Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria.
Hi Victoria, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Victoria Piña, I was born in Lubbock, Texas and raised in a small town called, Slaton, Tx. I am a First Gen Latina, who now lives in San Antonio, Tx. Growing up in a small town and lower class, you quickly realize what you lack. Our basic needs were met, but at times we depended on secondhand, bargain sales or hand me downs. Not having the luxury of buying what we wanted, really encouraged me to be creative when it came to fashion. I’d cut things up and tie pieces together to make things my own. I wore whatever I liked and created. Thanks to my mom, she’d allow me, at times, to style myself and choose some of my own outfits. That really encouraged me to trust my fashion taste and be confident in what I chose to wear.
I’ve always loved making things my own and putting my own twist on it. Fashion has always been a part of me, something I’ve loved and enjoyed. I used to think I’d be a fashion designer, or do something of the sort. Little did I know, it’d come to my surprise, that I would feel a calling from the Lord to open up my own boutique. In 2021, I felt like The Dulce Vida was a God given dream, down to the name. The Dulce Vida launched in October 2021 and has been open for almost 5 years. We are an online boutique that sells versatile styles with a bohemian flare. We operate out of our home and do pop up markets around San Antonio. Our mission is to empower women to embrace their unique beauty, style and feel confident through our clothing, celebrating their God given identity. Having this boutique has taken so much hard work but shown to be so rewarding. We love to give back to our San Antonio community, in the form of a First Gen Scholarship, we created. Every semester, we award one First Gen Student, from a local San Antonio college. We believe in investing into our future, the next generation. Every sale, every order a percentage is donated to our scholarship fund to make this happen. We are so grateful and thankful for every single order and prayer, it means so much to us. Know when you shop small and with us, it’s helping change lives.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been a smooth road. A few struggles were funding my business, trying to balance personal and business life, navigating business relationships and friendships. At one point I was working four jobs to maintain my business and keep it afloat. Being an entrepreneur is not easy, especially in the early years. Managing personal and business life, can only be done through a schedule and sticking to it. Otherwise, business time bleeds into personal or vise versa. During this boutique journey, you learn quickly people are going to people. You learn to trust your gut, and the right people tend to find you. Staying true to your integrity and good character, weeds out the people who won’t help you grow.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Dulce Vida Boutique . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are an online women’s boutique that sells versatile styles with a bohemian flare. We operate out of our home and do pop up markets around San Antonio, Houston and Lubbock. Our mission is to empower women to embrace their unique beauty, style and feel confident through our clothing, celebrating their God given identity. Having this boutique has taken so much hard work but has shown to be so rewarding. We enjoy giving back to our San Antonio community, in the form of a First Gen Scholarship, we created. Every semester, we award one First Gen Student, from a local San Antonio college to help relieve some of that financial stress . Every sale, every order, a percentage is donated to our scholarship fund to make this happen. We believe in investing into our future, which is the next generation.
What makes you happy?
Decorating, restyling my home, or creating outfits makes me happy. Giving yourself time to critically think about how you want something to look and bring it to life, is an art. We all have things that bring us joy, calms our nervous system and helps us not think about this crazy world. Mine just happens to be this. It helps me enjoy my life a little bit more. I love a good challenge when trying to bring a vision to life. It helps boost my confidence and allows me to truly trust my judgement.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thedulcevida.com
- Instagram: @thedulcevidaboutique
- Facebook: The Dulce Vida
