Page 50 - holmag SS2021

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Tell us, what was your move to the United States like? What were some culture shocks for you?
I moved to Boston from Madrid, Spain, in December 2014. I originally moved here because my best friends lived close by, and I always felt more comfortable. I was a fearless 21-year-old, and I thought I had it all figured out back then. The plan was to start in a smaller city (Boston) for a year and then move to N.Y.C. once I was more settled. Little did I know that the next two years were going to be full of unexpected things that would dramatically change who I was and that I would still be in Boston years later.
I experienced, and still do, a lot of culture shocks. One of the biggest culture shocks I experienced when I moved here was ‘college life.’ Now it is becoming less common, but in Spain, you live with your parents all the way through college, until you find a job or get married. Unless, of course, you are doing a semester abroad. At this point, I had never lived alone, hadn’t had to take care of bills, grocery shopping, clean, or holding myself accountable to go to class and study. I guess you could
say that I was a little sheltered in that aspect. I could not believe that anyone that was under 25 had their own apartment. I also experienced shock with the food in the United States. The diet and times of meals here are drastically different from Spain. I was not used to having dinner at 6pm or so many fast-food options on every corner!
How was B.W.M. (Boston Women’s Market) founded?
At this point, I had been living in Boston for about a year and a half, and I felt desperately alone. I missed having a sense of community, and I was looking for a purpose. I always admired small business owners. It takes dedication and passion for starting your own business. The B.W.M. team wanted to create
a selling opportunity for female-owned businesses in Boston. Our first Boston Women’s Market was supposed to be a one-time event at The Loring-Greenough House in Jamaica Plain. Still, after seeing how successful the
event was, we decided to expand. Fast forward to now, we have hosted markets all over Boston and the outskirts. We still open and close seasons at the location of our first market every year in Jamaica Plain.
The company is growing fast! Starting out with 5 businesses you helped promote 4 years ago, to now having a waiting list! What’s the secret to such rapid growth in such a short time?
I think the key to our success is the close relationship we have with the vendors. We always go the extra mile to make sure their experience with us is great, whether online or in-person! We have made wonderful friends through B.W.M. as well.
Another key to success has a good team! Cara Loffredo (B.W.M. Co-Founder) and I have a great connection and complement each other’s strong characteristics. We are not only co-founders of B.W.M., but we are also great friends!
How has COVID-19 changed BMW’s platform?
Before the pandemic, 2020 was going to
be our busiest year so far! We had a market planned out for every week until December 2020. B.W.M. is now completely online. Opening a Boston Women’s Market Online Shop was a goal to complement the in-person markets, but the pandemic made us move faster towards that goal. During this time, we have provided B.W.M. vendors with resources to help their businesses thrive during the pandemic. We have hosted webinars that range from marketing, e-commerce to legal resources and social media management.
From co-owning BMW to now also co-owning Namastay Well, tell us more about this new endeavor!
Both businesses are passion projects! I’m a very passionate human, and I wanted to create something regarding health and wellness and support small business owners. I’ve always been interested in health and wellness, but I never thought it would turn into a career. As
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