We were thrilled to learn about our next Lotus Woman, Caroline Misan Alvo. A New Yorker with an eye for fashion and function, Caroline founded her own online boutique, Gambita. She explains why she decided to open shop with a niche focus on the Petite market. Her ultimate goal is to help women feel and look their very best.
Enter Caroline....
My name is Caroline Misan Alvo and I am the founder of Gambita, an online retailer created exclusively for petite women.
Growing up with Brazilian parents I moved from Ecuador, to Mexico City, before finally settling down in the New York City area. My time abroad sparked my interest in international development, which led to my decision to study International Relations in college. Most recently I worked for VisionSpring, a non-profit that provides affordable eyeglasses in developing countries.
However, after working around 6 years in international development, my life took an unexpected turn. In January, I had come back from my honeymoon and it was my third day back on the job, when suddenly I was laid off.
It was a huge blow, but I was determined to make the best of it. A few years ago I first thought of the idea for Gambita, but being that I was content in my job (and that I believed I had no qualifications to start my own business), I decided to suppress my entrepreneurial itch. However since my circumstances changed, I believed it was time to finally take the plunge and start this business. There were a number of times when the voice in the back of my head was trying to discourage me, but I knew I had to focus on my goal and just listen to my gut.
Gambita was inspired by my own personal experience. Being four-foot-nine, shopping was always an issue. But, assuming that it was just because I was exceptionally short, I thought it was a personal issue, rather than a women’s issue.
Talking to other petite women, I realized that wasn't true. Approximately half of the female population in the United States is under five-foot-four; that’s fifty million women with no exclusive retailer to cater to their unique needs.
Combining an amazing shopping experience with curated pieces tailored to fit petite needs, Gambita aims to fix this problem. We look for petite specific and fashion-forward pieces to tailor to petite women who are not afraid of color, print, and looking chic and put-together.
But that’s not all. We have the greater goal of petite women empowerment. We want petite not only to be synonymous with “gambita” but also with “powerful” and “sexy”. That’s why we have features in our blog such as “Petites in the Street” and “Petite Women in History” where we showcase women under five-foot-four that look amazing and do amazing things.
LOTUS: Why “Gambita”?
CAROLINE: In January when I was looking for a name for my new company, I was thinking of something with “petite” or “chiquita” in the name but I had some issues. Petite was overdone and I couldn’t get the idea of “Chiquita banana” out of my head. So, I went with a nickname, “gambita”. Gambita started out as a nickname my husband gave me. My husband translated “shrimp” to “gamba” in Spanish and modified to mean “little shrimp” or “gambita”. I’d love to make “gambita” synonymous with “petite”.
LOTUS: Have you faced any challenges as a “Gambita”?
CAROLINE: Aside from the issues of standing room only concerts and getting things off high shelves, shopping is the obvious issue. Shopping has always been such a process and demoralizing for me. I love shopping, but even if I try on fifty things, I would struggle to find things that fit. Some items either needed to be altered, couldn’t be altered at all, or just wouldn’t work. I had always thought it was a personal issue—I was just exceptionally short. But then I realized I wasn’t alone. That’s how Gambita came about.
LOTUS: Who inspires you?
CAROLINE: Shakira inspires me because she is a fierce force of nature. Not only is she petite, gorgeous, super talented, and still relevant, she balances being a humanitarian, a mother, and a rock star. I admire her sense of style and her attitude.
Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook is another inspiration. I appreciate her conversations about women in the workplace and on women asserting themselves. She’s a great role model for my generation of women and younger generations to come.
LOTUS: Any advice for your fellow women?
CAROLINE: I have two phrases: “Never settle” and “Be remarkable”. I try to live by these tidbits of advice every day. Whether it be in work, in personal life, or when interacting with someone in a grocery store, be remarkable, and never settle.
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