Yvonne Marquez and Marina Carranza are giving revenge a new meaning. The Latina, LGBTQ couple opened their shop Adelitas Revenge in July, filled to the brim with Chicana-inspired clothing, jewelry, candles, bottle openers, matchboxes, cultural shadow boxes for ofrenda displays, sarapes for dogs and more.
Adelitas Revenge is named after the adelitas, or female soldiers, who fought, cooked and cared for the wounded during the Mexican Revolution from 1910-17. Marquez said she has always loved the story of las adelitas, but saw many other stores and restaurants already donning the name.
“So I need[ed] to put something behind it,’” Marquez said. So I said, ‘How about revenge’ and it’s not because it’s a bad thing. I want to take it back like I want to use it as [if] we’re empowering women again. You know, it’s our turn after the #MeToo movement, after we marched for the Women’s March. I just thought it was time for us as Latinas, as Chicanas.”
The couple’s shop is home to over 20 artists, collectives and artisans, many of whom are also queer-identifying Chicanas. Marquez mentioned that each artist is exclusive to Adelitas Revenge, meaning they are the only shop in Long Beach that sells their items.
The Chicana business is taking over a portion of the former location of another beloved LGBTQ-owned business in Long Beach, Plantiitas. Marquez and Carranza will permanently take over a room inside the building on 4th Street while the rest of the location will become home to the new Platiitas Market.
Marquez has drawn inspiration from her culture and transformed it into art for over 20 years. She began by making ofrendas, a Mexican altar honoring those who have died, when her nephew and best friend both passed away in 1997.
“For over 20 years I’ve been having friends come over, family come over and I build a huge ofrenda in my backyard,” Marquez said. “And unfortunately, you know, we have to add it every year … I also asked my friends and my family to come in, put their pictures and their mementos and whatever they like to put on the outside and it’s healing. I think it’s very healing for all of us.”
After receiving encouragement from her loved ones, Marquez began creating the culturally significant altars for various locations, such as the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, the Rose Hills Mortuary in Whitter and the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Her craftiness and love for Latinx culture led her to starting her own pop-up in 2011. Marquez would sell custom candles covered with images of Mexican icons such as Selena, Jenni Rivera and Frida Khalo; shadow boxes containing miniature frames, sugar skulls and flowers; and her own handmade minis, resembling conchas, Jaritos bottles and other culturally significant items which she would often turn into earrings.
Marquez participated in various pop-ups throughout the city on her own, and then with Carranza when they started dating in 2018. She decided to change their name from Mictlãn Art to Adelitas Revenge in 2019.
The couple heard about Plantiitas through another local vendor and visited the LGBTQ-owned plant shop with hopes of collaborating. They bought a plant, introduced themselves and got an offer to host one of their pop-ups in front of the shop.
“It’s funny because it comes full circle,” Marquez said. “They offered us that space and we were able to get more attraction and people just started to notice us a little bit more.”
Carranza also began selling homemade green salsa, or salsa verde, made from her father’s recipe. Viento y Agua, a coffeehouse next door, often sells the jars of salsa since Adelitas Revenge does not have a license to sell food—yet. Marquez said that her next goal for Adelitas Revenge is to host events for the LGBTQ and Latinx community, such as poetry slams, meditation workshops, art shows and more.
Adelitas Revenge will be hosting a sip and paint event with Viento y Agua on August 19. Attendance costs $45 and includes paint and supplies, instructions, two glasses of sangria and charcuterie. Sangria will be provided by Red Skirt Sangria, and painters will receive a discount during the extended hours of the shop.
“The diversity of Long Beach is just so vast and we don’t see the representation of Latino Chicano culture here,” Marquez said. “You know, we see it in some stores here and there and peppered through the store, but a store like ours dedicated solely to this was needed and we hear it from our customers all the time. They just feel at home when they walk in, it reminds them of Mexico or reminds them of their abuelita’s house.”
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