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Two Latino small business owners in Worcester are teaming up to open a store that will sell both companies’ handmade products.
Chiara Castillo and Catherine Aguilar, owners of Made a Manos and K Sense Co., said their businesses will work together at 65 Hamilton Street.
Castillo, 31, told MassLive that’s where her business is located and that Aguilar, 30, will be moving her business into the building. The opening is scheduled for March 30 and will feature products from both entrepreneurs, with Aguilar selling candles made from beer bottle glass and Castillo selling homemade crocheted clothing and jewelry.
Aguilar told MassLive that the store plans to host special events with other female entrepreneurs in Worcester to promote their businesses and products.
“There will be something for everyone,” Aguilar said. “We aim to amplify our voices and stories.”
Castillo and Aguilar said they were inspired to start their business online and use renewable materials in their crafts.
Castillo, who learned to crochet from her grandmother when she was six years old, said she was encouraged to create a start-up business after her mother and partner were impressed by the handmade crocheted quilts they made.
Inspired by their encouragement, Castillo launched Made A Manos in 2018. Castillo said the company name is a combination of English and Spanish, with the word Manos meaning hand. She said she chose this name to emphasize how she grew up in her bilingual household.
“I’ve made headbands, clothing, all kinds of things,” Castillo said of her products. “All my products are renewable and long-lasting.”
Aguilar, who launched K Sense Co. in 2019, said her company was founded out of her passion for using renewable materials. She told MassLive that she believes other countries around the world have failed to transition from using plastic to renewable materials, and she wants to set an example through her company’s products. Aguilar said she eventually decided to sell candles she made using discarded beer bottle glass.
“I love candles and aromatherapy,” Aguilar said. “We cut and sand beer bottles and fill the candles with natural soy wax.”
In 2021, Aguilar and Castillo opened their own brick-and-mortar stores in Worcester, with Aguilar at the Worcester Public Market and Castillo at 65 Hamilton Street. The two companies have frequently collaborated by hosting pop-up stands and donating merchandise. Delivering products to homeless shelters across Worcester.
They quickly became close friends, as both are Latino entrepreneurs whose creativity and personal passion led them to found their businesses. Castillo and Aguilar also shared ties to their respective families, as Castillo’s mother was married to Aguilar’s step-uncle at the time.
“I think Katherine is a great business partner,” Castillo said. “I consider her my mentor. She is a very inspiring and strong woman who helps the community.”
Although Castillo and Aguilar have shared many moments of success together, they have also experienced moments of personal conflict.
By 2022, sales at Aguilar’s on-site store at Worcester Public Market were slow as foot traffic to the store decreased by the day. Eventually, she closed her brick-and-mortar store and continued her business online.
Before that, Castillo’s mother, who inspired her to open Made A Manos, passed away in 2021. Ms Castillo said her mother’s death had a huge impact on her and she decided to take a break from the business that year. Ms. Aguilar shared Ms. Castillo’s sadness and praised her friend and eventual business partner’s decision to step down from her company.
“Her mother was a very bright person,” Aguilar said. “It took her many years to find her healing. I’m really proud of her growth.”
Castillo said she rediscovered her passion for crochet during the holidays and decided to restart her business. Aguilar said it was Castillo who approached her in November 2023 to propose a partnership, and Aguilar was enthusiastic about the idea.
“She tried to reach out to me and brought this new energy, and that’s how it all happened,” Aguilar said.
At this time, Aguilar and Castillo are still moving materials and equipment into the new building on Hamilton Street, but both companies said there were no problems with the transition.
Aguilar said she believes this partnership will inspire women and people in Worcester’s Latinx community to start their own businesses, just as it inspired her to start K. Sense Co. Told.
“Things are starting to change,” Aguilar said. “It will be an affordable yet luxurious sustainable gift boutique.”
For Castillo, the partnership would make her mother proud and she said she would be rooting for her if she were alive today.
“I’m still healing every day,” she said. “She was very positive and very outgoing. This is to her credit and to her credit.”
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