By: Caidan Zhouma (Stella) | Guest Writer
In 1959, the Chinese invaded Tibet. Many Tibetans, along with their spiritual leader H.H., the 14th Dalai Lama, walked day and night, dragging their weary legs, sweating and spitting, carrying a month of traditional food supply, zampa (grounded barley) loaded both on their shoulders and mules, leaving behind their homeland escaping to India in search of new hope. Soon after, many Tibetans, including Tsering Ngamdung’s family, immigrated to different areas of the United States. Tsering along with his family, eventually got a fresh start in Newport R.I. as permanent residents. Today, Tsering and his family own two clothing and accessories stores Tibet In-Port and Lotus on Thames Street in Newport. The two stores sell imported goods from the Himalayan region where Tsering and his family are from.
Q: How did you initially migrate to the U.S?
A: I came here in 1996; my father was part of- I believe it was 1992- one thousand Tibetan refugee resettlement under Bush Sr. So, he came here in 1992 and the rest of the family came together in 1996.
Q: Do you think your father had any plans to settle in the U.S before coming here?
A: No, my uncle used to work for the Tibetan government. At the time of the resettlement program, I think the government allocated a couple of seats for the family members of the Tibetan government in exile. My uncle put in my dad’s name and his name came out of the lottery. When he finally got here, he wasn’t sure he wanted to immigrate to the U.S because at the time it wasn’t popular among Tibetans and the carpet business in Nepal was quite good. He just thought he would just come in and try to stay for a couple of years and if he didn’t like it, he would go back and live in Nepal. After he came here the carpet business and the political situation in Nepal started to deteriorate, and he decided to settle here for good.
Q: Is Tibet in Port your first business?
A: This is the first business that I started after I finished school here in the U.S.
Q: If this is your first business, how did you get started? Did you need any financial support from the bank?
A: Not really. It’s my dad. He has a business, same as me, in Chatham Massachusetts. After I finished school, I thought I would try this for a year or two and see how this works out. If it doesn’t, then I will go back and look for a job according to my major. In terms of the fund, I have very limited funds when we first started. We started very small and I received funds and help from my dad. I received inventory and fund everything from my dad.
Q. How do you get Tibetan goods?
A. You know there is nothing that comes from Tibet. Even the products that say Tibet mostly come from India and Nepal. I would say it’s the Tibetan influence on the merchandise that we get from Nepal. The garments say Tibetan import. I am from Tibet. Besides me, I don’t have anything from Tibet. You see the jewelry behind me, those are Tibetan influence with turquoise and coral, but the majority are from Himalayan regions with close cultural ties with the Tibetan.
Q: What was the biggest challenge to start the business during the spring? I know it’s a seasonal business, and it would be difficult for you to start for the first time in the spring.
A: Exactly, I kind of knew beforehand about the seasonal business because my dad had a store in Cape Cod and that’s also very seasonal. It’s more seasonal than here in Newport. I knew what to expect. When we started, we imported everything from Nepal and India. We have to buy and spend a lot of money to get merchandise here. It was difficult until the end of the first summer because we have to wait to make a profit. We spent all the money beforehand and the money coming in was kind of slow as the season progress. But after the first year, it was ok. So, I would say the lack of funds is probably the most difficult part of the first year.
Q: Who are your customers? I know you rely on tourists, but do any of the local people seem to show any interest in your business?
A: Usually in the summer times, it mostly tourists, and local people like to come in when there is not a lot of tourists. I would say usually in the spring and fall we get a lot of local people, and during the holiday like during Christmas times, we get a lot of local people who come and support us.
Q: If you were to do your business all over again, what would you do differently?
A: I would probably, I mean with all the expertise, I would change the way I bought the merchandise. Initially, when we first started, we didn’t know what was going to sell here in Newport. So, we kind of bought a lot of garments and jackets that are very Tibetan, or ethnic, kind of. Over time, we learned that kind of market is very limited. So, I guess I will change that.
Q: Do you have anything to say that I haven’t covered?
A: We have been in business for 20 years and I have been very lucky, and I’m very thankful to all my customers, who have been supporting my business and Tibet through all these years. I hope they will do it in the future.
