Made in the Hudson Valley: Scarsdale woman shares piece of Greek culture with community through MyKomboloi
By December 2022, Curtis officially launched MyKomboloi, sharing her Greek pride with the world, despite small apprehensions.
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Bead by bead, Christine Curtis pieces together another string of worry beads, more commonly known in her Greek culture as komboloi.
"It goes back into Greek history [during] the Ottoman occupation when the Ottomans were overtaken by some of the Greeks," Curtis explained. "[The Greeks] would take their beads, they made the komboloi [and] they would carry them around in triumph."
Since then, the worry beads have been used in the Greek culture to ease any worries one may have.
"It's just a beautiful tradition that we've always had," Curtis said. "It's basically the original fidget spinner. It's playfulness for your hands...you play with them by flipping [them] or just passing the beads through your hands. It's a way to kind of meditate and slow yourself down."
That's exactly what she used them for in summer 2022, when Curtis found herself in the hospital during a trip to Greece.
"I fell and broke my leg in two places when I was in Crete, and I was in a hospital," she said. "I had always been fascinated with my grandfather's [komboloi] when I was young, and I had just bought a set and was playing with them [in the hospital]. It was the only thing that got me through the anxiety of being in a foreign hospital with a severe injury."
That fascination continued when she returned from her trip, with Curtis finding herself stringing her own beads together to keep herself calm.
"I still had a cast up to my thigh, and I was like, 'I really like these, but they're not exactly what I want,'" she said. "I decided I wanted to make [komboloi] with really nice stones and with a little bit more of a grounding and a purpose for me, but also not to lose the tradition of just having the trinket ones that you see made of acrylic beads...When I'm making them, it actually relaxes me and it zens me out. I have this amazing feeling of just complete and total calm."
From there, Curtis decided to share that feeling with others and open up a shop. By December 2022, Curtis officially launched MyKomboloi, sharing her Greek pride with the world, despite small apprehensions.
" I started off as a small little Etsy shop with only three or four listings because I didn't think anybody would buy it," she said. "Like, 'Who knows what komboloi are?'"
However, that certainly wasn't the case, as word of Curtis' business grew rapidly. From there, her love of komboloi soon expanded to customers both in and outside the Greek community.
"The more I went to festivals and explained to people the culture behind it and the history, they were more interested," she said. "It actually expanded it to people beyond Greeks, Mideastern or Balkan. They love them and they found use in them too...Some of the reactions I've gotten are just like, "Oh, I didn't know I needed this.' Then, they say they become 'addicted' to it. Now they can't go out without their beads."
At the end of the day, she is thankful and proud to be able to keep this tradition alive.
" I'm just really proud to be able to actually be successful and do anything that supports the Greek community and culture," Curtis said. "Most Greeks are known for owning diners…and being in the restaurant business, and to be able to spread our culture and teach people about other parts of it is just a gift in itself."
You can buy Curtis' worry beads up on her website or at upcoming markets throughout the region. She will be making an appearance at the 2026 Greek Jewish Festival on Sunday, May 17 in Manhattan, and plans to make other appearances in the Hudson Valley throughout the summer. To find out specific locations, follow MyKomboloi's Instagram.
