For Verónica Alvidrez, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, the isolation of the pandemic led to searching for a way to connect her community.
“The pandemic loaded us so much,” says Alvidrez, the founder and CEO of paraMi. “Especially Latina women who got loaded with new responsibilities and roles within the home. Women need a support system in their families. But so often no one is supporting us as an individual; they’re supporting the role we play for them.”
ParaMi was born out of that frustration. Alvidrez founded the startup with Nayelly Dantzler, Erika Reza, and Silvia Marin. With a name that translates to “for me,” the group wants to be an apparel and home-goods brand that empowers Latinas to dream big.
Since launching in May 2021, paraMi has popped up around town with merch that combines Kansas City pride with the Latina community. From T-shirts that read KC LATINA to mugs that say “no soy tu chacha” (I’m not your maid), along with aprons, hats, stickers, and more, the startup hopes to inspire conversations.
“Latinas in the U.S. are owning and writing their own stories more than ever before,” says Alvidrez. “Through our presence, paraMi offers a community where women can chase their dreams knowing there’s a crew of just-as-courageous women behind them.”
According to Alvidrez, paraMi is the first Latina-focused lifestyle brand in the Midwest. In fact, many of the brand’s Instagram followers are scattered around the four-state region.
Since launch, Alvidrez realized she wasn’t alone—she just needed to find her people.
“We felt isolated, but we weren’t,” she says. “We just weren’t making the call. We’re realizing how much representation matters. Since our inception, we’ve received so many messages from users thanking us. There is so much pride in using our stuff.”
Over the next six weeks, paraMi has two local pop-ups planned:
- 12/18 Holiday Market Extravaganza, Oak Park Mall – From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 18, paraMi will have pre-wrapped holiday bundles in stock.
- 1/30 Winter Pop-Up, Café Ollama (523 Southwest Blvd.) – Every weekend Café Ollama features a local vendor, and paraMi will be popping up with their top-selling products.
If you can’t make it to a pop-up, paraMi has a full online store too.