The Rebrand

When I started Artesanías La Luna, our mission was simple: to celebrate our culture through fair trade practices by bringing curated products in small batches. After traveling to Mexico for the first time in over 20 years, I realized the Mexico I had been told about was not the Mexico I experienced.

That trip changed everything.

After coming home, I knew I wanted to create something that could serve as a bridge between both worlds. After witnessing how deeply artisans were affected by the pandemic, I wanted to create a platform that could introduce their work to new audiences, beginning here in Chicago. I officially registered Artesanías La Luna in July 2022.

If I'm being honest, those first six months were fueled almost entirely by intuition. I didn't know anything about running a business. I just knew I wanted to curate beautiful collections that carried stories and celebrated our culture. Somehow, that was enough to get us started.

Within our first six months, we were accepted into the Berwyn Shops, an incubator program that allows entrepreneurs to test their products in a physical space. It exceeded every expectation that we had about our business. Our huaraches quickly became our best-selling product, and for the first time, I watched people connect with the vision I had carried home from Mexico.

But success also came with reality.

When tax season arrived, I realized just how much I didn't know. Passion alone wasn't enough to sustain a business. We had to slow down and learn what it truly meant to build something that could last.

That journey led us to our second incubator.

The Crecer Business Incubator allowed us to focus on the business behind the brand. We learned about finances, operations, systems, and long-term strategy. More importantly, it challenged us to think beyond simply selling products.

Around that same time, we also began collaborating with other Latina-owned businesses. We shared space, hosted pop-ups, and invited other entrepreneurs to showcase their products alongside ours.

Without even realizing it, our mission had quietly expanded. We were no longer only supporting artisans in Mexico. We were also supporting entrepreneurs, artists, designers, and creatives building their dreams here in Chicago.

By our third year, we co-founded a creative retail studio where our products lived alongside the work of other small businesses. What started as a retail boutique evolved into a space for community, collaboration, and creativity.

As fear spread throughout immigrant communities, it became difficult to separate business from reality. It didn't feel right to continue showing up online as if nothing was happening. Our community was hurting. That season forced me to ask a difficult question.

Who are we now?

Somewhere along the way, we had grown beyond an artisan shop. We had become an ecosystem.

Today, our work includes mentoring entrepreneurs, collaborating with creatives, creating opportunities for small businesses, and building spaces where culture can be celebrated in all its forms.

Our products aren't simply artisan goods.

They're thoughtfully curated statement pieces that help people reconnect with their roots, express their identity, and carry a story with them wherever they go.

As we prepare to celebrate four years in business, one thing has become incredibly clear. A rebrand isn't about walking away from Artesanías La Luna. It's about creating an identity that reflects everything we've become. Our mission is still the same. Only now, that mission extends beyond the products we curate. It lives in the entrepreneurs we work with, the creatives we collaborate with, the communities we build, and the stories we continue to tell.

We're no longer telling only my story. We're telling the stories of every artisan, entrepreneur, creative, and dreamer who has become part of this journey.

The mission hasn't changed. It's grown.

And now comes the hardest and most exciting part!

Finding a name that feels big enough to hold everything we're becoming.