Wear The Revolution, Fund La Mariposa Thrift!

💫 What is the mission of your company or project?

La Mariposa is a femme-led, queer-centered resale shop in Humboldt Park turning secondhand style into first-rate liberation. We’re here to dress the dolls and dismantle detention. Our mission is to use fashion, community, and joy as a tool for mutual aid that looks like immigrant legal defense and queer survival. Think Buffalo Exchange meets Brown Elephant but BIPOC centered and hot .

🧩 What problem are you solving?

Let’s be real:
🧾 Legal fees for immigration cases are astronomical.
🧼 Thrift is getting gentrified and sterilized.
🚫 Queer, femme, and immigrant folks are often excluded from both fashion and justice spaces.

La Mariposa is here to make thrift sexy and for a cause not corporate interests again, while keeping people free, paid, and fabulous

📊 What is the market size/opportunity?

Chicago's resale market is booming, and our generations are more likely than ever to shop secondhand especially when it supports a cause. Humboldt Park alone is brimming with artists, organizers, and fashionistas who want to shop with their values. There’s a huge appetite for style-forward thrift that’s also unapologetically political and joyful.

Bonus? We’re the only thrift shop on the block that funds mutual aid like immigrant justice. Niche and needed.

👛 What is your company/product about and how does it solve the problem?

La Mariposa is a community-rooted thrift store and cultural community space where:

• Clothes are sorted by vibe, not gender

• All proceeds go to mutual aid like immigrant legal defense

• Events include Know your rights drag nights, DIY repair circles, and legal aid pop-ups

We solve big problems by starting small: through closets, connections, and community cash flow.

💸 Why are you seeking funding and how will you spend it?

We’re raising funds to launch the store, specifically to cover:

• First and last month’s rent on the storefront

• Paint, fixtures, and garment racks

• Signage, startup insurance, and legal filing fees

• A few paid stipends for queer/immigrant artists helping with the build-out

• Marketing and a tiny amount of emergency fund (a bubble machine too)

You're contributions aren't just opening a store, you’re funding a movement in boots, hoops and heart!

✨ Who is on your team?

🦋 Daniela Martinez — actor, organizer, retail & style specialist, vibe curator and founder of La Mariposa. She’s got the vision, the hustle, and the perfect outfit for every strategy meeting.

💅 JC Martinez —  logistics maestro. JC brings 30 years of behind-the-scenes magic in logistics operations and community-based projects with spreadsheets that slay and negotiation that never quits .

🌿 Denise Ruiz — our mentor and guiding star. Denise is a revolutionary herbalist, founder of The Honeycomb Network, and a living legend in Chicago’s organizing community. Recently honored on the Congressional floor (yes, that Congress), she brings radical wisdom, grounded care, and a legacy of building what our communities truly need.

🌈 Plus a fabulous rotating crew of queer creatives, artists, and cultural workers helping design, source, thrift, and manifest La Mariposa into being.

💼 Fair Pay for Our Founder

Launching La Mariposa is a full-time labor of love and labor deserves fair pay. As the founder and director, I’ll be leading every part of this project: securing and preparing the space, building community partnerships, curating the store, organizing events, and making sure every dollar we raise turns into real impact.

A portion of the funds raised will go toward a modest first-year salary for me so I can dedicate myself fully to this work without needing to juggle another job to survive. I believe in fair compensation for all workers ~including myself~ and this is part of our commitment to sustainability and integrity.

Your contribution doesn’t just keep the lights on, it keeps the vision alive and allows me to give my time, creativity, and energy fully to La Mariposa and the communities it serves.

🎯 $10,000 Unlock the Doors

This covers the essentials to secure the space.

• First & last month’s rent + security deposit

• Basic insurance

• Initial legal fees or filing (fiscal sponsorship/admin setup)

• Locksmith, utilities, basic cleaning

🎯 $15,000 Build the Boutique

Now we make it beautiful.

• Paint, lighting, floor touch-ups

• Clothing racks, hangers, shelving

• Signage (indoor + outdoor)

• Founder compensation!

🎯 $25,000 Style the Revolution

Let’s fill the shop with fashion-forward resistance.

• Website + online store starter kit

• First run of La Mariposa merch (totes, pins, tees)

• Second month rent!

🎯 $30,000 Open the Community Closet

Now we’re building more than a store — we’re building support systems.

• Free mutual aid corner (hygiene kits, winterwear, etc.)

• Stipends for queer/immigrant artists to help launch

• Soft launch event (with food, DJ, and sparkle)

• Permits for community pop-ups or sidewalk events

🎯 $40,000 Power the Programming

Support culture, creativity, and organizing.

• Drag shows, repair circles, legal aid pop-ups

• Artist consignment commissions + zine collabs

• Accessibility tools (chairs, signage, water cooler)

• Staff/volunteer appreciation

🎯 $50,000 Keep Her Flying

This is our buffer for sustainability and stability.

• 3-month rent cushion

• Emergency fund (equipment repair, store emergencies)

• Additional inventory/acquisition fund

• Mobile thrift startup equipment