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Good Hands Imports owner Alberto Oceguera, left, shows Susie and Bill Selph around the store, which opened on May 1 in Vail. Though the name says "imports," the merchandise comes from New Mexico as well as old Mexico, Vietnam, Taiwan and China.
Photos by A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
More Photos (1):
The shop: where and when
Good Hands Imports, 11366 S. Vail Road, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. It's closed on Mondays.
For more information, call owner Alberto Oceguera at 449-1567.

East

Alberto Oceguera: Only one on hand at Good Hands Imports

> Mexican native, a U.S. citizen for a decade, is his own boss at last <
By Danielle Sottosanti
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.19.2008
Alberto Oceguera came to the United States from Mexico for an education, and now, decades later, is pursuing the American dream of working for himself.
Oceguera, 40, lives in Sahuarita but travels to Vail six days a week to work at Good Hands Imports, a new specialty store at 11366 S. Vail Road, between the railroad tracks that run parallel to each other.
The store sells imported and domestic goods, including pottery, iron ornaments and Talavera products. Oceguera doesn't mind the drive to Vail one bit. As both the store's owner and sole employee, Oceguera works hard, but he enjoys it.
"As long as I sell and people like my product and my store, I'm happy," he said. His wife, Yolanda, sometimes helps out in the store and brings their 5-year-old son, Alberto Jr.
People warned him that now is not a good time to start a new business because of the slumping economy, but Oceguera sees Vail as a place with a lot of opportunity for a new businessman such as himself.
"I did it because it's a community that is growing," he said. "I wanted to find a community with development, with new people (and) with housing going up."
When he opened his own business, it wasn't the first time Oceguera saw an opportunity and went for it.
When he was growing up in Hermosillo, Sonora, his parents offered him the chance to move to Tucson and study at the University of Arizona.
He took that opportunity and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from the UA in 1993.
He worked for the Mexican Consulate for three years and then for a nationwide contractor for 10 years. Meanwhile, he became a U.S. citizen in 1999.
He lost his job in September, and at first he starting looking for another job working for someone else. But then he decided to open his business, putting to use his previous experience with wholesale work.
As the Good Hands Imports name suggests, Oceguera's store carries imported goods such as Talavera dishes and other items from Mexico, and pottery from Vietnam and Taiwan. But Good Hands Imports also carries domestic goods, such as chile ristras from New Mexico, and Oceguera said he's planning to sell more.
Since his business opened just recently — on May 1 — Oceguera said he's keeping his prices low. He sells items such as a Talavera lizard for $5.
The store's proximity to Colossal Cave Mountain Park, 16721 E. Old Spanish Trail, draws in a lot of tourists, many of whom are looking for small items they can take with them on the plane, Oceguera said.
He remembers one of his customers, a woman from Indianapolis, who bought a Talavera tortoise to take back with her because she would be the only person in her neighborhood to have one.
The store gets local visitors, too, such as Bill and Susie Selph. They were just driving by when they noticed that the new store had opened and decided to give it a try, said Susie Selph, 61.
She and her husband tend to buy decorative items such as wagon wheels and cows' heads, but she also always has liked Talavera pots, she said.
A $30 cow's head from Chihuahua caught the Selphs' attention while they were there, but they were just in to browse, not to buy, that day.
● Contact reporter Danielle Sottosanti at 618-1922 or at dsottosanti@azstarnet.com.
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