STORIES OF IMPACT

At WESST, we believe the heart of our mission is best told through the journeys of the entrepreneurs we serve. In our Client Stories section, you’ll find inspiring accounts of New Mexican business owners—at every stage of their ventures—who have been transformed through WESST’s consulting, training, lending, and incubation support. These stories highlight how we partner with clients to turn ideas into thriving, sustainable businesses, showing the real impact of guidance, financial tools, and persistence.

From wellness centers, retail brands, and service businesses to manufacturing and tech enterprises, each narrative underscores how tailored resources, mentorship, and belief in their vision helped these founders overcome obstacles, build confidence, and grow with purpose.

Luna and Luz

“Luna and Luz” (Tess’s daughters’ middle names) is a retail shop, located in the historic Albuquerque Old Town district. Her shop showcases nearly 200 local artisans, including many women-owned and Albuquerque-based businesses. Tess is in the business of invigorating the local economy and making our community rich by supporting vendors and artists who are true makers. She finds purpose through the creation of experiences and cultivation of relationships within the local artis

RETAIL

The Magic Cookery & Naples Drizzle

The Magic Cookery offers a full-service professional commissary kitchen for food service providers. Designed with the client in mind, The Magic Cookery is fully registered and compliant with the FDA. In addition to kitchen services, they offer packaging and bottling facilities. Additionally, The Magic Cookery is home to Naples Drizzle their original manufacturing brand. Naples Drizzle is a line of hot sauces that include their best selling namesake Italian hot sauce. Cheryl C

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Main Street Arts

Main Street Arts is a creative and exciting art space providing an outlet for artists in a prime location in the heart of downtown Roswell. Peggy decided to give herself a gift – to learn how to draw. She found it to be a passion and as it developed she began dreaming on a bigger scale. It was then she knew she wanted to have her very own art gallery. Purchasing an older building downtown, which needed renovations, proved to be quite costly. Owning an art gallery would mean w

CREATIVE ARTS

Maman Atelier

Maman Atelier manufactures and sells lingerie using environmentally friendly fabrics. Kai Lani Mayer, owner, believes that garments should be made to endure years of well-loved wear and, with proper care, can become more beautiful with time. She sells online and attends pop-up shops and events around the state to promote and sell her lingerie. Kai Lani has been a WESST client since 2019. Her first class was Power Tools for Your Business. She decided to take that class to help

RETAIL

Maxim

After marrying her husband, Rafael, Teresita (Tere) moved to the United States from Chihuahua, Mexico. During the next 23 years, she and Rafael raised their two children while he built his trucking business and she pursued a dream of becoming a cosmetologist. In 2008, Tere purchased Christina’s beauty salon in Las Cruces, where initially she was the only hair stylist. In the following year, she added two other stylists and later a nail technician. The building she was renting

HEALTH, WELLNESS, & BEAUTY

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