We had the good fortune of connecting with Sofia Dozal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sofia, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Everything started during 2020 when COVID shutdowns occurred, and many of us at work were being released – or without work for months. I thought to myself that it was the right time to invest my efforts towards something I truly enjoyed. I was always a creative person when it came to making unique gifts and presenting friends and family with something special.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What excites me the most is seeing the reactions from customers that enter my shop enjoying the art that relates to them, or just how excited they are to see the hand sculpted tumblers I have created. The sculpted 3D elements do take a lot of time and precision to fit on tumblers, and it’s always rewarding to witness others enjoy what I have created.

I believe I’ve gotten to where I am professionally by being able to create artistic visions customers have, while placing my own spin on it to produce a quality final product. I’m very big on only selling and shipping products that I too would be happy to receive.

What I create is art for everyone and not necessarily just only for the horror niche. I understand not everyone enjoys the same topic, so I’m always open to their ideas and working with them to make a product they’ll be able to enjoy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely ask them to visit when an upcoming event was going to be taking place. There are usually so many great vendors with unique products to check out. I do enjoy being able to visit local coffee shops and small “mom and pop” restaurants to help support the community. We’re more of homebodies at home overall, and would definitely enjoy just spending time relaxing and chatting.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would definitely like to shoutout my family first. They played a crucial role in supporting my business startup through helping with events. Especially my parents who encouraged my artistic ability once I started, and set aside time to help me prepare for upcoming events.

I would also like to mention the support my significant other Brian has given me throughout the course of my business startup to now. He has assisted with setting up for events and being present with me for most all of them.

Lastly, but just as important, I’d like to shoutout the horror community and vendors who I have met during the course of my business. They’ve made this an enjoyable experience and have given me plenty of support to create new designs and products for our community.

Website: www.hoopscraftsboutique.com

Instagram: hoops_craft_boutique

Facebook: Hoops & Craft Boutique

Other: TikTok: @hoops_craft_boutique

Image Credits
Brian Pankau

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.