"I'm so happy my business is dedicated to keeping families united and gives an opportunity to continue the culture," he said. "I don't ever want my sister asking, 'hey, where's my money?'"īut Prieto said he finds joy in creating beautiful things that also spread his culture. Having family rely on you for a paycheck adds to the pressure, he said. "You have to work so much harder, especially when it's your own business," he said. He enjoys working for himself, although he admits it isn't always easy. His office is located in the basement of his mother's Queens home, and he hopes to one day open a dominoes table store in his family's storefront. He has since moved to Long Beach, Long Island, but he commutes back to Queens every day. His father died when he was 7 and his mother later bought a house on 97th Place in Corona. His three employees are all relatives or close friends: his half-sister is the business manager, her husband is the graphic designer, and his close friend is the contractor.įamily is important to Prieto, who came to Jackson Heights from Cuba as a baby during the Mariel boatlift. Still, he keeps his company in the same spirit of family. "It really is larger than I thought," he said, adding that the company has since expanded to making custom chess tables and custom dominoes tiles, each with the same level of custom craftmanship. While he always knew of the game's significance to his family and friends, he didn't realize how much it meant to others until he started getting orders from far and wide. Last year, he sold 250 tables and he projects he's on track to build around 500 tables this year, including a large order for the World Series of Dominoes that will take place later this year in Las Vegas. Tablas CapiCubana makes pre-made designs, as well as one-of-a-kind tables, like one featuring Tony Montana from "Scarface."ĭomino tiles on a specialty "Scarface" table. Tables range from $550 to thousands of dollars, depending on how intricate and specific the design, he said. "It goes to show the emotional connection that's tied to dominoes." "The customer cried when we showed him," Prieto said. His graphic designer superimposed the man's grandson playing alongside him. "I had a customer who wanted a photo of his father, who passed away, playing dominoes," he said. So it's not a surprise to him that his most popular sellers feature family photos.Ī handmade table honoring a customer's Dominican heritage. "When I started getting orders 20, 30 at a time, that's when I got a warehouse," he said, adding that he collaborates with customers on the design, look, and feel of the tables.ĭominoes - a game invented in China, which spread to Europe and became especially popular in Caribbean countries - is something that brings families together, he said. The workshop, originally housed in the basement of his family's Corona home, soon spread to a space he shares with a cousin in Valley Stream.
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