When Evelyn Brokaw commutes from the beautiful hills of Aromas
to work in San Juan Bautista, she’s not frustrated about traffic,
and she doesn’t cringe at the thought of how busy her day will
be.
When Evelyn Brokaw commutes from the beautiful hills of Aromas to work in San Juan Bautista, she’s not frustrated about traffic, and she doesn’t cringe at the thought of how busy her day will be.
“I try to spend every second of my life focusing on the positive and making sure that I tell my loved ones how much I care about them,” she said.
A wife, mother and owner of a prominent business, Evelyn’s relentless energy and spunk had allowed her to keep up with a jam-packed lifestyle, until things suddenly slowed down last summer.
“When I was told I had cancer, I went numb,” she said. “There are so many things in society that you can make just go away, but this was one thing that I couldn’t.”
After feeling a lump in her breast during a family cruise with her children, Lisa and P.J., in July of 2003, Evelyn was diagnosed with breast cancer and immediately started treatment.
When she became severely ill from chemotherapy, her family, friends, husband, Tom, and another group embraced her with support – her devoted customers.
Since 1991, Evelyn has owned and operated Guatemala Exclusives in downtown San Juan Bautista.
Stepping into her shop is like walking through a village of vendors in Guatemala. The vibrantly colored clothing, jewelry and home decor that fill the store have always been a part of her life.
At 6 years old, Brokaw’s parents moved the family from Guatemala to Chicago. Five years later, they moved to California.
“The Chicago snow was just too cold for us Guatemalans,” she said.
Sharing her culture with the community wasn’t something she originally set out to do, but the merchandise she brought back from trips to Guatemala was causing her to get stopped on the street.
“Every time I got back from a trip, everyone wanted a bag or a jacket, and they just kept getting more and more popular,” she said. “After a few home boutiques and fashion shows, I finally decided to open a shop.”
Thirteen years later, her business is still flourishing. Over the years, her customers have become more than just customers.
“The entire time I was really sick, the store never stayed closed,” Brokaw said. “If customers walked by and saw it wasn’t open, they would open it themselves and work the shop for me.
“The San Juan Bautista community has been so incredibly supportive. These people were originally just customers, but they have become such an intricate part of my life. When I was sick, I was never down, because there was always someone there to pick me up.”
Now in remission, Brokaw is gaining back her strength and focusing on her future. At 46, she has decided to file papers to become an American citizen.
“One thing I realized out of all this is that when I die, I want to die an American,” she said.
And she’ll officially be an American citizen in 362 days. She has also said that she thinks everyone who has cancer has a calling.
“I’m not sure if everyone feels this way, but I feel like having cancer has driven me to do something. Whether it be work with cancer survivors or something else. I feel like I have a job to do.”
