Meet Beatriz Solorzano Weikle | Clothing Brand Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Beatriz Solorzano Weikle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beatriz, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The meaning behind our brand name ‘Miabella’ actually comes from a mixture of my sister and I nicknames – she calls me Mia & I call her Bella. Actually, The name was the my first step in forming my brand and I sat with solely just the name for probably a year or so before actually taking anymore steps towards opening my store. That just shows how undeceive I am.

I’ve always really been in to fashion and have always loved the creative process that goes behind it. I have always wanted to start my own brand but was always to scared to take the leap. It wasn’t until I got let go from my previous job at another boutique I was working at that I felt like I could actually really do it. Something that I had always noticed about other Charlotte boutiques was that my style never aligned with them, it felt like all the boutiques were the same and no one ever catered to a person like me. So thats when I knew that there was a whole market of customers that haven’t been reached here in Charlotte. So I decided to try and fill that missing piece and start my own boutique that catered to that market.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a Latina and especially a Latina small business owner – I feel like I have a lot to prove to people. You don’t see many minority small business owners, especially in the fashion business and that was part of my reason for waiting so long to start my business. My self – doubt is something I have struggled with my whole life and I have noticed it carrying into my business. I constantly am second guessing every choice I make. So that is definitely something I have had to try and overcome. But this is why I love doing pop up events because I get to meet people and get their opinions and thoughts on what they think of my business and honestly, I often cry after each event because the words of encouragement they give is what keeps me going and really validates all the hard work I’ve done and that I am on right path. I really couldn’t ask for a better group of customers.

The biggest thing I want people to take away from my brand is for them to see someone who really loves what they do and I also want for them to have that intention of buying our pieces to keep them for a long time – that’s why we try to focus on less trendy pieces and more staples

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely take them to south end area or more specifically the Atherton Mill area in Charlotte. Its grown so much since I was in college and it’s continuing to grow more and more. I think its starting to give off a very city vibe that isn’t just a bunch of corporate businesses like it used to be.

I’m also a huge coffee drinker so I would probably take them to a local coffee shop – Groundwork’s in concord or Not Just Coffee in Atherton Mill.

For some drinks I love a good rooftop and my favorite in Charlotte is Aura Roof top, it has a pool and restaurant so you could also spend al day there really!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mother deserves a huge shout out. She was the first person to introduce me to the fashion world. She used to hand make me and my sisters outfits for us when we were little. I feel like I always saw her at the sewing machine when I was younger. Now a days, she supports me in every and any way she can. When I wanted to create my own custom t-shirts she helped me to bring my vision to life and sew each and every t-shirt and even made me some custom face masks and wanted nothing in return. She helps me at pop ups, helps ship out orders for me when I’m out of town, and even bought me my first sewing machine.

I also don’t think Miabella wouldn’t be Miabella without the help of my Husband, Hunter. Hunter was the first person to believe that I could do this. He pushed me to start and gave me the confidence to believe in myself and he would tell me that its better to fail than to never start at all, sometimes it felt like he believe in me more than I believed in myself. As a business owner himself, he was able to teach me what its like to work for yourself and what it takes to be successful. He wants my business to succeed just as much as I do & thats why he is at EVERY. SINGLE. pop up event, helping me set up, check out customers, brake down and everything in between. I owe a lot to him and will be forever grateful that he pushed me to start Miabella.

Website: shopmiabellastyles.com

Instagram: @shop.miabella

Other: Tiktok : @shop.miabella