Rising Stars: Meet Crystal Torres

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Torres.

Hi Crystal, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
Life has been full of ups and downs but I am very thankful of each memory as it has made me who I am. Having a father with mental illness was not always easy, but I know he did the best he knew how. I thank him for showing me who God was and showing me how to be generous and giving to everyone. Entrepreneurship has lived and breathed in my family as my dad managed one of the many shops that my grandfather owned. My Papa, my grandfather owned several horse tack businesses throughout. Growing up with gave me the inspiration to also want this one day. I remember as a kid dreaming of owning a store and thinking of all the things I would put in it. I would take pencils and candy to school to sell in hopes of saving money to open this store, not knowing that this would only allow me to buy pen and paper to maybe draw one lol. As I got older, aside from one day owning my own business, I knew I wanted to help others. As a child, I remember my dad taking off his brand-new leather jacket and giving it to a homeless man on the side of the street. Without knowing anything about him, he just took it off and gave it to him without ever batting an eye. This always stuck with me as one of the greatest memories and lessons my dad could ever give me. When I graduated high school, I applied at a local cosmetology school as I really enjoyed doing hair. I would change my hair color monthly and sometimes family/friends as allowed and/or needed. Unfortunately, though I would not qualify for funding and decided to just work. My late grandfather, Don Motsenbocker, which whom I worked for encouraged me to go to college and offered to help financially. From there is where I would go onto college to possibly be a social worker or psychologist. I honestly had no idea which one I wanted to be, but knew I had time to work on choosing a future career. I loved going to college as it was so much more freeing compared to high school. During this time, I also took photography classes as I thought I possibly might want to become a photographer as well. There were so many endless possibilities, and I didn’t want to settle on just one. Although I loved going to school, I decided to start a family by bringing my first daughter, Gabriella into the world. I stayed as long as I could, but swelling up and gaining almost 100 pounds took a toll on my back, and I could no longer walk for long periods of time. I left CCCC and decided to just work and focus on my family. I would soon go on to have my daughter Chloe and son Gonzalo. Unfortunately, due to addiction and generational curses I was left lost and stayed lost for a while. Thanks to my faith I was able to get involved in CR and make changes. I worked for my grandfather on and off for a while. I guess you could say I always came back as it was job security and he was the only one that would put up with me lol. My Papa was a hard businessman but a loving grandfather. He allowed me to work in several areas of his company which taught me multiple skills. I sewed horse pads, designed ads on the computer, answered phones, shredded documents, worked in sales, did some accounting work and even managed one of his stores. He saw the leader in me, but I was still lost and did not prove to him all that I could be. He has since passed but I know he would be very proud of who I am today. He has since passed and not too long after covid happened which completely took down the company. I was heartbroken as this was a company my Papa had worked so hard to build and was part of my childhood. To see it completely shut down was hard but it pushed me to do and be who I am becoming now. I decided to go to Cosmetology school in hopes of starting a great career. I no longer had a steady income which was scary so I started side hustles which included Instacart, fetch, and reselling on Facebook. These were hard, to be honest, there were days and times that I cried due to having to carry heavy containers with packages upstairs and drag down long hallways. I delivered in the rain, heat, and cold which was hard but I did it and am still thankful for it. Being a thick out of shape mamma you can imagine how not fun this was lol.  Graduation came before I knew it, and I was ready to start my career. I had heard about a little hidden treasure in McKinney called Southern Sisters. I then met the owner, Courtney, and decide to move forward to renting a booth. I was told not to rent a booth straight out of school,  but I was 40 and had no time to waste. I offered free haircuts to give back to the community as well in hopes that I would get my name out there. It was a great opportunity for them as they got their haircut for free and a great opportunity for me as well as I was able to build my profile with before and after pics while getting my name out there. I am not sure if Southern Sisters is my forever home, but I know that I am very thankful for everyone there and the opportunity that it has brought in my life. Courtney allowed me the opportunity as well to sell some of my boutique items which I will forever be grateful for. What started from a small section turned into enough inventory to fill a 10×10 space! I loved this as it gave me extra money while I was building my hair clientele. This would soon get me back into wanting to do trades days and markets. I started this in the hottest worse possible months to start an outside market business. I paid for three markets and did not sell anything! It was hot, miserable, and discouraging. I would look around and notice that the only vendors that were selling would be food vendors. So, this is where Pikositos Mckinney was born. Although this is till new it is getting off to a great start. My keychains are my funnest yet! What are used for keychain hand sanitizers are filled with your choice of lime juice or chamoy mix. You can add to this keychain with a bottle opener, wrist strap, and/or mini tajin or beer salt. There are many add-ons for this to make a great add on to your current keychain, start fresh, or a unique gift! Included in this line I am also wrapping apples, offering pickles soaked in Chamoy and so much more coming! A lot of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into learning what works and doesn’t work for this, but I am super excited about where it’s headed. I am currently doing hair at Southern Sisters as well as selling boutique items which is where “Crystal’s Chair and Boutique” come into play I am doing as many markets as possible to build my business by getting my name out there. I have a few other things that I am working on but probably will not launch till next year! I am very excited about all of the new opportunities and thankful for everyone that has supported me through all of my business ideas lol. I love being a small business and supporting and being a part of a community of many other local small businesses as well. Just think of what we can achieve if we all come together! Next year, I see many things happening involving helping the community in so many ways and I could not and cannot do it without the support of God, family friends, and of course YOU! This is only the beginning for me! Anything is possible in this world as we have so much at our fingertips. Sometimes we might not have the strength or the where to, to start a new life, but I promise if you start to ask around you will find what you’re looking for. Have faith in yourself as we all deserve it.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We all face many obstacles and challenges in life due to being self-inflicted or just things that happen beyond our control. My childhood shaped me in many ways, good and bad, but if I didn’t go through the bad maybe I wouldn’t have appreciated or worked as hard to get to the good. Breakups, addictions, guilt, and pain were some of the hardest challenges I have faced. These pop up from time to time but I continue to move forward and not let me bring back down again. Financial hardships can be stressful but I have always prayed away to make things work! Now, I do all of my marketing and the best that I can, but money makes things move. Funds are not deep at the moment, but with saving and coming up with a plan, I know that time can fix this as well. Staying positive, keeping realistic goals, and always moving forward will help achieve this.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I would say I am my own artist. All of my work has a piece of me attached to it. In the hairstylist world, I love to say that my artwork is walking around on client’s heads which is an amazing feeling. I love the feeling when someone comes in embarrassed by their hair but walk out feeling like a million bucks. Helping them get that confidence back builds my confidence too and keeps me going and wanting to do even better and more. I have a boutique section next to my chair which I take to markets that include items such as jewelry, handbags, shoes and more. Pikositos is my new line of chamoy/tajin candy and more! This is my newest addition that I hope brings a smile with every bite. Glittered Garbage and Periodt are new adventures that I cannot wait to share with you. Glittered Garbage will feature many items that I am going to recycle and add my artistic flare to. My favorite color is glitter and I love finding things that no one wants and turning into a sparkly art piece! Saving the best for the last comes… Peridt! There is a major need for tampons and pads throughout! I have period packs that come with everything a girl needs when she starts her first period as well as a period pack for us pros. For each pack sold a portion will be donated to provide tampons/pads for those in need. I will be hosting drives and so much more the beginning of next year…

I also have a little side hobby where I get to dress up and be in various Retro Lovely magazines thanks to Dynamite Dames Photography located in Ft Worth. I offer signed copies of these magazines for anyone interested. This has helped build my confidence in so many ways and am very thankful for the opportunity as well as all who have purchased.

Image Credits
Blessed Photography
Arteta Photography
Dynamite Dames Photography
The Golden Hour Photography