Voices of Cadena Collective is a blog series featuring Q&A’s and short stories about the artisans that we work with. This first post is about Aracely Salas, founder of Cel Sal, how she got started on her candle making journey, and some details about what makes her products so special.

Gifts for us were made of moments, memories, feelings. While we didn’t have the means to provide a lavish gift, anything we did give her was given with love. Now that we are older we talk about how much she gave us constantly: the lessons, the hugs, the LOVE. We always had everything we needed because we had each other.

Cadena Collective is excited to announce our first Digital Media Fellow. Risa Takenaka is a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame pursuing a Masters in Entrepreneurship. She is an invaluable addition to our team as we continue to grow and work with our current vendors.

The chance to bring our own community together is meaningful because it shows that we have the ability to define our own destinies. We are stronger when we come together and support businesses within our own community. The trunk show was small and casual but it brought together several other business owners from the Pleasant Grove area and it provided us with the opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals who are working to improve their own corner of Dallas. It may seem insignificant to many but hosting events like these is an opportunity to change narratives. We are hustlers and members of our community who have so much to offer, so much to give. We are #PGProud.

Cadena Collective is more than a shop to find a beautiful pair of hand crafted earrings or hand embroidered items. We are a movement to help women realize their full potential. We are in the business of helping women see that they are worthy of everything they want. Perhaps it’s earning some money or perhaps it’s creating an entire brand. Either way, Cadena Collective serves as a stepping stone for women to create self-sufficiency because when we validate a woman and help her grow, we create ripples that can have far-reaching effects.

Late last year I traveled to Mexico and was inspired by all the beauty of my home country. I traveled with my sister in hopes of catching a small break from the monotonous life in the United States. We decided to travel to Guadalajara, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes and our hometown in Zacatecas. Beyond escaping our day-to-day routines, we were seeking adventures that would bring us closer to our heritage and connect us with our roots.

Where has time gone?! We are one month into the year and we are still processing 2019 and all the great things that happened. We started off 2019 working with one-woman artisan and a year later we are working with 13 women-owned brands! After carefully reflecting on all of our accomplishments from 2019 here are a few that stood out to us.