Quinceañera dreams delayed, and an industry disrupted
Plus: Special Teen Talk Thanksgiving edition 🦃; top news of the week
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15-year-old Marlena and her family work to keep Latino cultural tradition alive during Covid, as businesses struggle; ‘I cried so hard’
Editor’s note: This article is part of a collaborative series examining Covid-19’s economic effect on black and Latino communities in Charlotte. The series is produced through a collaboration among WFAE, The Charlotte Ledger, Q City Metro and La Noticia. It is supported by funds from Facebook, the N.C. Local News Lab Fund, Google and WFAE members.
By Maria Ramirez Uribe
They had it all planned out: For her quinceañera, Marlena Modica would wear the white gown her grandmother had gifted her oldest sister — one of many family traditions. The day would start with a religious ceremony followed by a large party with friends and family. Marlena’s parents would proudly show off their little girl becoming a young lady.
For Marlena, who lives in Cornelius, celebrating her quinceañera was about keeping up with a family and cultural tradition. She would step into her two older sisters’ shoes and celebrate as they had, with a slideshow showing off her accomplishments, a large banquet hall and a special father-daughter dance.
Turning 15 and having a quinceañera party is a rite of passage for many Latina girls. This coming-of-age celebration is famous for its extravagant dresses, choreographed dances and traditional cultural customs.
Some girls perform dances with their “chambelanes,” young men who escort the quinceañera. Others are presented with “la última muñeca,” a doll dressed in the same gown as the birthday girl, representing the last doll she will receive as she is no longer a kid.
Marlena Modica cries as she hugs her grandmother for the first time in months on the day of her quinceañera celebration, May 13, 2020. (Photo courtesy of Myra Modica)
Families spend years dreaming of and planning the perfect quinceañera. But with the spread of Covid-19 this year, many had to cancel, postpone or reimagine their day.
With her 15th birthday falling on May 14 of this year, Marlena was among this unlucky group. As the day approached, she could see that her quinceañera might not happen.
“It was pretty disappointing because all my other sisters had it,” Marlena said. “And I guess I wanted to be included in that, but I wasn’t.”
Industry reels: The shutdown not only affected teenage girls and their families but also the industry that’s grown around Latina girls coming of age — an industry that, according to Kim Gamez, CEO and founder of Mi Padrino, a mobile and online app for planning traditionally Hispanic events, is worth around $7.5B.
“The initial reaction from everyone, including our team, was panic. You know, what are we going to do?” Gamez said.
Quinceañera celebrations are often compared to weddings. With elaborate dresses, large venues, catering, choreography, music and more, Gamez says these parties rack up an average price tag of $20,000.
As a result, vendors whose businesses revolve around making these teenagers’ dreams a reality found themselves in particularly tough situations this year.
“Our poor vendor community. A lot of these businesses are small mom-and-pop shops that aren’t necessarily saving for the rainy day,” Gamez said. “When all of their income just kind of left, and then having to, if they were giving back deposits or what have you, I mean, it put a lot of these businesses out of business.”
With hundreds of these quinceañeras happening in North Carolina every year, vendors like Yolanda Plascencia Sánchez have felt the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic firsthand.
Tulle gowns line the aisles of Plascencia Sánchez’s store, Yolanda’s Creations, on Central Avenue in east Charlotte, and centerpieces and decorations fill the shelves. The store is stocked with everything a quinceañera needs.
However, after the pandemic hit, Plascencia Sánchez had to close her doors for a few months, forcing her into a hard economic situation.
“We depend solely on parties, and we have no other source of income, just the events. If there’s no parties, there’s no sales,” Plascencia Sánchez said. “It was devastating.”
Much like Plascencia Sánchez, Mary Romero Baez also felt the devastating effects of widespread quinceañera cancellations.
Romero Baez owns the choreography business Sueños de Primavera, in Apex, outside Raleigh, where she teaches quinceañeras across the state traditional dances.
“I work really hard, and unfortunately that was affected this year, but we’re still here, giving it our all,” Romero Baez said.
According to Romero Baez, the majority of quinceañeras she was planning on working with this year have either canceled or postponed their events. However, a few months ago, she started rehearsals back up in hopes her first quinceañera client will be able to celebrate in December.
Yolanda’s Creations was also able to open its doors back up in May. Plascencia Sánchez says had it not been for government loans, she would have had to close for good. However, despite opening back up, she says business is still not back to usual.
Yolanda Plascencia Sánchez, owner of Yolanda's Creations in east Charlotte, says had it not been for financial loans from the government during the coronavirus pandemic, she would have gone out of business.
Plascencia Sánchez said the first couple of months after Yolanda’s Creations opened back up, she sold next to nothing. She said one client recently went into the store for her daughter to try on a dress. After Plascencia Sánchez wrapped it up for her, the client said she wouldn’t be able to buy it because she had no money.
On average, Plascencia Sánchez says quinceañeras at her store spend between $700 and $1,500 on their dresses. However, since the pandemic hit, she says, clients aren’t willing to spend more than $600.
“People don’t want to pay all that money,” she said. “They aren’t able to pay all that money.”
A different celebration: Thankfully, Marlena already had her dress picked out: The dress her grandmother had bought for the family to pass down was hanging in her closet.
Her mom, Myra Modica, knew she wanted to make her daughter’s 15th birthday in May special and memorable despite the celebration not being as expected. Myra Modica came up with a way to celebrate her daughter’s quinceañera that blended family tradition with social distancing.
“The day of my quinceañera, at home, it was a roller coaster of emotions, because there were some surprises that I did not expect,” Marlena said.
She had her hair and makeup professionally done, she put on the white gown and went to her front yard for what she thought was a photo shoot. While outside, a parade of cars with her friends and family drove down the street cheering her on.
“I cried so hard on that because I was not expecting it at all. It made me feel like my whole family was there,” Marlena said.
One of the people in the line of cars was her grandmother. She hadn’t seen her for months because of the pandemic. Her grandmother was planning only to drive by and see Marlena from the car, but she couldn’t resist.
So, risking her health, she got out to hug and kiss her granddaughter.
“It was just honestly one of the best days ever,” Marlena said.
Maria Ramirez Uribe is part of a team covering the coronavirus pandemic’s economic impact on black and Latino communities in Charlotte as part of a collaboration with The Charlotte Ledger, La Noticia and Q City Metro.
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Teen Talk – Thanksgiving edition 🦃
Each Saturday, The Ledger seeks to bridge the generational divide by introducing readers to words that are popular among teenagers.
Today, we’re reviewing our lessons from the last few months and giving you examples of how to use these words in Thanksgiving-related sentences — which will undoubtedly seal your status as the “cool” aunt, uncle, parent or grandparent this holiday. Unable to gather in person? Don’t worry: They also work great over Zoom. Printable download also available.
Bet: a phrase of affirmation used to express understanding, confirmation or acknowledgement; can be substituted with “for sure” or “sounds good.”
Boujee: luxurious, elite, rich
Bruh moment: a moment of embarrassment
Cap: a lie; to lie
Flex: to show off or boast, brag
Full send: to do something with no regard for the repercussions or consequences of the action. The action being taken is usually considered to be risky.
Highkey/lowkey:
Highkey: adjective used to describe something that is obvious or public knowledge
Lowkey: adjective used to describe something secretive, unexpected or felt to a low extent.
Salty: adjective used to describe being mildly annoyed, upset, bitter
Slaps: to be amazing or extraordinary
Stan: an enthusiastic or obsessive fan. Comes from combining the words “stalker” and “fan.”
Sus: adjective used to suggest that someone or something is suspicious, shady or questionable. It is usually used when someone does something that is considered bizarre or creepy.
Vibe: commonly used as a verb (vibin’, vibing), referring to a relaxed or “chill” state of mind
Yeet: To throw an object with great velocity
Now let’s use them in sentences…
Aunt Linda always makes the most boujee Brussels sprouts — she even drizzles them with truffle oil. And that’s no cap.
Uncle Simon tried to flex how many kitchen gadgets he has by flambe-ing the marshmallows on top of the sweet potato casserole. But it was a real bruh moment when he lit grandma’s tablecloth on fire.
Great-Grandma’s stuffing recipe really slaps.
I lowkey just show up at Thanksgiving for the food.
I’m highkey excited to make Aunt Linda mad by bringing up the election at the dinner table.
Don’t get salty at me just because I asked you to take out the trash.
Q: After dinner, want to go outside and try to walk off some of this turkey? A: Bet.
After you set the table, let’s go yeet the football around in the backyard while we wait for the food to be ready.
It was sus when Betty said she’d made the pecan pie, but then I found the Harris Teeter bakery box in the garage trashcan.
Mom keeps making us listen to “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack over and over. She’s such a Hugh Jackman stan.
Your girlfriend seems really nice. Why don’t you full-send it and propose to her at Christmas this year?
You need to stop vibin’ on the couch and get up and help with the dishes.
— The Bolling and Mecia families
Need a Teen Talk cheat sheet for Thanksgiving? Download a handy printable version here:
This week in Charlotte:
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Ledger originals:
West Charlotte the next frontier for new housing: (Friday 🔒) Real estate agents and builders are eyeing west Charlotte neighborhoods off West Boulevard and Wilkinson Boulevard for new houses. Some houses are selling for $400,000 or more, as owners expect land values to rise, but some longtime residents think all the interest will make the area unaffordable.
Political ads prop up TV stations: (Wednesday 🔒) TV stations have seen big slumps in advertising during the pandemic, but there was a bright spot for them this fall. New data shows that Charlotte TV stations benefited from political advertising more than most other markets.
Child care industry reels from Covid: (Monday) It’s a rough time for Charlotte child care centers, which are trying to handle a decline in enrollment amid higher operating costs, new procedures and government subsidies that are running out.
A new ‘cheesy’ epidemic hits Charlotte: (Wednesday) A series of south Charlotte Nextdoor posts has uncovered the latest weird trend in pranks: Teens are throwing slices of yellow cheese at passing cars. Hide your children and hunker down — it’s going to be a long winter.
Latino businesses struggle with Covid: (Tuesday, presented in partnership with WFAE) As Covid numbers surge across North Carolina, local Latino businesses find themselves particularly at risk of closing down. Several owners talked about their efforts to combat the pandemic and what it could mean for their companies’ futures.
Who got Covid relief money? (Wednesday🔒, Friday🔒) Both the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County released their lists of businesses that were awarded Covid relief funding to help them survive the pandemic. There’s a ton of familiar names on the list, from spots all over Charlotte.
Hot land sale news🔥: (Friday🔒) A couple big land sales this week — for all of you who like to pay attention to such things — one in South End, the other off Statesville Road. We’ve got the scoop.
Sycamore brew-haha: (Monday) Five months after state alcohol regulators slapped it with a $1,000 fine for an unauthorized risqué beer can label, Charlotte’s Sycamore Brewing is back with another provocative holiday design on its Christmas Cookie Winter Ale, featuring gingerbread men engaged in light bondage with wrist cuffs, body harnesses, masks and paddles.
Convention center expansion moves forward: (Monday) With no conventions happening to get in the way, the $127M overhaul of the Charlotte Convention Center is moving along. The renovated convention halls will be bigger and more airy, and the corridors will be more inviting, according to the president of the construction firm doing the work. It’s expected to be completed in October 2021.
Top news from other media:
Covid cases, hospitalizations increase: (WFAE) North Carolina is reporting high case counts and hospitalizations as officials warn against traveling during Thanksgiving week. The state reported 4,296 new coronavirus cases on Thursday and hospitalizations were also at the highest level reported — 1,538 people. Covid test positivity rate has remained at 8-9% for the past two weeks after getting as low as consistent 5% in September.
N.C. introduces county alert system: (WRAL) As part of continued efforts to combat the spread of Covid, Gov. Roy Cooper implemented a new county alert system for the state of North Carolina. Each county will be shaded red, orange or yellow to indicate the severity of the spread, and the map will be updated monthly.
Hornets land Ball: (WBTV) The Charlotte Hornets took LaMelo Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft on Thursday. Another noteworthy selection: Duke center Vernon Carey, who they took 32nd.
Nova’s Bakery closing: (Agenda) Nova’s Bakery, a stalwart of the Plaza-Midwood area, is closing its doors after 26 years, citing a loss of customers due to the pandemic.
Second arrest made in Brooks killing: (Observer) Police have arrested a second suspect in the killing of Scott Brooks, co-owner of Brooks’ Sandwich House, last December. The suspect, Steven Naples, was already in custody and has been charged in connection with five murders that happened in a little over one month.
How to get a Covid test: (Observer), (WFAE), (WCNC) Need a Covid test before Thanksgiving? Here are some resources about how to get one before the holiday.
— David Griffith and Cristina Bolling
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: David Griffith