Stories of survival: ‘I’m really going off of faith and belief in myself and emotional support from my family’
Bridget Lindquist, the Barkin duo
Come 2021, there will be a little less barking in Santa Fe for animal lovers to enjoy.
Barkin Attic, the companion store to Barkin Boutique — both secondhand retail stores that raised money for Española Humane — is closing for good Dec. 30. The Attic lasted about six months longer than the Boutique.
The closures, says Bridget Lindquist, executive director of Española Humane, mean more than just a loss in revenue to help the shelter’s animals.
“We lose our presence in Santa Fe, a presence in a community that supports us generously,” she says. “That’s the hardest thing to accept, to get past — that our presence in Santa Fe will be diluted by not having these
“The reason I did it: I wanted to create something that was different, that wasn’t so segregated,” she says. “This town has really become east side versus south side. I wanted to create an environment where both of those sides collide. I wanted to bring my retired ladies to the old barrio.”
On the Forma Salon website, Perez proclaims: “proud queer Latina owned luxury full-service salon.”
“I want to be my authentic self,” Perez says. “I didn’t want to have a coming-out story with every client. I want the LGBTQ community to feel comfortable here.”
Perez has 1,300 square feet that could fit four or five stations, but she chose to have only two stations and do appointments only, which allows her to easily comply with the four-person maximum under the state’s 25 percent occupancy regulations. Plus, it allows her to cater to her customers.
How has her new business survived the turbulent times?
“I don’t have a fancy answer,” Perez said. “I just work my ass off. I work so much, it’s insane. For the first couple months, I worked six, seven days a week.”
Perez sees about half as many customers as she would during normal times, but she is determined to make it through.
“I’m really going off of faith and belief in myself and emotional support from my family,” she says.