Agabhumi Brings 'The Best of Bali' to Stamford

Walking into , one is drawn not only to the boutique’s eclectic jewelry and bright, flowy fashions, but to the framed photographs of owners Michael and Regina Kirshbaum that are interspersed with the merchandise. The pictures are from their travels to Bali, Indonesia, which serves as the inspiration for Agabhumi’s products.

Clearly, this is no ordinary fashion and accessories boutique.

The story behind Agabhumi, which means “ancient firmament,” began in 1974. Michael, a Stamford High graduate, had just completed his MBA at the NYU Stern School of Business, and he was traveling the world for a year. While in Japan, a friend there recommended he visit Bali, and through a series of events, Michael found an Indonesian family to host him.  

Michael stayed in Bali for a month, long enough for him to fall in love with the island and its people. “It’s the most amazing place. It’s spiritual, artistic, friendly beyond belief,” he said. “All Balinese are brought up with at least one craft or skill, [such as] dancers, musicians, stone cutters, jewelers. As a result of that, the number of artisans is so far beyond what you could possibly imagine. The beauty [of Bali] is unreal.”

During his time there, Michael befriended the son of his host family, named Krishna Bagoes Oka. The two talked about going into business together, but nothing immediate resulted from their plans.

About 26 years later, Michael received an unexpected phone call. The caller introduced himself as Krishna. “How many Krishnas do you know?” Michael laughed.

At the time, Michael was scheduled for an operation on his liver. “I told Krishna, ‘If I survive this operation, let’s get together.’ We started talking, and that was the beginning,” he said.

Michael and Regina, who initially met on a blind date, had already been married for 13 years. Together, they possessed a wealth of retail and product development experience from stores such as Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdales.

When Michael received the call from Krishna, he was working in Agabhumi’s current location on Magee Avenue designing vestments for clergy. He was excited about the prospective career change. Regina, however, was content with her job, and “fought the idea tooth and nail,” she said. “But when Michael loves an idea, he is exceedingly animated and relentless. It wasn’t like he wore me down, [rather,] he ramped me up.”

After much planning and a trip to Bali in September 2002, the store opened on November 20 of that year. This happened to be Galungan Day, a Balinese celebration of good triumphing over evil. “We received ten big boxes by air freight. We opened them like it was Christmas Day and set up the store,” Michael said.

Agabhumi currently has 41 suppliers, and this large number gives the store the flexibility to develop a wide range of products. While Agabhumi mostly sells jewelry, it recently began a successful venture into clothing. All of Agabhumi’s products are made in Bali, with the exception of one line from a women’s cooperative in the Philippines.

Michael and Regina travel to Bali twice a year, once in the winter and once in late summer, to work with designers. The couple is perpetually awed by Balinese culture.

“Bali is the most inspiring place on earth,” Regina said. “It has managed to maintain a dedication to its religion and culture [Balinese Hinduism] while going about everyday business. You can find people riding along the road in ceremonial garb on a motorcycle, a husband and wife, while he’s on his cell phone and she has fruits on top of her head.”

According to the Kirshbaums, this mix of old and new is unique to Bali. “I saw it nowhere else in the world when I traveled [in 1974], and I visited 30-something countries in that one year,” Michael said.

In addition to their visits, the couple draws inspiration from a detailed binder Regina maintains full of magazine clippings and fashion ideas.

The Kirshbaums have added three additional Agabhumi branches in the same manner they opened the one in Stamford — through local connections, a bit of daring, a lot of perseverance, and a few strokes of luck. Six years ago, they traveled to Barbados on their first vacation since opening the store because they wanted time to get away; ironically, they built their first branch there. In addition, a Santa Monica store opened in November 2008, while a Westport store debuted in the fall of 2009. Despite the recession, the Kirshbaums plan to continue their momentum by eventually opening another store in southern California.

The couple has been eager to share Agabhumi’s success with the Stamford community. Michael and Regina have designed special lines of jewelry to benefit ’s Bennett Cancer Center, to which they donate 30 percent of their sales each October.

The Kirshbaums are also looking to revitalize southeast end of Stamford by giving it a new name — Soto, which stands for “south of town.” They have permission from the city to use the name, but are working on permission to put up Soto signage.

“There’s a lot to offer down here, an eclectic mix of businesses whose diversity makes for a really interesting experience,” Regina said.

Twice a year, Agabhumi runs a benefit program in which 20 percent of all proceeds from a sale are donated to the customer’s school. Moreover, Agabhumi began offering a community service scholarship this year, awarding $1,500 to a senior. The scholarship honors the memory of Michael’s mother, Doris Kirshbaum, who was Stamford’s Citizen of the Year in 1965.

Another cause the Kirshbaums support is related to Michael’s struggles with primary sclerosing cholangitis, an autoimmune liver disease. In November 2006, Michael was put on the waiting list for a transplant, which he received on June 19, 2007.

As a result of Michael’s experience, the Kirshbaums have been extremely active in fundraising for the cause, including a line of jewelry designed to fund research at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Michael is also co-chair of the second annual Fairfield County Liver Life Walk, which will take place on September 18 at . Finally, the couple is working to start a public service campaign to raise awareness about the need for organ donors.

“I think when you get to do what we do for a living, you’ve got to give back,” Regina said.

Agabhumi’s other branches have also contributed to their respective communities through organizations such as the , the UCLA Medical Center, and a Santa Monica animal rescue center.

Agabhumi has been recognized in media outlets across the country — this year, the store received a Best of the Gold Coast Connecticut award from Moffly Media, along with being named one of Connecticut’s best attractions by Yankee Magazine.

Locally, Agabhumi has been featured in The Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Magazine, Connecticut Magazine, and Stamford Magazine. Moreover, the store’s products have been displayed in publications such as InStyle, Marie Claire, Glamour, Lucky, Cosmopolitan, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Celebrities like Pink and Colbie Caillat have been seen wearing Agabhumi accessories from the Santa Monica store.

Agabhumi seems to have it all — unique products, dedicated management, community involvement, and national recognition. The secret to the store’s success? “You’ve got to be outside the box all the time,” Regina said. “It’s tiring, but also energizing. When you come up with something totally different than everyone else is doing and it works, that’s cool.”