When Vanessa Gonzalez talks about her store, Anoria Boutique, she uses the word “we” instead of “I” — even though it’s a one-woman operation.
Gonzalez runs the store, posts on social media, sources and buys merchandise, assists and rings up shoppers, processes custom orders, and more. But the products she sells make her feel like she’s a part of something bigger because she buys from artisans in Mexico.
“Every artist is part of the store,” she said.
Gonzalez, who was born in Mexico and grew up in Astoria, has an appreciation for artisans in her home country who can spend anywhere from days to months to create original pieces using traditional methods. During the pandemic, she heard that her friends and family members were trading their work for food just to get by.
“It broke my heart,” she said, especially because she knows the value of what they make.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez and her family also struggled. She and her mom both lost their jobs. Gonzalez had always worked in retail, and she started making face masks and selling them on her own social media, then in Union Square and on websites like Poshmark and Mercari. That went well, so she used the money she made selling masks to buy products from family, friends and other indigenous artisans in Mexico and started selling them online, too.
In April, she opened Anoria Boutique in a former laundromat that didn’t require renovations. It was scary, but she figured since she’s young, it was worth the risk.
The airy shop has racks of handmade, traditional apparel from Mexico like huipils, which are rectangle-shaped, long frocks, some made by her relatives. She said customers can wear them loose or style them with a belt.
“If we can show them that this is art and can be worn in many ways, I think we can promote fair trade and make use of artisan textiles and not let it die out, because it’s happening right now,” she said.
The artisans she buys from use traditional, handmade methods. She sells blouses and necklaces featuring chaquira (hand-beading). A large picture of Gonzalez’s grandmother hangs above the checkout counter, showing her working on a brightly colored huipil using a traditional backstrap loom.
The designs on the artisans’ products are inspired by what’s in their environment, like birds, animals, flowers, and even people and farmers. Gonzalez sources items from a collective, too, to share more artisans’ work. The clothing tags show how long the pieces took to produce, which can be anywhere from one month to nine months.
“It’s an honor for us to be able to share [the artisans’ work] with everyone,” she said.
The boutique also carries accessories like glassware, hand-painted hats, and earrings with pressed flowers made in Mexico. It also carries linen products from Italy and American brands she sources from the Garment District. Gonzalez doesn’t buy in bulk to be sustainable.
Although Gonzalez started online, she’s happy to have a retail store, and said customers enjoy coming in to try things on. After months in quarantine that may have resulted in gaining some extra pandemic pounds, she said many women appreciate the flowy items she sells, like a 100 percent linen frock from Italy with a faded tie-dye pattern a woman tried on when I visited on a busy Saturday. Gonzalez gently checked on shoppers and suggested other items if something wasn’t the right fit.
When Gonzalez opened the store, she kept the handmade, Mexican apparel to the side, thinking it wouldn’t be a huge seller. She was happy to realize she was wrong — it’s “the main thing people like,” and is now the first thing you notice when you walk in.
“People gravitate toward the handmade,” she said. “Some of them, it’s because they want to learn more about the culture. Some of them, it’s because they care about the environment, so they’re really inspired by the way the designs are made and the intention, and some of them just really like that they’re different.”
Gonzalez is working with artisans to fulfill custom orders, some of which are for traditional Mexican clothing designed in modern silhouettes. Plus, another artisan who makes tenangos (ponchos) is creating cropped versions.
In the beginning, some customers shied away from buying traditional clothing because they thought wearing them would be cultural appropriation. That’s a misconception, Gonzalez said. It’s not harmful to Mexican culture — it’s actually helpful. It means a lot to artisans that consumers value their work and want to wear it, and it keeps tradition alive.
“If you appreciate and support artisans, you are not culturally appropriating by wearing traditional clothing,” she wrote in an Instagram post to educate her audience. “The work and love put into each item is honored the moment you choose to buy handmade directly from the source of culture.”
On the other hand, making fun of the culture with stereotypes, like wearing a sombrero, is cultural appropriation, she said.
Buying items from Anoria is making a difference for the vendors — it benefits their livelihood and gives their hard work value. Gonzalez’s goal is to keep growing and find more artisans to work with while continuing to promote fair trade.
To visit or find out more information:
Anoria Boutique
28-03 24th Ave., Astoria
@anoriaboutique
347-450-1203
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