Meet Fiorella and Galia Sotomayor | Latina Business Owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fiorella and Galia Sotomayor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fiorella and Galia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Our business actually started during the pandemic, which was a scary and uncertain time for everyone. Before the Covid-19 lockdown, we took a family trip to Sayulita, Mexico which is a hidden beach town filled with unique shops, beautiful beaches, and delicious food. We left that trip feeling motivated to create something of our own and began brainstorming ideas for our small business. It was also a creative outlet for our well-being during quarantine and we fell in love with all things macrame.

We learned the basic knots and started designing one of a kind wall hangings for friends and family first. After receiving an overwhelming amount of positive feedback, it encouraged us to start our small business called Boho Latina. Our customers have also played a huge role in our creative process. Boho Latina would not be possible without them and we are eternally grateful for their continued support!

What should our readers know about your business?
Boho Latina offers handmade home decor for those that love the sun, the beach, and spontaneous adventures. All of our items are made to order and customizable to our customers liking. We feel this is what sets us apart from others. We provide quality handmade goods at an affordable cost. We’re most proud of our continued growth on all of our social media platforms. We post original and creative content so our customers understand the effort we put in our pieces. It has been rewarding to see our community add a touch of Boho Latina to their homes!

We’re excited to see what the future has in store for our small business and have learned so many lessons along the way. It’s definitely not easy running a small business and balancing our full time jobs, but we’ve managed to find a healthy balance. We aspire to become a successful Latina owned small business and want others to understand that everything we make is made with love. We want customers to experience a taste of our travels through our handmade home decor.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If our best friend was visiting the Los Angeles area we would first start our day at our local coffee shop called “The Palm Coffee Bar”. They have the best vanilla latte’s in the Burbank area and the staff is so friendly. We would then have brunch at our favorite traditional Mexican breakfast spot called “Cafe De Olla” and order the Poblanos chilaquiles. It is by far the best and authentic chilaquiles you’ll ever taste. Next, we would take a nice drive down PCH and pick up lunch at Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market & Patio Cafe. It has the best ocean views and everything on the menu is delicious!

After lunch, we’d head down to the beach and enjoy watching the sunset.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our family is at the heart of Boho Latina. Our parents, Miguel and Iris Sotomayor, left Peru in order for us to have a better life in California. They have been great role models for us because over the years we’ve seen them sacrifice and work so hard for their three children. They have been extremely supportive of our small business journey and always find ways to help whenever they can. For example, over the past weekend we had our first pop up event and our parents helped build our booth, set up, and even learned how to macrame to keep up with the demand. We are extremely blessed to have their support of our entrepreneurial dream.

Instagram: @shopboholatina

Other: Tik Tok: @shopboholatina

Image Credits
All pictures were taken by us. No credit needed.