braille laptop, which transfers downloaded information into Braille. Small pins at the bottom of the device pop up and down to spell out what sighted people would read on their computer screens.
Although all of that equipment is expensive -- the talking cash register alone is $3,400 -- Noriega said it's necessary for her to remain competitive and operate efficiently. She does, however, have some help.
"Customer service is my strong point, and numbers are Curtis' strong point," Noriega said. Guide dog Griffin is the security system.
She and her husband also are involved in their community, which Noriega said is vital to a successful business. She's helping to open an outreach center for the blind in Colorado Springs and is the local spokeswoman for the American Council of the Blind.
"You don't want to stand on the outside looking in and just be taken care of," Noriega said. "Blind people want to contribute and be a part of the community."
All of the store's profits currently go back into the business, but Noriega said a year from now they might be able to employ a staff. That would let her and her husband travel more so they can look for more crafts.