A struggling West Dallas bakery that has been a cornerstone of the community for nearly nine decades is getting a bit of a makeover thanks to a local nonprofit.
The People’s Art Collective, a group of cultural workers who hold events, fundraisers and projects focusing on working-class solidarity and unity have been at work for weeks on a new mural on the side of La Estrella y Familia Bakery, 1111 Singleton Blvd., highlighting various aspects of local DFW communities and the group’s history.
“This isn’t something that you see every day in a mural, and I feel like it brings everybody together,” TPAC Co-Chair Vanessa Munoz said. “I think it just brings together all of the people that are striving for the same thing, like helping the struggle.”
The mural includes multiple symbols representing different movements, such as a monarch butterfly to symbolize immigrant rights, and the Palestinian flag.
La Estrella y Familia Bakery has been around for 87 years, first located in Downtown Dallas before moving to its current location. It’s well known for its conchas, which are made from a family recipe that’s been passed down for generations.
“ICE hates locations like this that have been around forever, because there’s such care and intention in it,” Munoz said. “The government and fascist organizations want us divided and not able to come together at a location, or even come together ideologically.
TPAC Co-Chair Raquelle Jac said the organization was inspired to make the mural after seeing a TikTok video talking about the bakery’s history, and a member of the group thought they could paint a mural after noticing the large, blank white side of the bakery’s building. Jac said many of the Hispanic members of TPAC were inspired due to the palpable fear some feel at the presence of ICE officers in communities across the U.S.
The bakery’s owner, Yolanda Faris, is also depicted in the mural as a little girl, as some of her favorite memories are of running around Dallas as a child.
“It’s just a really special place, and you can see how beloved it has been for generations, and that it’s just been an actual pillar of the community and how generations have enjoyed their pan dulce,” Jac said.
Faris took over the business from her brother a few years ago and runs it with her husband, but she said they’ve been struggling due to the rising costs of ingredients.
“A lot of our clientele are Hispanic, a lot of people are just afraid to go out,” Faris said. “They’re afraid to spend money because a lot of people don’t have money to spend.”
But when TPAC came by and asked to paint the mural, she said she thought it was a great idea.
“Usually when you see murals, everybody pays attention, and they want to know what’s going on,” she said. “We’re hoping that’s going to help us bring more people.”
Faris said she’s seen a lot of nearby businesses come and go, and La Estrella is one of the few businesses in the area still standing.
“People that come by, they don’t make it and they leave,” Faris said. “A lot of stuff has changed.”
TPAC will be hosting an opening festival on April 4 at the bakery featuring live music, karaoke, and an art auction raising money for Vecinos Unidos’ mutual aid fund, Vecinos Aid, which helps immigrant families in the aftermath of state violence.