At Crecer Beauty Salon and Plant Shop, it’s not just the greenery that will pull you in, it’s the energy.
“In the beginning, they would come in and say it feels like my abuela’s house in here with the plantitas, and all the stuff,” said Nataly Medina, the owner of Crecer.
The Latina-owned, eco-conscious salon was opened just four years ago with the goal of enhancing natural beauty, embracing diversity, and celebrating culture through the power of plants. Medina said they cater to all demographics and all hair types.
“I definitely intended to be more of, like, a safe space. I call it like a sanctuary for any and everybody,” she said.
For Medina, the journey hasn’t always been easy, but opening her own business felt like a calling.
“It’s not transactional in terms of dollars, it’s transactional, with energy, like that’s super important, like we care, and you can feel in a sense that we care beyond just getting it done, so we can pocket your money,” Medina said.
Now more than ever, Latino-owned businesses like Medina’s are rapidly growing in North Texas.
“It’s an untapped community that we have not fully developed yet, and it has so much space to grow,” said Gabriela Carvallo, with the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Dallas County ranks among top metros in the country for Hispanic business growth
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 42% of Dallas’ population is Hispanic, and with that growth comes a surge in entrepreneurship. Data from the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce found that 1 out of every 7 businesses in Dallas County are Hispanic-owned, and of those businesses, about 41% are owned by immigrants.
The chamber said Dallas County ranks among the top metros in the country for Hispanic business growth.
“When you have 44% of the population Latino, that’s purchasing power, that’s taxes, that’s working people contributing and providing every day, so I will not just say the city of Dallas, I’ll say the economy in general,” Carvallo said.
The most popular sectors among Latino-owned businesses are construction, accommodation and food services, professional and business services, and retail trade. And that growth is expected to keep climbing — with Latino-owned businesses projected to grow by 60% over the next decade.
“It’s the hands of Latinos building in this country,” said Carvallo. “When you have a business owner that is, that builds capacity, I mean, the potential of growth is huge.”
For business owners like Medina, it’s about building community and opening doors for others.
“I educated myself, and I found resources, and they’re there. We just have to, like, not have that fear,” Medina said. “No risk, no reward. You gotta take a risk for sure.”