Photo by matt nagle
MOROCCAN TREASURES. Youssef Jarraf, who owns Moroccan Treasures with his wife, Heather Tucci-Jarraf, is buyer and tour guide for customers through the vast gallery of artistically handmade furniture, household accessories and personal items.
Moroccan Treasures at 906 Broadway just opened in February this year but already the new business is having a significant impact on the city. With owners Youssef Jarraf's and Heather Tucci-Jarraf's intimate ties to the country, the two entrepreneurs are working to both build their business and establish a solid partnership between Tacoma and this Northern African nation, the most westernized of the Arab countries.
Walking into Moroccan Treasures is like stepping into an upscale indoor Moroccan marketplace and art gallery. The rich colors, textures and sparkle of the merchandise provide a luxurious feast for the eyes. A stroll around the 4,000-square-foot sales floor takes the customer on a tour of lovingly crafted Middle Eastern finery, every single item handmade by artists who eschew electric tools for hammer and chisel to exercise their extraordinary talents.
Everything sold at Moroccan Treasures is hand picked by Jarraf on his frequent buying excursions. He has developed an eye over the years for the types of goods Americans are interested in and he enjoys looking for these unique items. "I go all over," he said, from furniture makers' shops to the desert where he buys fossilized Moroccan-quarried marble.
The variety to browse through seems endless – drapes and fabrics in a rainbow of shimmering colors, tasseled floor pillows, hand-carved chairs, couches and living room tables inlaid with intricate mother of pearl designs, fossilized marble countertops containing remnants of seashells more than 400 million years old, brightly painted mosaic tiles, exotic carpets, painted lampshades and sconces and a large array of personal items like jeweled trinket boxes and polished marble desk accessories.
"Our goal is not to create a warehouse, but a gallery setting to honor the pieces that are in here," said Tucci-Jarraf. "Some pieces take months to prepare. All the technique and craftsmanship is handed down to each artist and each artist modifies it for their own signature.
"These are historical pieces, and every piece is collectible and most are one of a kind."
Jarraf said he tries to never buy the same things twice so that he can provide customers with a thorough selection of everything Morocco has to offer. "I like to change so that people can come and see samples of what they make there," he said.
"We are a Moroccan import store but it's really more than that," said Tucci-Jarraf. "We're a gallery that represents the artists and educates the community on the wonderful handcraftsmanship that they do."
The couple takes great pride in the ethics by which they work: to treat the artisans with respect and compensate them fairly for their items. This is how the artisans make their living and they oftentimes are taken advantage of by dealers in the Middle East and United States, according to Tucci-Jarraf. "We saw a need for representation of the artists because they usually see only about a five percent profit on what they make," she said.
The couple is completely devoted to helping build a sound and mutually beneficial business and humanitarian partnership between Tacoma and Morocco. Jarraf was born in Casablanca then moved to Florence, Italy, where he met Heather while she was there on business. The two married and decided to anchor their business in Tacoma where Tucci-Jarraf was born and raised.
Tucci-Jarraf is chair of the committee that succeeded in winning the Tacoma City Council's unanimous vote last month to make El Jadida, Morocco, Tacoma's 11th Sister City. "I'm very excited and honored to be part of that," she said. "Historically speaking, Tacoma has done wonders with the Asian world and bringing in those contacts and ties and creating a strong port for the United States. But we didn't have any ties with the Arabic world. It's a world we haven't explored much as a city.
"With the connections that Youssef and I have with the Arabic world and in Italy we felt that was something we could contribute to Tacoma."
In 2004 the United States signed a free trade agreement with Morocco, "the best free trade agreement between the U.S. and any country," Tucci-Jarraf observed. She said Morocco's position between the United States and Europe could open up a wealth of trade opportunities for American companies.
"We hope to build more awareness and knowledge of the capabilities in Morocco for the West Coast and position Tacoma for the center of that point." She said discussions on how to do this are ongoing with the Moroccan government. "We have a number of dignitaries coming next year." She noted that she also looks forward to seeing Morocco and all of Tacoma's Sister Cities showcased during Tall Ships next summer.
"I'm really proud of what we've been able to accomplish here," said Tucci-Jarraf. "We always get great reactions from people who walk through the door because it really is like you're transported to another country. I think we've captured it.
"We have a lot of future plans for this place. The possibilities abound."
