Meet Biridiana Ordóñez | Owner of M&B

We had the good fortune of connecting with Biridiana Ordóñez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Biridiana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
M&B Tiny Shop started with the purposes of bringing our Mexican and Guatemalan culture to our city: Denton TX. We wanted to share artisan made products to our community, which was lacking. We are the first artisan boutique store in Denton.

My husband and I want to continue to remember where we come from and share that with our kids. Our roots make us who we are.

Many of our customers experience memories when they come into our shop. They recall childhood memories, look at the new artisan work. We love to hear and share stories with each of customers.

All we want is to share, create, and experience our cultura with everyone. Including family and friends. Share our artisan work, our family made products, and the meaning behind it all.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I didn’t know I would have a store front today. I was a teacher 9 years ago. I did what everyone first generation student does, follow parents dreams and make them proud.

I was a ESL teacher and a soccer coach in a non profit organization in Denton. GOAL ( Guy and Girls Operating as Leaders). I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher but I was so worried of letting my family down, specially my parents knowing the difficulties we went through to just go to college. Business comes easy for me. I come from a family with small business ownership. After my 3rd year teaching I struggled every year, not with the kids, it was more personal. I knew I didn’t want to be there. The atmosphere didn’t make it any better. I’ve always been creative so I started making things. Decided to open an Etsy account. My mom has always helped me get the connections in MEXICO with our artisans from the beginning.

It was right before covid that our business kicked off. Not many people were selling artisan work from Mexico and Guatemala. I knew I wanted a store front but I needed to build to it. That is the hardest part. Reaching the right people and doing everything yourself. I’ve managed and been able to reach thousands of people at pop ups, markets, social media. Tiktok obviously has helped with those online sales. I was shy at first but gotten used to it.

I’ve learned to take better pictures of my products, I still have a lot to work on.

Everyday is a new day for me. That’s how I get through the day. Specially on hard days. Our business has grown and I’m starting to need help. That’s the hard part asking for help. I like to have control but learning to let go of some responsibilities has helped mentally.

I hope when people come in find and feel the love we as a family put into our small shop. Bringing true handmade products from Mexico and Guatemala.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When you come to Denton,TX you will find yourself in a small but quirky town. I like to tell people that Denton is like a mini Austin. So much to do. You must visit downtown Denton known as the square. You can eat and have some drinks in town. All small business. That’s the awesome part of this town. Very supportive and proud of small business owned businesses. It’s also a college town so you might bump into some football games. You can always go to East Side and have a drink and choose from the variety of food trucks, my favorite is Pickled Carrot. In walking distance there is also LSA Burger on the square. You can go play at Free Play some of your favorite old school games. If you are craving some Mexican food just go down Mckinney St right off the square and choose any of the restaurants. That’s the best park of Denton, park somewhere on the square and everything is at walking distance. You will find everything and anything- food, shopping, and drinks! Also entertainment. Don’t forget Denton is known for their Arts and Crafts, come during our anual Denton Arts and Jazz fest! 3 day weekend right in the heart of Denton.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First of all I want to dedicate this to my parents for always showing me that hard work pays off. My husband because he is my backbone to my dreams. He always says “I support you in all your decisions”. Over all my kids because I want to make sure they know that they can follow there dreams.

One more important group! My Valkyries. My GOAL soccer girls. If it hadn’t been for my girls pushing to go to the next level I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I do this to make sure all my young adults and Latina(o) know that we can be something in this lifetime. We can reach our dreams with all hardships that come across.

Website: Mbtinyshop.com

Instagram: @mbtinyshop.denton

Facebook: @mannybiri.tinyshop