D' Luna Mexican Store approaches 10-year anniversary

Owner Marisol Luna is entrepreneur, leader and mother

Laura Cardozo Special to the Times

from Spanish by Ricardo Esqueda..)

(Translated

The D' Luna Mexican Store is known by the Gunnison community as a place of cultural exchange — one where Colombians, Salvadoreans, Peruvians and Mexicans converge to find identity and to benefit from everything the store has to offer.

Owner Dulce Marisol Luna García is at the head and heart of the success of D' Luna since it opened 10 years ago. Her business has continued to grow and she has become a leader due to her strength as an entrepreneur and her participation in and service to the Gunnison community.

Marisol left her native land of Mexico in search of a better future in the U.S.. Twelve years ago she visited Gunnison without any intention of staying in the valley. She never imagined that she would find love and stay and form a home with her current husband.

“I was only 19 years old when I got married,” Marisol said. “I started to create a life with my husband filled with many dreams. We started from the bottom, and I started my first job with housekeeping in a hotel in Gunnison.”

Her longing for betterment led her to work in cleaning services for four years until the former owner of the store now known as D’ Luna offered Marisol and her husband, Orlando, the opportunity to purchase the business. Around the same time as her dreams of her new business became clear, Marisol also gave birth to her first son. The added responsibility meant the challenge became more difficult, but with the support of her husband and by establishing clear goals she began the project.

“We started little by little,” Marisol said. “There were parts of the store that we needed to improve, and during that time we didn’t have many clients. I would travel with my baby and even while waiting for the birth of my second son, I would travel to Denver during the wintertime and summer months to bring groceries to the mountains for my Hispanic community.”

D’ Luna continued to grow due to the support of clients and the continuous effort of its owners. Its first location in the heart of Gunnison on Tomichi Avenue allowed the Mexican store to become popular. For six years,

D’ Luna maintained its location until she received the order that she would have to cease occupying the location due to risks and problems in infrastructure.

According to Marisol it was a very difficult time, and she did not know where she could relocate her business.

“It was urgent to find a good space as soon as possible,” Marisol said. “I could not leave my clients and my Hispanic community without a way to send money to their families.”

Marisol said she is grateful for the support she received from different public organizations in Gunnison County and from the Hispanic community.

“Many people gathered around us to support the reopening of D’ Luna, and thanks to their donations we were able to rent this new space,” she said.

D' Luna Mexican Store welcomed its clients to its new location in February of 2022. She then extended her business by opening the “Antojito” — an ice cream parlor. It’s a new wager for Marisol. She hopes it will grow her business by selling ice creams that remind Hispanics about the exquisite flavors of the fruits from their places of origin.

Almost 10 years after the birth of D’ Luna, Marisol said she is proud of the growth she has experienced as an entrepreneur, mother and woman.

“I abandoned my academic studies when I left Mexico, and I was determined to finish my studies and continue preparing myself to manage my businesses and also my husband’s busi- ness,” she said.

Her instinct and good decision-making skills have made her into one of the most influential Hispanic women in Gunnison and from this point she has a vision to create a chain of Mexican stores in different places in Colorado. Marisol contributes social work to her community by creating a space to empower women that she employs and with whom she has developed an excellent service to her clients, something that she considers a success of her businesses.

“We have people that come and visit from other places because they say they feel like they are at home,” she said.

(Laura Cardozo can be contacted at 970.641.1414.)