Hispanic culture fuels coupleÂ’s foray into business ownership
The continued strength of Hispanic culture and traditions in the United States could prove a recipe for success for a Crowley couple-turned-business owners.
Michael and Suzelle Benavidez, a firefighter and instructional specialist, respectively, are the co-owners of The Mariachi Connection, a Fort Worth store offering clothing, musical instrumentals and all things mariachi and ballet folklórico, or Hispanic folk dance.
The couple, originally from Corpus Christi, opened the store March 1 at the behest of Josie Benavidez, MichaelÂ’s sister-in-law, who opened the first Mariachi Connection in San Antonio about 11 years ago.
Josie opened the store to provide her husband, MichaelÂ’s brother, a venue with which to buy supplies for his mariachi, a musical group often consisting of string instruments and a singer. Once the store proved successful, Josie opened a second store in Albuquerque, N.M., and encouraged Michael and Suzelle to become business owners themselves by operating her next store.
“Since we had our own careers, aside from this, we’ve never taken that next step just because we’re so comfortable in our jobs,” Michael said. “And this would have put us out of our comfort zone. But if you know Josie, she’s very – what’s the word? She’s a go-getter, in a good way. And she wanted to see us succeed.”
The Mariachi Connection, located in La Gran Plaza de Fort Worth, is a full-service supply store for the Hispanic folk traditions. The store sells a range of clothing, from the elaborately embroidered, floral-patterned dresses to trajes de gala, the black and silver suits worn by mariachi members, or often, grooms on a wedding day.
Ninety-five percent of the products come from Mexico, where the cultural traditions remain vibrant. Many Hispanics in the United States wish to continue those traditions, whether for themselves or their children, and as such must locate the appropriate supplies, so to speak.
“I think the majority of the people that we cater to are Mexican people that want to instill the culture in their kids,” Michael said. “They don’t want them to lose their culture, so a lot of them put their kids in ballet folklórico classes, and also they have mariachi classes, where they can learn instruments and stuff like that.”
The BenavidezÂ’ friend and customer Carol Alvarado knows just how important that culture is, and how necessary the store can be.
“They’re able to provide a service that’s hard to come by, and yet there are a lot of people who are in need of their services,” said Alvarado, artistic director of Ballet Folklórico Azteca de Fort Worth Inc., a school and dance company.
“A lot of the costumes are very detailed, and they can be very costly if you try to make them on your own,” said Alvarado, adding her company alone requires as many as six dresses and several pairs of boots for its more than 100 dancers.
Michael and Suzelle originally had considered opening The Mariachi Connection in The Mercado de Fort Worth, on North Main Street, but a mix-up with a leasing agent resulted in a meeting about La Gran Plaza de Fort Worth, which they said proved the better venue.
Alvarado said ballet folklórico and mariachi are growing in popularity in North Texas as much as in South Texas.
That fact was one of the deciding factors leading to Fort Worth as a logical location for JosieÂ’s third store, the Benavidez said. Josie owns a stake in the business, but Michael and Suzelle declined to detail the specifics of their agreement.
“[Josie knows] the market well enough to tell us, ‘OK, you need to have X amount of Jalisco dresses in the store, don’t ever let it fall under this amount,’” said Suzelle, adding they’ve also learned inventory and accounting.
As for business, the Benavidez said itÂ’s too early to determine the reception, but added April revenue was about three times that of March. The couple declined to offer specific numbers.
“[April] is one of the busiest months of the year, because of Cinco de Mayo,” said Michael.
“I think this type of product is very specific,” he said, “and I think the people that are in that area – ballet and mariachi players – they’re such a specific group that word gets around pretty quick.”
Contact Tronche at jtronche@bizpress.net
The Mariachi Connection No. 3
4200 South Freeway, Suite 1027
Fort Worth 76115
817-922-8818
mariachiconnection.com
