Camilla Rojas, the owner of local guayabera company Chasing Camilla, said she started getting involved in politics after hearing Talarico speak in the Rio Grande Valley. Credit: Michael Karlis

San Antonio small-business owner Melissa Rojas was never interested in political activism.​

When she started her guayabera-making business with help from her madrina and mother in 2017, she did so to make a living as a single mom doing something she loved. She named the businesses after her daughter, Camilla.

“She was only 2 years old when I started this business,” Rojas told the Current during an interview this week. “Once you become a mom, you’re always chasing your kids, so she’s the inspiration behind my brand Chasing Camilla.”

Rojas’ take on politics changed after she attended a James Talarico rally in the Rio Grande Valley. The Democratic U.S. Senate candidate’s message of hope, change and bipartisanship changed something in her — she felt inspired to make a difference.

“That was the first time I ever heard him speak, and I myself wanted to make a difference somehow,” she said.

From there, Rojas started making “Go Vote” guayaberas. Initially, they were crop-top guayaberas for women — a “modern twist” on the lightweight, embroidered Latin American shirts. However, she expanded to men’s guayaberas, and ultimately, guayaberas embroidered with the names of Talarico and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa.

“I think there’s a lot of hope,” Rojas said. “We always have to hope to move forward, and I honestly believe in the people that are running. I want my daughter to grow up in a different world, and I want her to be able to speak her mind and make her dreams come true.”

Indeed, Rojas’ political guayaberas have become a hit on the campaign trail. Hinojosa and Talarico have both visited the store, and their supporters have been spotted wearing the shirts at political rallies from San Antonio to the Valley and beyond.

Rojas said she doesn’t work directly with the two Democrats’ campaigns, but both candidates are aware of her efforts and support them.

“I just want people to go out and vote,” Rojas said. “Just go make a difference. Use your voice, and if you support small businesses, come to mine.”

Before getting involved in politics, Rojas, a Valley native, was a single mom struggling to get back on her feet after a failed marriage in California.”

To help support Rojas’ daughter and give her a source of happiness, her mother lent her money to start Chasing Camilla.

“I started with Serape Santa hats,” she said. “The Guayabera idea came about a few years into my business from my travels and just getting ideas. My whole thing about my business is creating pieces where women like me would want to wear them.”

Business has been good.

Although she lost her spot in the Painted Tree boutique after the indoor marketplace filed for bankruptcy protection in April, good Samaritans reached out and offered Rojas a spot on North Main Avenue.

However, she’s since outgrown that space and is moving again.

“We are moving to 507 E. Houston St.,” Rojas said. “We’re going to be right next to the Alamo, and we open on Sunday, Nov. 1.”

Those unable to make it to the new spot can also order shirts online at Rojas’ website.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...