For Marli Lopez‚ arriving in Canada in 2011 from Torreo‚ Mexico was a long-awaited return to the country she fell in love with as an international student at the University of Victoria in 1987. This time‚ Marli had her husband Gabriel and her two children with her‚ and the plan was to make Victoria their new home.
The family’s new adventure was not without challenges though. Although fluent in English and highly-educated‚ both Gabriel and Marli found it difficult to have their credentials recognized and to find meaningful employment that matched their qualifications and experience. Gabriel says that “in order to fulfill [their] dream of becoming Canadians and settling down in beautiful Victoria‚ [they] decided to open Himulco Shoes”.
Luckily‚ Gabriel‚ who admits to having a strong entreprenurial streak since he was a young man in information technologies in Mexico‚ had the connections with well-known Mexican shoe makers and the ability to work directly with the factories in order to bring the fine leather Mexican-made shoes to Canada. Marli travels back to Mexico regularly on buying trips to ensure Himulco is well-stocked with the newest and most popular styles.
Gabriel and Marli say that they “are grateful to all [their] customers” for the wonderful word-of-mouth support they have received and that they have plans to expand their business and open a second store. Congratulations to the Lopez family!