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Princess Cibeles Chavez, Owner of Cybelle Arts
Words by Abigail Vela
As National Women’s History Month draws to a close, we would like to pay homage to the mujeres poderosas and business owners in the Rio Grande Valley. Among them are artists, creators, coffee makers, healers, and more. Check out our impressive list of ten women-owned businesses in the Valley to support all year long and beyond.
Owned by Princess Cibeles Chavez – Established 2018
Princess Cibeles Chavez is your go-to artist, creative, and powerhouse of a woman! She continuously expresses her love for art and community with her family-friendly business, Cybelle Arts. Her business includes crystals, jewelry, original art, prints, workshops, and classes, with a mission to share happiness and love through art.
She also hosts monthly events throughout McAllen and the RGV, bringing together artists, creators, musicians, performers, and the community. Her favorite thing about running her business is “showing others how they too can create art and express themselves.”
“I love being a woman,” she declared, “but I also love being a Latina!! I love our culture and our people.” You can set an appointment to speak with her and catch her at pop-up markets throughout the RGV.
Owned by Bianca Moreno – Established 2020
“Con ganas mija,” the voice of Bianca’s grandpa resonates in the back of her head as she sets up for her next market. Bianca Moreno runs Conejita Morenita – a colorful pop-up shop filled with bold clay goods, including earrings, clips, pins, magnets, and more. Traveling from markets in the RGV and San Antonio, Moreno’s next step is to feature her work at local stores in town.
She began her business amidst the pandemic because she wanted to create what was lacking in the market. “I didn’t see as much, so I took a shot and loved making them so much.” Her favorite part of running Conejita Morenita is being her own boss. Moreno expressed, “I have so many ideas. I can’t wait to start a new batch of things. I try to switch up every week because I want to fit my pop-ups with the seasons.”
Bianca’s greatest inspiration is her grandma, who has worked in the fields and is still at it at 75. “I just feel like she knows what she wants and takes it. I just wanna be good to those good to me and she embodies that while also still treating herself.”
Owned by Yazmin and Wendy – Established in 2020
The Sisterhood of Traveling Plants is a family-friendly retail plant shop in the Rio Grande Valley with a mission “to bring a community in unity through the love of plants.” Yazmin and Wendy share a love for nature. “Bringing a little part of nature inside your home makes it a whole lot better.”
The women that inspired their love of plants were their grandmothers due to their “super green thumbs!” Their favorite thing about being a woman is “The ability to continually prove that we can be equals. Although this is not a privilege per se, it is something all women can experience until it becomes the norm.”
Owned by Linda V. Estrella
We are excitedly anticipating the soon-to-be-opened candle and crystal shop by Linda V. Estrella. La Musa Creations uses repurposed teacups and whiskey cups into beautiful candles.
Her newest venture, The Tiny Crystal Shop, was created to teach people where these crystals originated and display earth’s beauty. Her grandmother shared her love of crystals with her growing up, passionately studying each crystal’s metaphysical properties.
“My mother and grandmas have inspired me the most for being such strong and independent women. They are amazing and I aspire to be them.” Linda’s favorite thing about being a woman is proving people wrong and showing them up.
Owned by Monique Villarreal – Established 2019
“¡Echale ganas!” is Monique’s motto. She comes from a family of hard-working, creative women: her mom sews, her sisters make and paint wood cutouts, and her oldest sister also bakes sugar cookies with characters and other imaginative designs.
Monique Villarreal chose to pursue her business, Uniko Art and Tiendita Chiquita, full time after her twelve years serving the community as an art teacher. Her passion for art, love for her culture, and inspiration from her older sister motivated her to start her art business. Her unique products range from pins, keychains, stickers, earrings, prints, and so much more.
Monique has gained friendships with other local female creators and business owners through her small business. “It’s so nice to have a community of women supporting one another,” she happily shared, “I’m here for that. It’s all about the girl gang mentality.
Owned by Stephanie Brantley & Delisa Guadarrama – Established 2020
Match Made Coffee Bar is a 100% mobile, women-owned catering business, popping up at the next event near you! Stephanie and Delisa’s inclusive and welcoming bar was renovated from top to bottom from a trailer during the pandemic.
Stephanie and Delisa love connecting with their customers and spreading love with every coffee cup, embodying their motto, “Coffee for Everyone.”
Match Made Coffee Bar’s roots can be traced years ago when they met – and later got engaged – at a Starbucks. “Delisa is a Latina physician. Stephanie is an Asian American small business owner. We have been in a relationship for over 10 years. We love any chance to build up other women in life.”
Owned by Elliott Jarrett – Established 2020
Elliot Jarrett first began her witchcraft journey in 2016 and has since built a small shop known as Lillie Witch. Amongst witchcraft supplies, oddities, and fortune-telling sessions, Lillie Witch provides a safe place where anyone can shop, relax, be themselves, and use the open alter space.
Elliot’s favorite thing about her business is helping people. “Whether it’s spellwork, divination, teaching them witchcraft, or even just being someone who lets them feel heard. Helping people is what keeps me going.”
Her greatest inspirations in life are her mother and grandmother, both forces of strength in Elliot’s life. “They both have experienced very full and crazy lives, anyone who comes to my shop knows how much I love sharing their stories and gushing about them.”
Owned by Frida Citlaly Rodriguez – Established 2020
Frida Citlaly Rodriguez’s mother, Nidia Isabel Puga Maciel, is her biggest inspiration and the force that motivated her to start her own business, Zaay Designs. Her family-friendly shop sells a collection of art painted on clothes, jean jackets, hats, shoes, and more. “I love painting and creating art ever since I could remember. My mom bought my first jean jacket and I tried painting Starry Night by Vincent VanGogh.”
You can find Zaay Designs at markets throughout the RGV, sharing new designs with her community. Frida breathes and lives by her motto, “Make Yourself Proud.”
Owned by San Juanita Hernandez – Established 2020
The Art B is a Latina-owned, family-friendly small business selling polymer clay jewelry and hand-painted art items by San Juanita Hernandez. She began her business during the pandemic, growing her confidence as a small business owner and artist. “I decided to learn a new skill, to do something good during a hard and scary time,” she shared. San Juanita’s mission is to help people make a statement, feel great, and be confident.
Her greatest inspirations are the women in her life – her mami y abuelita. “I learned to do everything with all the love possible and to be kind, to be the best version I can be of myself,” she explained. “My favorite thing about being a woman is that there are no limits. I’m thankful for all the women who came before me to help us know that there are no limits to what we can accomplish and who we are.”
Owned by Michelle Garcia – Established 2019
Green Wellness is a local, veteran, and woman-owned cannabis and wellness boutique that offers a variety of CBD products in an open and safe environment. Michelle Garcia began her journey after experiencing pain and anxiety from a recent back injury and noticing that CBD shops were slim to none in Rio Grande Valley.
“Our focus is curating unique, ethically made and sourced hemp-derived & non-hemp wellness products as well as providing hemp education for our local community,” Michelle explained, “I absolutely love to talk to people about cannabis! I love guiding people to a product they could benefit from.”
Michelle’s inspiration is the strong, driven, and authentic women she surrounds herself with – most from the local small business community. “They inspire me in business and personal growth. I like to think we inspire each other,” she expressed, “We are unstoppable.”
Las mujeres del Rio Grande Valle nos sirven de inspiración a todos.
Women from the Rio Grande Valley serve as inspiration to us all.
We remind you to support, love, and honor the mujeres in your life and celebrate them every single day of the year. Without the women in our communities, the world would not move, for they make it bright, vibrant, and beautiful.