SANTO DOMINGO – Daniel Jiménez (Dani) was born with blacksmithing in his blood. As a child, he never knew any other trade. Of his seven paternal uncles, five worked with metal, including his father. One of his fondest childhood memories is of the blacksmith shop located in front of his grandmother's house in the Bayona neighborhood of Santo Domingo Oeste; remnants of it still remain.
He was once attracted to investors, and even took a course in 1998 to learn how to install them, but his genetics won out and, like most of his family, he ended up working in iron manufacturing.
He had been practicing alongside his father since he was fourteen, but his career took off in 2000 when, while visiting his mother in the eastern part of the country, he discovered the true art of metalworking. He recounts that several neighbors asked his mother what her son did for a living, and when she replied that it was blacksmithing, they all asked if he did it with as much artistry as José Ignacio Morales.
They were referring to the outstanding wrought iron sculptor, José Ignacio Morales "El Artístico", who died in 2020 from the coronavirus and who gained fame in La Romana, and whose work transcended the international sphere.
The repeated mention of the name aroused curiosity in Dani, who called his brother-in-law in the capital to come to the East and accompany him to Morales' business to see the famous wonders that his mother's neighbors talked about so much.
To gain entry, he pretended to be looking for a job. There, he was greeted by José Ignacio himself, who asked one of his employees to show him around the business's workshop.
Upon discovering the art being practiced there, he decided to be honest because "he didn't know how to do even a fraction of what his eyes were witnessing." "So you're a lattice maker," remarked the engineer who was assisting him, adding that "to be called a blacksmith, one must know how to make everything from a pin to a horseshoe.".
His knack for snooping turned into a job. He was hired and a year later left refreshed and ready to compete in the Dominican market. “I’m skilled and didn’t need much explanation, I learned quickly by watching,” says the proud father of Yuldani and Yubelkis, his two daughters with his wife Yuldelka Doñé.
The discovery of the multitude of pieces that could be made from iron motivated him to establish his workshop, "D' Dani Hierros Forjados," in the Bayona area in 2001, where it remains today, offering a wide range of services to companies and individual clients. "I don't manufacture to stockpile, but I make everything the client asks for; you show me the design, and we'll make it for you.".
“Reliability, punctuality, and good prices” are what her brand sells when we asked her the key to staying in the market. Her company has four employees and offers services throughout the country, because when it comes to work, Dani has no excuses.
“I have raised my family with this workshop, because what is required for you to be recommended is to be responsible and put good quality into the pieces,” the entrepreneur points out.
