AMADA GOODS

Unique Mexican Glassware

And the story behind the owner’s mission to give back.

By Myriam Gonzalez Photos by Agustin Gonzalez

Colorful, hand-etched glassware adorn the shelves of Amada Goods, a boutique within 76107 Collective and “community co-working space” located in Fort Worth’s Design District. Owner Jill Black has been importing and selling the artisan pieces since 2019, which all started after meeting an intriguing man with a handicap, the man also behind the designs.

During a 2016 visit to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Jill was introduced to Charles Hall, owner of Rose Ann Hall Designs, and says she was immediately inspired by him and the story behind the pieces she would sell one day. “I was amazed by Charlie. He had this handicap and had to overcome all this adversity, yet he was full of confidence, and it didn’t stop him,” Jill says.

Born with Moebius syndrome, a rare neurological condition that causes paralysis of facial muscles and underdeveloped limbs, Charles was determined to prove others wrong. In 2004, he took over his mother’s company and continued her legacy of creating one-of-a-kind artisan pieces, while providing employment to others with disabilities — giving them the opportunity he struggled to get himself growing up. “When I was 5 years old, my family came to Mexico, and I could just be a normal little kid. When I had the opportunity to open the factory, it was just natural that I wanted to give back to Mexico because it had given so much to me,” Charles says.

Since then, he has lived up to his mission, providing employment to people such as Susana, who approached him in 2012 because she heard that while working at his company “she would not be alone.” Despite having no arms, Susana learned to carve glass using only her feet and eventually became one of the top performers at the company. Due to medical reasons, Susana has had to leave and return to Rose Ann Hall several times, but to Charles, it’s only telling of what the company is — “a place where you learn to live life.”

Nearly a year after that trip, Jill looked down at one of Charles’ glasses sitting on her desk and thought “if she can etch a glass holding it with her toes, I can figure this out, how to sell these glasses,” she says.

Now through each glass sold, Jill is able to tell the story of Charlie, and all of the artisans behind them, helping “highlight the beauty of what they have.”

Owner Jill Black holding a piece of hand-carved glass from Mexico, which she sells in her boutique Amada Goods.