Past Berwyn Shops Vendors Share Their Stories
Illustration by Jasmin Hernandez
By Leslie Hurtado
As the pandemic started, Cicero and Berwyn residents who relied on their physical stores and in-person work faced uncertainty. While some transitioned to Zoom meetings and adopted remote work routines, others weren't as fortunate.
Last year, during a quieter COVID-19 period, the "Berwyn Shops: A Homegrown Project" launched as a business incubator to aid local businesses. It provided 12 vendors with eye-catching storefronts to showcase products, including candles, books, makeup and more.
Residents explored their interests to find new sources of income, including dog grooming businesses or baking cookies for celebrities, during that time.
In the case of Cicero entrepreneur Alba Mendez, it meant arranging flowers.
Bud to Bouquet Design
“I didn't start [my] business until COVID hit,” Mendez said. “Obviously, we were all bored and stuff, so I started using flowers from my garden and some from [Jewel Osco]. But, from there, I just started doing a flower shop, and I wanted to just promote my business more.”
Mendez honed her floristry skills in Little Village, laying the foundation to eventually build her own shop in 2018.
Recognizing the cultural significance of flowers, Mendez founded Flores by Alba, a flower and balloon business dedicated to the Latinx community.
"I've always had a background in art, but honestly, I just felt like I needed some joy and happiness in my life,” she said. “I love colorful stuff, artistic things and nature. I didn't know how much I loved it until I started working with flowers."
Photo courtesy of Alba Mendez
After attending a local Berwyn event in 2022, Mendez discovered "Berwyn Shops” and embraced the chance to expand her business and further benefit the community.
This year, the program resumed in May to address business resource gaps and expand monthly training to include education on marketing, lease negotiation and hiring.
“So, as things slowed down with COVID and looking forward into the hope and future of the years to come, we wanted to really build a space that not only supports our small businesses but becomes a very community-driven space," said Kendra Shaw, project manager of the Berwyn Shops.
Shaw highlighted the program's goal of helping entrepreneurs learn business concepts, identifying their strengths and providing guidance where necessary. The program aims to help them secure their own retail spaces after the program.
Mendez, who launched her gift shop Whimsical Wallflowers this year because of Berwyn Sprouts, a communal retail space in Berwyn, detailed her experience of joining the Berwyn Shops as a thorough process. It involved obtaining permits, insurance and other requirements she hadn't considered before establishing her shop.
During her time in the program, Mendez highlighted the need for active vendor participation, stating, "If you don't show up, you are not going to benefit."
She noted that while the program offered promotional support and covered certain costs like utilities and shop materials, participants had to take the initiative to fully benefit.
Alongside business lessons, Alba valued the deep connections she made with other women vendors.
“Being there, there were a lot of connections that you sometimes need to know to get where you need to be,” Mendez said. “Relationships where people just support you because you are you, or they just want to be part of your success.”
Mendez wasn't the only entrepreneur to find support for her shop.
Local Handcrafted Gems
After Elizabeth Aguirre, owner of Juicey Gems, lost her job due to the pandemic. She shifted her focus to her business. Her jewelry venture began with a love for vintage buttons and evolved into crafting unique polymer clay earrings.
Coming from Melrose Park and living in Bensenville, she found a loyal customer base in Berwyn, where people appreciated her unique designs.
“I love to see that a lot of customers come back a second and a third time,” Aguirre said. “I gained a lot of really loyal customers because they saw that my pieces were very unique.”
She connected with the owner of Women’s Workout World to feature her fitness-theme jewelry at pop-up events through a recommendation from an owner at the Juice Vibe Bar in Berwyn.
“Through that relationship with the owner, she knew about the project of the Berwyn Shops,” she said. “And so she shared it with me and other small businesses. That's how it all started.”
Aguirre prepared her business by getting it licensed, insured and organizing her jewelry collection. She crafted a strong business plan and faced a 'Shark Tank'-like audition process as a finalist. Her dedication and unique designs secured her spot in the program.
“I think fear starts to take over,” she said. “But I decided to give it a sho and apply. So, I started to work on my business plan again, which I think helped me in the process of applying there.”
Plant-Based Baked Delights
Vulgar Vegan, a bakery with a flair for vegan pastries, is the brainchild of entrepreneur Valerie Vadral who has roots in Berwyn.
Photo courtesy of Valarie Vadral
Vadral discovered the Berwyn Shops through a Facebook post by Berwyn bar Fitzgeralds. Motivated by her passion for vegan goods and seeing its potential for her online business, she applied.
She said she faced initial challenges, including public confusion about the program's purpose. As awareness increased, her vegan and allergen-free offerings, like oat milk cupcakes, attracted customers.
"So, there's definitely much more interest in [veganism],” Vadral said. “When I opened, I would get a lot of customers that would just be driving down Roosevelt [Road] that would stop and they'd be like, ‘Oh my God, I saw a sign that said vegan. Are you vegan?’"
Participants this year were required to pay a total of $3,500. This consists of $500 per month for seven months toward rent, along with a $50 monthly fee for maintenance costs. Last year, the cost to enter the program was $2,500 since it launched later in June.
For Mendez, the expenses were affordable enough to improve her shop and gain new skills.
“[The space] included the light, the gas and the rent. And plus all the promotional stuff that we got out of it, and all the assistance.”
The program offered financial support and a space to operate, but it also created a sisterhood among vendors, binding them with shared advice, stories to later tell and connections. Though they were the first cohort, Mendez felt that they were a special group.
“The program is not necessarily just for women. A lot of people got the perception because we all happen to be women. But I think because a lot of women, who were staying at home, started opening up businesses – we are the ones doing the little side hustles that turn into big businesses,” Mendez said. “At the end of the day, a lot of the friendships that I am taking from that experience are probably the best ones.”
Leslie Hurtado is a contributing reporter with Cicero Independiente. She graduated with a B.A. in Communications at Northeastern Illinois University. She worked at several news rooms including WBEZ, WTTW, Telemundo and City Bureau.
Want to read more stories like this? Consider making a donation to support our work. Your money goes directly towards paying journalists of color to report on local news.
SUBSCRIBE
Bringing you news from the 60804
We respect your privacy and will only use your information to send you our latest posts.