By Dance Aoki

Moms deserve the very best, but in Guam, the best isn’t always easy to come by.

Elisa Arevalo, 35, owner of Procreate in Hagåtña’s Julale Center, is trying to change that. Some of the best maternity products on the market do not ship to Guam, but Arevalo has made it her mission to bring these products to Guam’s moms.

“I want to bring all the best vendors here,” Arevalo says, and at Procreate, she is working to put the right products into moms’ hands. “We have very creative ways to get clients top-of-the-line [products] that you can’t get anywhere else.”

Her efforts have made Procreate a retailer for products like Orbit Baby bassinets and Madela breastpumps.

Arevalo was inspired to open a maternity store when she started having children. In addition to offering premier brands, she wanted the shop to offer moms the advice and care that she needed when she was pregnant.

“[Guam] needed a place that not only offers products and information, but also support,” she says. “There are a lot of fears. […] Being able to walk with our customers and our new friends with these different fears is what motivates us.”

The staff at Procreate is certified or is in the process of becoming certified lactation educators. The initiative to certify everyone at the shop fits in with Arevalo’s mission to empower moms and to get babies the nutrition they need.

“Whenever any of our clients come in, they always have hands-on, up-to-date information and support where they can just bring their infants here, get the right gear, get fitted, see where their problems are and overcome those hurdles. And we’re open seven days a week,” she says.

Furthermore, Arevalo keeps her cell phone on to receive calls from any of her clients. If a customer is having trouble or if moms aren’t sure what to do, the owner of Procreate will answer.

“If a mom is at a birthing center and she forgot a breast pump, she can call us, and my husband will deliver it at 1 a.m.,” she says.

Her father, Mark Pangilinan Jr., is her greatest mentor, she says. From him, Arevalo learned the four cornerstones to her customer service philosophy: serve, support, surprise and delight.

“I’m very obedient because [my parents] want the best for me, and ultimately they want the best for our customers and our clients here. My dad has taught me to always be humble, break my back, carry that load … that’s how we work at my house,” she says.

Her family helps her to recharge from the long hours she spends helping other moms, all while she’s raising her own family of four. That’s something she knows all mothers need.

“Replenish your happiness,” Arevalo says. “If you are feeling sad, you need to know where to go.”

She hopes Procreate can be one of those places moms can turn to when they need to recharge.

“We’re just happy to bring information and new innovations here, spread it around and make everybody have good stuff,” she says. n

Elisa Arevalo

Owner, Procreate

Education: Bachelor’s in motion pictures and television, Academy of Art University (Calif.)

Favorite apps: ABC Mouse, Endless Reader and Endless Numbers (for her children)

Favorite Pandora station: Pop Music and Nursery Rhymes

Best advice: “Tap into the universal values of your team.”