We had the good fortune of connecting with León Dragón and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi León Dragón, how do you think about risk?
The first thing that comes to mind is a verse from one of our favorite poems by William Arthur called “Only those who risks are free”: The greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing,
 has nothing is nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change,
grow, love, live.

Cliche as it may be, life is about taking risks! We believe that if we are not taking any risks then we are simply not living to our fullest potential. Not taking risks would be the definition of living in fear, and living in fear is avoiding experiences that will make us learn and grow.

Looking back at the most pivotal points in our lives and careers taking a risk is what set the foundation for it all. León Dragón was founded by 3 immigrant girls who risked loneliness when moving to a new country in search of better opportunities. Who risked rejection when learning a new language and adapting to a new culture. Who risked failure when starting a new business. We risk criticism when releasing new collections, we risk rejection when someone doesn’t resonate with our art or the brand. But without all those risks we wouldn’t be the individuals we are today. If we had let fear of failure control us then we would have never chased after our dreams and León Dragón wouldn’t have ever been created.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
León Dragón is a small women owned and operated business. We are a lifestyle brand dedicated to creating unique art, decor, and fashion and we are proud of the fact that we use natural elements and incorporate recycled materials.

Tenacity and trust in our team helped León Dragón get to where we are today. Funny enough, building León Dragón during the pandemic actually helped strengthen what our overall mission for brand was going to be. It gave us time to reflect and connect with ourselves and with our community on what we truly wanted to offer and how we wanted to offer it. While at the same time having the needed to produce and sell our products, support our community, and build a supportive network.

Our mission is to create textile art, nature inspired home decor & event decor, handcrafted, sustainable fashion, and one of a kind pieces that capture a memory that can be passed through generations.

Our brand is geared for the adventurous souls who are not afraid of expressing their individuality, people that respect, love and find inspiration in nature. Our designs are unique, bold, wild, and free just like us.

Our commitment is to give back to our collective community. Every quarter we donate a portion of our proceeds to a local charity that gives back to either a social cause or helps with environmental causes.

At the peak of the pandemic we shifted to making masks and for every mask bought we donated one to a local hospital. We are still super proud of that. That alone taught us the value of patience and perseverance.

We take pride in our work and are excited to be able to share our light and magic with the world!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A perfect day would be grabbing an oatmeal latte with a double shot of espresso at Salt Water Culture Co. Then we would do some journaling and meditation on Pacific Beach followed by either biking or going for a run on the board walk. After that we’d grab a mid day drink and brunch at Duck Dive because where else are you going to find THE BEST people watching! This would be followed by a trip to Balboa park to peruse the botanical gardens and hit up some museums. Dinner would be jackfruit tacos and vegan poke at Cafe Gratitude or vegan pho at OB Noodle House. And then back to Mission Bay for some paddle boarding at sunset. Ideally we would end the night on a porch with some good friends listening to the waves and drinking wine.

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?
It is true what they say, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. León Dragón wouldnt exist if it wasnt for the help, guidance, mentorship and expertise of our partners, family and friends. They showed us unconditional love as we dove headfirst into launching LD by bringing us meals during 15 hour work days, listening to our fears of failing, buying us stress balls when our computers crashed, and so much more. And then also the immense support and encouragement of our clients and collective community, thank you for supporting our small business.

Website: https://leondragon.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_leondragon_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/le%C3%B3n-drag%C3%B3n/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeonDragonShop/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.