Conversations with Gabrielle Nunez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Nunez. 

Hi Gabrielle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We are a Latinx, an LGBTQ+-run business! 

I’m originally from a small town in western New York. I moved to Grand Rapids about 7 years ago to go to school. I’ve worked many jobs since moving here, food service, childcare, a domestic violence shelter, and a security job where I was a supervisor. Most of these jobs were time-consuming and made it difficult for me to go to school. Last year my partner and I wanted to make school my priority; we looked at our finances and decided that I would quit my job as a supervisor and just be a full-time student. I have always worked since I was a kid, so it was a big adjustment for me. I started getting depressed about not working, school kept me busy, but I needed a hobby. I thought about and looked up different crafts I could start doing to occupy my time and change up my day-to-day routine. 

I remembered that I had made soap and candles as Christmas gifts in the past. I enjoyed both, but soap was easier for me than candles, and I felt I could be more creative with soap. I watched some YouTube videos and found a cute idea of putting toys in soap for kids; it’s fun and encourages them to wash their hands and or body. I also found an idea for bubble bath in solid form. The bubble bath bars looked like lollipops which was really cute and creative. 

I went on Amazon found all the things I would need, and off the bat, everything came up to about $200. I wasn’t working anymore, so I worried about spending so much money, but my partner said if it makes me happy, then I should do it. 

Once I started making the products, I wanted to find more things to make and started making soap that play dough or, as we call it bubble bath dough. It feels just like play dough, which is super fun. 

All of this started in March of this year; I figured with Easter around the corner that if I did want to sell these for some cash on the side that this would be a good time to do it. My products originally were more directed towards children; I figured most people will buy things for their kids over buying things for themselves. I had planned to post some of the things I had made on Facebook and see if people liked them and wanted to buy them. 

That same month, my partner and I visited their sister and gave her son some of the products I had made. Their sister loved them so much that she asked if we could make some for her store. My partner’s sister owned a small store that had all kinds of things made by local vendors. She sat me down and gave me so much advice on how to make my products look better, what to put on labels, how to promote my products on social media, how to do craft shows, and so much more. I took all her advice and changed the look of things to make them look more appealing. I started a Facebook group which she recommended over a Facebook business page. 

Once I started doing all of this, I realized I needed to pick a name for my business. I wanted something catchy and easy to remember. I also didn’t want a name that limited what I could make in the future, such as only calling it kids soap or something. I like the sound of alliteration, and it makes it easy to remember. Growing up my family called me Brie, and my mom always called me Breezy; I thought bubbles would be nice since they are associated with bath products. The two Bs had a nice sound to it and made for a cute logo idea; I added a z on the end of bubbles to make it match the z in Breezy. 

Once I had my name, I was able to apply for an LLC. By April Breezy Bubblez was an official business. 

Once people started buying things, we needed to figure out money, inventory, profit, etc. Making the products, managing social media, and dealing with finances became a lot of work for me, Fortunately, I have an amazing partner who took over running our social media pages and the money part of it, so I just come up with products and make them. We work well together and are a great team. I would not be able to do any of this without them. 

I honestly can’t believe how fast this hobby became a business; it has been a whirlwind. 

We now have done a Pride event and a craft show for an organization that is working to end human trafficking. We plan to do many more shows over the next few months, and we try to find ones that are for a good cause. We figure even if we don’t sell enough to make back our booth few at least the money is going to a good place. 

I am grateful for all of our friends and family that have bought and supported our business thus far. We wouldn’t even have a business if it weren’t for the support everyone has given me. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been some struggles, but most new business does. Our biggest struggle is our budget; since I am a full-time student, we aren’t bringing in a lot of money. Most businesses do not make a profit for the first couple years. This has been hard for us. We have been putting more money in than we have been getting back. The upfront cost is a lot, but we have slowly gotten to the point where the money we make goes right make into buying materials, which means we are breaking even. The store we had our products in, unfortunately, shut down. Although we weren’t making much in the store, it still got our name out there, and the store held events that we would participate in to show off our products. Another big struggle for us has been prejudice people. My partner and I are queer. My partner is trans/non-binary, and sadly we have seen people whisper and avoid our booths because of that. Parents have stopped their children from looking at our products. The Pride event we did was in the store we use to sell things in. There were many people who saw the pride flag and would walk out. One mother grabbed her daughter, who was looking around, and told her they needed to get out of there. Being both queer and a person of color, unfortunately, stops us from getting as much business as other vendors. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a full-time student at Western Michigan University my major is Psychology, and my minor is American sign language. I am Pre-Law. I have an associate degree in Psychology, and I will be done with my bachelor’s in two years; after that law school is the goal. I am passionate about social justice and believe we need more queer and Latinas in the field. 

I am a very creative person; I love to write poetry and short stories. I dabble in photography, which helps with taking product photos. I also love music and theater. 

One of the things I love doing the most is singing. I love to sing! It is the way I express myself and how I get my feelings out. I am known for always singing something, usually, I’m singing a song I made up about my cat, or I’m changing the lyrics to a known song to fit my situation. Music is a huge part of me. 

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Most of my favorite childhood memories have to do with my mom. I loved when she would sing to my sister and I before bed or wake us up with a song. I loved blasting music in the car and singing while driving around; that is still something we do when I visit her in New York. My mom is an artist, so watching her draw or paint was always great. She tried teaching me, but art is not my thing; I did not get her ability. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breezy.bubblez/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1103124570264392/