麻豆传媒映画

Cox Communications, along with the Arizona Hispanic 麻豆传媒映画 of Commerce, Azteca America Phoenix, Prensa Hispana and Urbana Magazine, recognized two Phoenix business owners as the Latina Entrepreneurs of the Year.

Sandra Flores opened, the first locally-owned coffee shop in South Phoenix, in 2017. Rosie Maga帽a opened on Grand Avenue in 2015 and moved the shop to its current location on McDowell Road in 2017.

Flores said she was 鈥渉umbled and honored鈥� to be recognized.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I was after is for my community to have recognition,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 really not me but my community that鈥檚 being recognized, and I really appreciate that.鈥�

Maga帽a said she almost didn鈥檛 believe it when she got the news about the award. 鈥淏ut no, it was real, and I was so excited about it,鈥� she said.

This is the sixth year that Cox Communications is honoring 鈥渙utstanding鈥� Latina entrepreneurs in the Valley, and Flores and Maga帽a鈥檚 鈥渢alent and leadership are perfect examples of the ever growing women-owned businesses here in Arizona,鈥� according to a press release.

Latinas own more than one million businesses in the U.S., and one in 10 of all women-owned firms in the country is owned by a Latina, according to a 2015 White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics study.

鈥淢e and my husband were both born and raised in South Phoenix,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really special place for us because we have a lot of history and generations here.鈥�

Flores said she cares a great deal about the city鈥檚 growth and its future. Azukar Coffee is meant to give South Phoenix a much-needed sense of community, she said.

鈥淲e felt that it deserves a special place, and we decided to do coffee because we felt it was something that could bring people together and that was welcoming for everyone,鈥� Flores said. Coffee is multicultural and appeals to many different types of people, she said.

鈥淎s we transition into our second year, our community has been really accepting of our concept and has been really supportive,鈥� Flores said.

Maga帽a said she has had similar success with Palabras Bilingual Bookstore. She grew up in Tempe speaking Spanish at home with her parents, who were originally from Mexico.

鈥淚鈥檓 first generation,鈥� Maga帽a said. 鈥淚 experienced it 鈥� my parents struggling to learn the language and to have jobs and everything, and a totally new environment with a new language.鈥�

Maga帽a was inspired by a traveling art installation called 鈥楲ibrer铆a Donceles鈥� 鈥� a bilingual bookstore 鈥� to create a community-based business that could bring people together, she said.

鈥淚t made the statement it intended to make, which is, 鈥榳hy doesn鈥檛 this place have a Spanish language bookstore? You have so many Spanish speakers here,鈥欌�� Maga帽a said. 鈥淪o I decided that I was going to create a bilingual bookstore, and that鈥檚 kind of the way it all started.鈥�

Maga帽a said the community has been receptive to her business, and she hosts open mic nights and other events intended to give a voice to people of color. Palabras also features a gallery in the back of the store with paintings created by her business partner,.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just about the Latino community, it wasn鈥檛 just about Spanish speakers, but it was about culture and the fact that many of us don鈥檛 get to see our faces in the stories that are told in the books we read growing up in school,鈥� Maga帽a said.

Maga帽a said she hopes there can be more spaces like hers throughout the country that focus on inclusivity and community growth.

鈥淲e need to invest in our communities,鈥� she said.