Thank you for being here! I started CoquiRoki in 2024. I've been running an online shop on and off since around 2018 via Etsy. Back then, I had named it "Prism Paper Studio." I sold stickers, prints, lots of mushroom art. Once I became a full-time freelance artist, I wanted to rebrand to something more personal specially after another shop took a similar name to Prism.
Brainstorming started, I wrote long lists of things I liked and googled for hours making sure names weren't already taken. Then I remember the moment the name "CoquiRoki" popped in my head. Tears filled my eyes as I realized "this is it, this is the name." The name is so special to me as every time I call my dad he greets me with "Hola Coquiroqui!!"
Ever since I was a child, my close family calls me Coqui- it comes from my sister calling me "Coca" when she was a child and couldn't pronounce my name Ninoska. Over the years, I've been lovingly called different iterations of the same nickname: La Coqui, Coquita, Cookie-rookie.
Last year's launch didn't go as I had visualized. Perfection got in the way of action- the thought of doing something wrong, the brand not being right, not having enough product, all these fears led to me giving up. But this year, I have a brand new mindset. I've been selling locally at markets (as of this date, I've done 10 in 2 months!) and seeing people light up when they see my products and art has been incredibly fulfilling. And my setup is as amateur as it gets, yet I still show up. This is the push I needed, to take action despite not being 100% ready.
And that brings me here! One day this week I decided to relaunch and not to put it off anymore. The financial aspect of it scares me but I think I'll figure it out as I go. I'm excited for this! I'm excited to keep making art, to keep showing up for this dream. I invite you to follow along my journey. My intention with this blog is to document my experience starting and running a small business. I'll share about my markets, my brand, my products, manufacturing. It's going to be a good year!
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Coqui aka Nino
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