Faces of Founders: Antonia O'Malley
Welcome to our Faces of Founders, or FOF series. Here's what it's all about.
Bodeguita wouldn’t be Bodeguita without the people behind all the cool stuff that fills its shelves. The founders, the doers, the makers who decided at some point (probably in a mild panic or a moment of madness) that they could create something better—made with more thought, more care, and a little more heart.
“We don’t ‘source’ brands; we actually get to know people.
There’s a WhatsApp chat, a long story, and a half-formed friendship before anything ever hits the shop floor.”
Every piece that ends up here has been lovingly hand-picked, not because it ticks a box, but because it makes us feel something. Joy, curiosity, sometimes complete awe that no one has done this before, and we’re the first to stock it. The artists and designers we work with are our amigos, the slightly sleep-deprived, big-dreaming heartbeat of what makes Bodeguita what it is: vibrant, unexpected, and proudly human.
And that’s really the point of Faces of Founders. We spend so much time falling in love with products—the texture, the design, the cleverness—that we sometimes forget to turn the spotlight around and celebrate the people who make them. The ones who stay up late tweaking, doubting, redoing, who simply go for it and send their work out into the world. And in a world that is increasingly losing its soul to technology, fast fashion, and soulless designs, we’re here to champion slow, thoughtful, human creativity.
And this is the bread and butter of who Bodeguita is. We set up shop to support them, to help their stories and brands travel further, and to remind anyone reading this that creativity deserves to be seen and celebrated.
(Hey — their stories might even inspire you to know that dreams are possible, yes — including the thing you’ve been wanting to do. You just gotta take the leap. And if you’re an independent designer? Our inboxes are always open… just saying).
So, who better to start with than the woman who built the space that made it all possible?
Antonia O’Malley.
Founder, legend, and probably the only person in Puerto Escondido who can talk about surf, store design, community building
(and where to find the best mezcals in town, let's be honest), in the same breath, is up first…
Meet the Founder — ANTONIA
So when I moved to Puerto 9 years ago, I came here with no plan. I had left behind a career in fashion, and my background was in retail buying. Topshop, Urban Outfitters, big brands, big systems… but when I came here I wasn’t looking for anything like that. In fact, I was walking away from all of that.
But the longer I lived here, the more people I met, the more I noticed what a really strong creative energy there was in the town. The more makers, shapers, artists, and designers I met, it became really clear to me really quickly what I wanted to do.
And so that’s where Bodeguita was born. I wanted to create a space that would bring together all those makers and shapers and artists under one roof, and give them a platform to show their work.
Am proud to say we’ve stocked almost 40 brands—young designers, independent brands, mostly all Mexican, or at least people who’ve spent a considerable amount of time here in Puerto.
For me, Bodeguita was always about being more than just a store. It’s about the brands; they are the heart and soul of Bodeguita, but it’s also about the faces behind those brands.
And that’s why we’re excited to launch Faces of Founders, and put a spotlight on the people behind the stuff.
