Life & Work with Alicia Santana-Taylor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Santana-Taylor.

Hi Alicia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Years ago, when I lived alone, my kind neighbor Roger always looked after me. He brought me chocolate chip cookies when I moved in and eventually called me the daughter he never had. I was heartbroken when Roger passed away in 2016 at the age of 89. As his son David cleaned out the house to prepare it for sale, he began giving away some of his parents’ personal items. One day he offered me the sewing machine that belonged to his mother, who had died decades earlier. I thanked him but told him that I didn’t need it–I didn’t even know how to sew. But David insisted, and I finally accepted the sewing machine. After all, it had meant enough to Roger that he’d kept it all those years. I thought I could keep it in my home as a decorative item and reminder of my dear friend. After a few weeks of watching the sewing machine collect dust in the corner of my living room, I decided to research basic sewing projects so that I could actually use it. My daughter Juliana was two years old at the time, so I looked for things I could make for her. I eventually came across a web article about how to make hair bows. I was nervous to try something new but determined to make the prettiest bows I could.

After a few months of making hair bows, I began to donate many of them to non-profit organizations and give others away to family and friends. The response was very positive, with people going so far as to say that I should sell them. I didn’t agree at the time, but I kept working on my new hobby, learning to make glitter bows, cheer bows, headbands, snap clips and everything in between. After an ever-growing inventory began taking over my dining room, I realized that it was time to start selling. In 2017, I opened up my online store, Alice’s Bow Shop, promising “for every beautiful little girl, a beautiful little bow.” I soon expanded the business to selling at craft fairs, which were super fun! I was happy doing something I enjoyed and sharing it with others. When the pandemic hit last March, I started using the sewing machine to make cloth face masks, which I donated to hospital workers throughout L.A. County. People loved the masks, and soon I was selling them online. Sewing became the first real hobby I’d ever had. I wanted to share my love of hobbies with others, especially children since the pandemic had been challenging for so many of them. From my background as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I knew that hobbies provide important mental and physical health benefits to people of all ages. My husband Tim and I had also seen Juliana benefit from her own hobbies, like crafting, during the pandemic. We wanted to see other kids develop stimulating hobbies as well, rather than just watch TV or play video games all day.

So last March, we joined forces to write a children’s rhyming book, To Hobbyville We Go! It was important to us that the book be diverse and inclusive and portray children in non-gender stereotyped roles. We wanted kids around the world to read the book and see themselves reflected in it. We spent seven months on the book, perfecting the text and working with an artist in Canada on the illustrations. Finally, in October 2020, we began taking pre-orders. So far, we have sold over 400 copies of the book and shipped to 18 U.S. states and seven foreign countries. We have also donated about 300 books to local schools and libraries. We hope to inspire kids to try new hobbies and make them part of their everyday routine. The response to the book has been amazing. We have received pictures and videos from around the world of children reading To Hobbyville We Go! and trying out some of the hobbies depicted in the book. As we’d hoped when we wrote the book, it became one of the first that Juliana was able to read to us. In February, we were honored by the mayor of Downey, California, who presented us with the Mayor’s Champion Award for inspiring kids to pursue hobbies during the pandemic. We are currently working on a few other projects, each continuing on the theme of inspiring children of all ages to try new hobbies. I truly believe that Roger would be thrilled to know that his wife’s sewing machine has led to so many new adventures for me and my family.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, there were many bumps along the way! I am not especially tech-savvy, and I had never sewn, written a book, developed a website, or used social media for marketing. It was humbling to teach myself these new skills and at times very frustrating. As my husband can attest…I cry when I’m happy, I cry when I’m sad, I cry when I’m angry…you get the idea! So needless to say, I cried many tears over the last few years! I did, however, have a great support system of family and friends, which definitely helped.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and work for the second-largest school district in the United States as a Psychiatric Social Worker. I provide social-emotional support to high school students, often assessing for trauma, depression and suicidal thoughts. When I am not conducting risk assessments, I provide individual and group counseling. My heart is definitely in working with high school students. They challenge me and keep me “woke!” I have worked in various capacities as a social worker for the past 17 years. In 2019, I was honored to receive the Heroes in Education Award for my work with at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
For me, the most important lesson I’ve learned is that it’s okay to not know everything. Doing something you’ve never done before, even when it’s scary, is how you learn new things. If I had given in to my self-doubt, I would never have started a hair bow business or published a book.

Contact Info:

• Email: hobbyvillebooks@gmail.com alicesbowshop@gmail.com
• Website: www.hobbyvillebooks.com www.alicesbowshop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hobbyvillebooks/ https://www.instagram.com/alicesbows/