Daily Inspiration: Meet Emilse Salinas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilse Salinas.

Hi Emilse, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a clothing designer from Bogota, Colombia. I owned my leather clothing store where I manufactured, sold, and exported my leather products. There, I had the opportunity to work with USAID to train demobilized people as a result of the armed conflict in our country. In this program, they learned how to sew and start their businesses.

Our adventure started in 2014 when we had to leave the country with my 12-year-old daughter Valentina. We came directly to Nashville to start a new life in a culture unknown to us. We met the designer Manuel Cuevas, owner of Manuel Couture, who gave me the opportunity to work in his design studio specializing in clothing for music artists. At Manuel’s studio, I had the opportunity to start a small project of teaching sewing and pattern-making to people who love this art. Parallel to these activities, I worked part-time in a well-known high-end alterations store in Green Hills. Here, I developed new skills to transform clothes to customers’ fit.

In 2019, thanks to all the knowledge acquired, I decided to open my own alterations store on Church Street in downtown Nashville. Unexpectedly, I had to close in March 2020 due to Covid-19. I moved the business to my home studio and continued working for Manuel. At the same time, I also trained myself to have an organized business so that it was profitable. I joined the TN Latin American Chamber of Commerce and through the program Entrepreneur Latina Leaders of America we had the opportunity to work hand in hand with Pathway Lending.

With the help of Anne Webber and Leslie Hayes, I received training on how to create a business from scratch in this country, focusing on the objectives and the organization of finances. In 2021, the name Just For You Alterations was born in partnership with my daughter Valentina. She is 20 years old today and is attending Cumberland University to obtain her degree in business administration.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Work wise it has been a smooth road thanks to the 30+ years of experience that I have in the fashion industry. Most of the struggles or challenges have been the language barrier and adaptation to a fast-paced business system.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I will start with what I am most proud of. We teach sewing, pattern making, and design. We train people who want to develop skills in the art of fashion. In this way, we can have qualified people for our clothing workshops and for them to start their businesses. This is a project that I am passionate about. Everyone is welcome to our classes, but it is my main objective to help many young people who do not have the opportunity to attend higher-level education, develop design and sewing techniques with us in this Community of Designers.

In our business, we specialize in fashion clothing tailoring for men and women, wedding, bridesmaid, prom dresses, and casual clothing. We are best known for our high-quality work and customer service. We have made this our top priority because from experience we know that our customers’ clothing and time are extremely valuable. We differentiate ourselves from the others for the service we provide. Also altering clothes so that they do not lose their quality or design, this has given past customers the satisfaction of leaving such expensive garments in the hands of specialists like us.

We are also proud that despite a limitation that was at one time the language, we were able to position ourselves in the alterations market at the most difficult moment for many, the pandemic. This allowed us to serve a market in need of qualified labor, gaining entry into well-known stores in the Nashville couture market. Because this is a family business, I, Emilse Salinas, dedicate myself to the alteration, design, and classes. My daughter, Valentina Forero, is in charge of the managerial side.

Our business is expanding and we will soon open our brick-and-mortar store in the heart of Mt. Juliet, so follow us on social media for upcoming updates!

How do you define success?
To me success is working with discipline, will, organization, punctuality, and motivation to acquire a skill that leads you to your goal. I define success as the opportunity to grow day by day, reaching new challenges.

It is the culmination of each objective and the satisfaction of having achieved it, as a result of the love you put into everything you do, it is the magic of success.

When you are happy with what you are passionate about then success is infinite and never ends because when you live and feel in your veins the passion for what you do and the love for whom you do it, that makes you feel true success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://justforyoualterations.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/just_for_you_alterations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustForUAlterations
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/just-for-you-alterations-mt-juliet

Image Credits
Melanie G. Photography (MELANIEGPHOTOGRAPHY.COM @melaniegphotography)