Meet Gabriela Zazueta of Tassels Poms & Love

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Zazueta.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have been crafting for the past 10+ years. I would be the mom that would make all of our theme park shirts, baseball/softball/football jerseys, etc.

Not once did I think to make my hobby into an actual business. But after my father passed away in January 2020, I found myself crafting more than usual. It was like an outlet, it kept my mind busy. He raised us in a way that kept our traditions and culture alive on a daily basis. Therefore being able to explore and sell handmade Artisan Items as well as spicing it up with our custom Loteira inspired merch/mom humor items such as t-shirts and tumblers made it all come together. Many family members would push me to sell my items, my niece Genny in particular. But self doubt and mourning would only make me go back into my crafting bubble. I would see all the small business Instagram feeds and stories and felt so much inspiration to see them do what they loved most. But for some reason, I felt I wasn’t ready to do it myself.

On march 14th 2021, I found myself driving to downtown Phoenix with my 10 year old daughter Ahlie (my business partner) to a Pop Up event hosted by AZ Mujeres Mercado being held at the rooftop of Fair Trade Café. All I can say is, that day forever changed our lives. I got out of my shell and made it a point to introduce myself to every single booth and hand them my business cards that I had just printed out that morning on stock paper. I remember walking out of there holding my daughter’s hand and asked her “are you ready to do what all those women up there were doing with me?” Not once did she hesitate to answer me “Yes”.That day, I had gained the confidence and that push to get started.

7 months later here we are… Let me tell you, I live for the Pop UP events! As of today we have been part of 40+ events including events in different parts of California as well as Las Vegas. Interacting with our customers is the best experience ever. I love that I can put a smile on someone’s face when they see our items, it’s rewarding when you hear how much they love their purchase, but what is most humbling is seeing your customers return over and over again.

The amount of love and support that we have received is overwhelming to say the least. I must say, It hasn’t been easy, sometimes there are 18 hour days, happy tears as well as sad tears, good days and bad ones, but above it all I see everything as lessons learned, and to know that I can be an example to my kids pushes me to keep working and growing. This is in no way a one man show, and I am beyond grateful because I have the best support system which is 1. Ahlie my daughter who loves this as much as I do if not more! you will find her taking payments, dispatching orders and greeting customers. 2. My niece Genny who is my sidekick with all thing related to t-shirts and tumblers 3. My mom who puts every effort to be out there with us greeting customers and helping them with their purchase, and of course my two older kids and husband, who help with setting up and breaking down at our events.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I wish I could say it’s all rainbows, unicorns, and tea parties but the truth is, it’s not, it’s a cruel world.

A close friend of mine once said, “It’s not that people don’t want you to succeed because they do, they just don’t want you to be more successful than them”. But through all the obstacles you find yourself the right people, they become your support system and they are the ones that make this journey a lot smoother.

I’ve learned my lessons along the way. All we can do is keep pushing through all the barriers one day at a time.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tassels Poms & Love?
Tassels Poms & Love is a family owned business. I started it to give myself and my daughter something to look forward to during COVID since we were the two stuck at home. I am grateful to be able to share all of these experiences with my kids and teach them at a young age what we had to learn for ourselves later on in life. Every single step taken to make the events possible from the production of items, ordering blanks (cups & shirts), pictures, Social Media, marketing, sales, inventory, editing, accounting, setting up and breaking down, it all forms something so special and its so gratifying to see our booth come together with everyone’s effort.

We offer products that are handmade by women artisans in southern Mexico as well as made by us. I proudly state that it is a fair trade, when an item is purchased from us not only are you supporting our small business, but you are also supporting the artisan families. We offer unique handmade items, such as t-shirts and tumblers. We specialize in sublimation and screen prints adding a bit of spice and humor with our uniquely customized items. There are many who do the same out there but everyone has their own creative minds, what sets us apart is to just be ourselves and continue to provide the best customer service possible.

You can find us by following the llama … It’s become a thing on Instagram where people actually post that caption. Our little llama has branded herself in the community and it’s such a rewarding feeling to hear customers say, “We came to this event looking for the llama” We have been overwhelmed with the support and acceptance thus far, I cant wait to see what the future has in store for us.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Oh man, this question made me tear up. I would say that a memory that is most precious to me was when my late father would take me to piano lessons every Sunday for almost three years when I was 8 years old to this place called Ziggie’s Music on 3rd St just south of Osborn. If I remember correctly Darlene was the name of the owner and greeting her was the highlight of my day. Every single time after my lesson my father and I would have breakfast at Denny’s. His conversations didn’t make much sense to an 8-year-old then, but somehow now I find myself creating those same memories with my children.

Contact Info:

• Email: tasselspomsandlove@gmail.com
• Website: www.tasselspomsandlove.com
• Instagram: Tasselspomsandlove