Meet Melyssa Herrera | Lucky Birds Boutique Owner

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

Hi Melyssa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The birth of my daughter and my return to work threw me into a jolting roller coaster ride of emotions. Don’t get me wrong, I love roller coasters at Six Flags Over Texas; Not with my emotions. It’s exhausting! I knew that I had to figure out some way to spend more time with my growing family while also supporting the household. After discussing a long list of options, the obvious solution was to stoke the coals of my in-law’s pop-up jewelry business: Lucky Birds.

I know, IN-LAWS and BUSINESS… was my depressive desperation clouding my judgement?!

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law agree that Lucky Birds is the way for me to reach the ultimate goal of supporting my family while raising my babies. Together we revitalized the old business in the spring of 2021. The road ahead is going to be challenging, but I have never been more motivated to succeed. Nor have I been happier. What could be a more accurate definition of success than happiness?

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Lucky Birds is a family owned, woman owned, Texas business. It originated in the border town of El Paso, Tx as a way to earn money to help fund the wedding of my sister-in-law (Laura). With over 200 family members alone, you can imagine how expensive it is to accommodate such a large guest list. My mother-in-law (Lisa) and Laura got creative and started selling jewelry at local markets as a fun way to meet their goals. The wedding was absolutely beautiful! But as most things happen, normal everyday life became busy and Lucky Birds slowly fizzled out.

Later down the road, I joined the family and helped get the business back up and running. I work full time as a healthcare professional and raise my little 16-month old daughter. So the biggest challenge, like with anything, is time. There are many instances when all these responsibilities stretch me too thin. It’s during these moments that I think about what Lisa says, “You’ve got to remember the most important thing is family. Enjoy these little moments because they pass sooner than you think.”

The biggest lesson I’ve learned during this process is to recognize the signs telling me to take a break. For me, the sign is that I am not having fun. Now, as soon as I start to feel the stress bubbling up, I put the business to-do list and housework to the side and just play with my daughter. It works…every time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many places that I will take my bestie when she comes during her next visit. Since she is a fort worth native, I try to show her new places that she hasn’t had a chance to see/experience yet. In my opinion, the following list are things you must do when visiting Fort Worth.

Food: Gus’s Fried Chicken, Dos Juanito’s, Nuevo Leon, Poke Poke, Daybreak Cafe & Grill, Carshon’s Deli, My Lan (Vietnamese), Tie Thai, and Bombay Grill (Indian)… honestly there are a ton more, but those are my top favs that people may not know about.

Things to do: Scatt Jazz lounge, Thompsons Book Store (Speak Easy), biking the trinity trail, kayak rentals at panther island, Tulip’s for live music, Fort Worth Nature Center, Trinity Park Duck Pond, Panther City Vinyl.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Lisa Herrera (Mother-in-Law) & Laura Valdez (Sister-in-Law) – Thank you both for the guidance in this new world of business ownership, welcoming me into the family with open arms, allowing me to take over one of the family businesses, and supporting my goals as a new mom.

Website: luckybirdsboutique.com

Instagram: @lucky_birds_boutique

Facebook: @luckybirdsboutique – Page