As a new year approaches, students continue juggling coursework with other aspects of their lives — weekend volleyball tournaments, orchestra concerts or hangouts. Amidst all these responsibilities, students often worry about whether they can find and attain a career that aligns with their interests. Mariale Bonilla’s story shares that a robust work ethic, support network and artistic brilliance shape a fulfilling business and sculpt smiles from family members and clients.
Bonilla, the founder of Lamimi Boutique, emphasizes that passion is critical to pursuing what she lives for and that things will always work out. Originally from Venezuela, her grandmother taught her how to crochet when she was young. Bonilla later passed down this family tradition to her three daughters and turned the hobby into a business.
Bonilla is an artisan, entrepreneur, and mother who uplifts parents and children through her craft. Her designs range from bunny beanies to Pikachu hats, best-selling Frida dolls, and alebrijes, vibrant creatures from Mexican folk tales carved into decorative sculptures. Each crochet is woven with intricacy, intent, and intimacy. Behind the colorful fabric, many creations contain heartwarming stories and personal significance.
At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Bonilla started to concentrate on growing Lamimi Boutique, while at the same time, her oldest daughter began a clothing line for bucket hats. She also contacted the Shop Local program from the Women’s Business Center in Maryland.
The program mentors woman-owned small businesses with training and grants to cultivate the entrepreneurship skills needed to grow a successful business. The business boomed with the growing popularity of online shopping and the customer service that Lamimi Boutique provides.
To adjust to the high consumer demand, Mariale created a community of artisans that helped contribute to running her business. She worked on outsourcing and importing arts and crafts from other artisans in Mexico and wholesale to shops in the D.C. region that stock her merchandise.
“If we get together, we are stronger, and we have a better way to market our business,” Bonilla said.
Bonilla has devoted a busy schedule to managing her business. As a small business owner, she oversees the communications, marketing, and logistics that go into running Lamimi Boutique.
“Today we just got a shipment, so I had to open every baggage, label them and make inventory,” she said.
She also manages her Instagram account @lamimiboutique and Etsy Shop to showcase her newest selections, perfect for holiday gifts and birthday presents. Since Bonilla works with artisans around the globe, she can only communicate with some of them at night.
Despite the barriers of being a small-business owner, Bonilla’s resilient mindset has paved the way to overcoming difficulty. Since she did not have a storefront, receiving financing from banks and other institutions was hard. Like a predicted recession, changes in the economy required Bonilla to modify her business, such as creating marketing strategies to prioritize and target a specific customer segment.
“Sometimes it is going to be hard, but I think any business when you’re starting is hard — is a struggle, but if you are doing what you like to do, you will enjoy it,” Bonilla said. “And every time you get a reward, it is incredible — it is a beautiful experience.”
One of Lamimi Boutique’s best-sellers is the Frida dolls. They are based on the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, a figure of feminism that Bonilla embraces as a leader in her family with three daughters and several sisters. The Frida dolls wear rainbow flower crowns and traditional dresses that represent the strength and appreciation for one’s identity and culture. These values form a cohesive narrative and theme for the artistic collections that Bonilla sells.
Bonilla’s other two daughters help post, edit, and manage her social media account when she is sick and attend markets and shows to promote Lamimi Boutique.
“People seem to be very accepting that I work with my daughters and family,” Bonilla said.
Events are fundamental to reaching consumer audiences and networking with other businesses, and Bonilla prioritizes becoming involved in her community. Establishing her business through school and church events, she now attends multi-day events in places like Georgetown Park to the heart of D.C. where she hosts Alebrije Painting classes intertwined with Mexican folk art storytelling. Since finding Lamimi Boutique, Bonilla has been grateful for the kindness she receives in return for her craft.
“We were walking towards an exhibition, and a kid was wearing one of my hats,” she said. “I couldn’t stop, and I approached his mom. I said, ‘Listen, I made that hat, and it makes my heart so happy to see him wearing it.’ She said, ‘I bought it from you two years ago, and it’s still his favorite hat to this day.’ I said, ‘That means the world to me.’”
Bonilla cherishes how her business can produce spaces where artists can thrive and benefit from their creations and a world of gratitude for the customers.
“When my clients send me pictures wearing the things that I make with my hands—that I put so much love into, with comments saying, ‘my kids are going to be super happy,’ or ‘my daughters are going to be thrilled,’ that is what really rewards me and makes my heart happy,” she said.
As for her future goals and plans, Bonilla would like to open a storefront and be more active on social media. She continues to spark acts of giving gifts and spreading joy through her selfless personality, and the impact her handmade Christmas ornaments, leather embroidered bags and Telar headbands bring.
“I think you have to find a balance in life between the way you make your living and the passions that make you happy,” she said. “And I think I found that.”
