- June 29, 2024
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Felicita & Faustina host a rug tufting class from 11 am to 3 pm at Ripple Coworking on Saturday, June 22. Photo by Emma Brugna
A rug made by Alicia Sanchez, founder of Felicita & Faustina, of her daughter. Photo by Emma Brugna
Alexandra Polonia works on her rug inspired by Hello Kitty. Photo by Emma Brugna
Alicia Sanchez assists Fabiola Pierre in creating her rug. Photo by Emma Brugna
Fabiola Pierre works on her rug, adding a beige color. Photo by Emma Brugna
Joe Metz creates his rug during the class on Saturday, June 22. Photo by Emma Brugna
When marketing strategist Alicia Sanchez founded nonprofit Dear God Are We there Yet?, she wanted to provide a space where people could volunteer their time to their community. With her new pop-up studio shop, Felicita & Faustina, she seeks a different mission: bring diverse crafts to Ormond and Daytona Beach.
Felicita & Faustina hosts classes for rug tufting, sewing, sandal-making, and other crafts for kids and adults. Sanchez, of Ormond-by-the-Sea, was inspired to create the studio by her paternal and maternal grandmothers, two individuals from the Dominican Republic who share her love for crafts.
Sanchez teaches each class alongside the support of her mother-in-law, Fabiola Peraza, who assists her in teaching. Both Sanchez and Peraza guide the students while still allowing each person creative freedom.
Individuals who participate in Sanchez’s rug tufting classes are able to choose whatever design they wish to transform into a rug. Then, they send the outline to Sanchez to create the rug prior to the class, which acts as their guide. The class is typically three to four hours, depending on the intricacy of the rug’s design, and the students choose their own colors and make the rug personal to them.
“You get to bring your personality out,” Sanchez said. “And these are rugs that you could put on the floor of your house or the wall, and you’re like, ‘I made that.’”
Aside from rug tufting, Felicita & Faustina host different exciting classes at Ripple Coworking, generally once each month during the summer. However, once the school year begins again, the classes are slated to occur more often, usually on the weekend. Some examples of the classes offered include sewing classes for kids, candle making for adults, sip night where adults can sip and rug tuft, as well as brunch and rug tufting.
Sanchez explains that by attending these different classes, she hopes people will remember that we are all artistic and creative.
“Sometimes we don’t stop to pause and let that creative side through, and when you’re creative, you don’t realize how much it opens other things,” Sanchez said.
As the founder of Dear God Are We There Yet, Sanchez said that a nonprofits needs two things: time and money.
“I wanted to set that it’s not mine — it’s the community’s,” Sanchez said.
Being from the Dominican Republic, Sanchez said she values diversity and culture. Through her nonprofit and Felicita & Faustina, she wishes to share her Afro-Latina roots to her crafts and clients.
Sanchez also has a blog, MamasDinero.com, where she teaches budgets and investing in rentals. She explains how, as a Latina, many lack knowledge in budgeting, finances, or investing, and by being a marketing strategist for 20 years, she wishes to share her knowledge and help people better understand one’s financial life.
We are always evolving as people, Sanchez said, but we should never forget who we are. That's why she said she always talks about her culture on her blog.
“It’s very important to me, and I want other little girls and little boys to see that,” Sanchez said. “I want other businesses to understand that diversity is important and that everyone should feel welcomed.”
