Meet Aventura Flores | Owner of SPACE CITY INK & MOON MAGIC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aventura Flores and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aventura, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
You have to value yourself and know your worth, and to jump in and take the risk. Giving yourself a chance is the best risk you can ever take.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am an entrepreneur at heart. My first business is Space City Ink. My husband had worked in the tattoo industry as a piercer for his brother for many years, and the opportunity arose in 2013 for us to buy out my brother-in-law. We quickly outgrew that initial space, and we moved to our current location at 2655 Gessner in 2017. We became a favorite among our patrons and one of the most respected tattoo and piercing studios in Spring Branch. Initially, I worked in the shop performing cosmetic tattooing, such as microblading, and doing mini tattoos. I genuinely care for each of my customers, and for many years I also took care of them by reading for them, cleansing them, and making baths and candles for them. During Covid, the requests for these services grew exponentially, and people were coming to me for blessings and protection. Space opened a couple doors down from the tattoo shop, and I opened Moon Magic. In less than a year, I was blessed yet again with the opportunity to open a second Moon Magic in East Downtown and connect with more Houstonians seeking spiritual enrichment and enlightenment. We only planned to stay one year in the second location and used the platform to catapult ourselves as a trusted provider of spiritual services and to promote our consigners with the community at large. Then, in December 2021, a friend and consigner of mine, Jennifer Pineda, came to me with the idea of Witches Night Out, a premiere nighttime conjure market in which readers, healers, and small businesses can promote their products and offerings to others. From the very first fair in February 2022, we had more vendors ask to participate than we had space, and our quarterly fair has expanded beyond our expectations. Although I have been focused on growing Moon Magic, I continue to work on Space City as well. I am proud to say Space City Ink is also expanding, and our second location will open at 4626 Dacoma in February 2023. The greatest lesson I’ve learned being in business for myself is to take risks. When I believe in myself and trust myself, anything is possible, and blessings abound. Everything I do, I owe to my clients. They inspire me to give back to the community in every way that I can, whether it’s by holding our Back-to-School event each August where we give free backpacks, school supplies, and free haircuts to children; hosting our Dia de los Muertos celebration for the community; or providing free spiritual classes to our clients. I love what I do, and I am extremely grateful to my clients for giving me this opportunity to do so.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Houston is such an amazing city and one I have loved since I was a little girl. Born and raised here, I know there’s so many things to see and do, and I am proud to call this city my home. Houstonians love to eat, and I am no different. We have an incredible array of restaurants from which to choose, but two of my favorites are Kure Wings & Grill and Federal Grill. Kure is a Korean BBQ restaurant with an amazing Halal menu. It’s a fun experience to cook at your table, and I love taking my friends and my family to eat there. Some of my clients work at Federal Grill, and we always have a wonderful experience eating there. The food is delicious, the service is excellent, and the owner is so good to us. Of course, I would always suggest my friends come visit my shops. Come and get a tattoo and piercing, receive an insightful reading from my readers, and buy something special for yourself or for those you love. All our Space City followers get piercings at a discount, so following us and mentioning the post for a discount is an added benefit of their trip! After dinner, listening to a local band and having a drink at Eighteen Ten Ojeman is an absolute must. The owner Saskia is such a beautiful soul. She does what I do—she hosts all kinds of events and allows business owners to promote themselves for free. Open to everyone, Eighteen Ten is a laid back, fun space that welcomes everyone. Finally, I would take them to stay at Marriott Marquis in downtown simply because of the Texas-shaped rooftop pool and lazy river. Downtown Houston also has great shopping and fun venues to enjoy. I love Houston and know my out-of-town friends would, too.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Although many people in my life have encouraged, loved, and supported me, the person who had the most profound impact on me was my mother, Brenda Flores. She was a white woman with a Hispanic surname, and she served the Houston community as a civil rights activist. She fought for the members of the community and gave a voice to those who found themselves silenced by others. My mother truly loved helping people, and I am proud to say she taught me to do the same. She instilled family values and the importance of tradition upon my siblings and me. My mom was all about tradition, and I do my best every day to honor her blessed memory.

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