When Chicagoan Emily Prendergast quit her job as a visual merchandiser at Crate & Barrel a few years ago, she knew she wanted to do something more personal with her life. And when she went on a long trip to visit her brother, who was working in El Salvador at the time, and saw all of the beautiful goods made by families there, she figured out what that next step was.

Along with her brother, Brian, Emily founded the company Maya Mueble, which imports furniture and home goods made by craftsmen in Latin America to sell in the U.S. The items—from a wooden slat chair (shown here) to woven textiles and wooden cheese boards—are gorgeous.

The line is constantly expanding, with a big shipment of rugs and chairs coming at the end of the month. Find it all at Maya Mueble's website, or select items at Alapash (1944 W. Montrose Ave.) and Andersonville Galleria (5247 N. Clark St.).