Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.
Miriam Astorga was partially inspired to start a business by her grandfather, Cleofas Puente.
As a young man in Monterrey, Puente would sell products like milk and cheese door to door. Eventually, he opened a convenience store in the front room of his house.
Instead of dairy products, Astorga sells artesanias, also known as Mexican handmade goods. The Fort Worth native started Puertas Del Sol Imports during the COVID-19 pandemic. And instead of going door to door, she primarily sells her goods at local events and markets. People can also book an appointment via social media to peruse products on a property owned by Astorga and her husband.
Astorga sells artesanias ranging from shirts and pots to glassware and decorative items.
The Fort Worth Report spoke with Astorga about Puerta del Sol Imports.
Ismael M. Belkoura: How did you first start this business?
Miriam Astorga: During the COVID-19 pandemic, like a lot of people, I thought I wanted to do something with my time. I actually started with yard art, and I started with nine pieces.
I liked it. It was something that I had already purchased for my house, and I thought, I’m sure there’s other people that would like this.
Belkoura: What is the process like when it comes to bringing all of these imports from Mexico here?
Astorga: The majority my husband and I bring. Since I have family on both sides of the border, I can order with the Artesano Nacional, which is in the state of Mexico. I have family in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, that will receive it, and then either they’ll cross it for me, or I’ll go get it. But there’s some things that are just really shipped directly to me, depending on what it is. But big pieces like this, we bring them.
Belkoura: Are there specific parts of Mexico that these products come from?
Miriam Astorga founded Puerta Del Sol Imports after the COVID-19 pandemic. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)
Astorga: All over. I can tell you, just off the top of my head, I have (products from) Michoacan, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Mexico City.
Belkoura: When it came to making this into a business, what was that process like?
Astorga: My kids had a part in that because before that, I did not have social media. I was an adult that never had it. In 2020, they said, “This is how people do it.” (I also observed) what was going on, noticing that people crafted more and were out at markets in the area. It wasn’t until like 2021 that I signed up for the first market, and it just went on from there.
Belkoura: What was the process going from the garage to “We need a little bit more space”?
Astorga: It’s a two-sided story because it wasn’t just I needed the space. We owned this property, and it was nothing. It was just a lot. One of my first sales was in this lot. We didn’t know what was our plan, but my husband had just laid down a (concrete) driveway. I have pictures where, just out in the open, I take everything out and just lay it out. It kind of did start here. Then, as the years went by, he said, “Well, we need to build something.”
Belkoura: How did it go from, in your mind, interest to business?
Miriam Astorga founded Puerta Del Sol Imports after the COVID-19 pandemic. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)
Astorga: I don’t follow trends. It’s the things that I love. I’m selling what I would use in my house, what I would wear. That’s my process. I know it might not be the right retail commercial idea, but I am literally laying out on the table what I love. So it was very natural to go from “Let me start doing this” to just getting more and more.
Belkoura: How has it been like building that customer base?
Astorga: I like it. To me, with social media, it’s been easy. I feel that, if I didn’t have Instagram and Facebook, I don’t think anybody would know me. I don’t have a website. I don’t have any other location. So it’s been helpful.
Belkoura: When you envision what this could be, is it just continuing what you’re doing and continuing to build that customer base? How do you think about the future of Puerto Del Sol?
Astorga: I wish that it would be a storefront that I could open publicly, but only time will tell. I would like to grow more.
Belkoura: Do you select specific markets to go to that you know would attract people that would like this? How do you select the markets?
Astorga: I don’t like going far. I try to stick to the local ones. It’s very rare that I branch out. Because the bigger the market, there’s more vendors, you have to plan for arriving, set up and all that.
I pick them because of the location. Because when I think about it, it’s not like a Hispanic is my only customer. It’s anybody. I notice that people say, “That reminds me of my grandmother,” or “That reminds me when I used to go to Mexico,” or “I remember somebody had this.” It’s not just Hispanics, it’s anybody. Anybody could be my customer.
Miriam Astorga founded Puerta Del Sol Imports after the COVID-19 pandemic. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)
Belkoura: When it comes to selecting what you end up taking from this space to markets, how do you make those decisions?
Astorga: Partly what I feel are the bestsellers. Sometimes maybe the theme of the market. I’m not saying that paper-mache catrinas don’t sell throughout the year, but people tend to want them closer in the fall.
Sometimes they’re delicate, I don’t carry them around all the time. I might take a couple, but as you can see, it’s a lot of barro, it’s a lot of clay items. I usually carry the majority of them, except the pots. I don’t take pots with me unless it’s a theme plant sale or something.
Belkoura: What would you say to the person that might be wanting to start a business of their own, but doesn’t know how to take that step?
Astorga: It might sound cliche: Just do it. You’ve heard that a passion that turns into a job is not a passion anymore. But every person’s different. If you’re passionate about it, somebody else might also be and appreciate what you made or what you know. I would say do it.
Ismael M. Belkoura is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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