GOWN, TIARA, MASK
Young Latinas plan quinceañeras in a community devastated by the pandemic
Liz Robledo, of Berwyn, is planning a quinceañera for her only daughter Karina in October to celebrate her 15th birthday. The family plans to invite about 130 close family and friends for an indoor party at a banquet hall. Guests will be required to wear face masks, tables will be spread 6 feet apart to support social distancing, and bedazzled containers of hand sanitizer will serve as centerpieces.
Still, the risks weigh heavily on Robledo’s mind. Her cousin’s aunt died of COVID-19 complications last year, and several other family members have tested positive for the coronavirus, Robledo said. She doesn’t want more family members infected or the event to become a super spreader.
But between the safety precautions she has planned and the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations to more Illinois residents, Robledo, who is fully vaccinated, said she’s hopeful the family can celebrate together this year, especially after so much time apart.
“We are a very close family,” said Robledo, 40. “We’ve been meeting through Zoom for almost a year, and we haven’t seen each other since last winter 2019.”
For many young girls, a quinceañera is a rite of passage as they step into womanhood. Quinceañeras, a cultural celebration in many Latin American countries, are often held with more than 300 family members and friends, and can cost up to $20,000. In the past year, many Chicago-area Latino households postponed, canceled or held smaller events because of statewide restrictions on large gatherings.
With more vaccinations underway, the drop in infection rates and the state soon easing restrictions, large gatherings are likely to return in 2021. Businesses that cater to quinceañeras, including dress shops and banquet halls, are optimistic they can recover some of the business they lost last year.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled
last week a “bridge phase” in the state’s reopening plan that would expand capacity limits when 70% of residents 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine. As of Tuesday, 40.45% of that age group has been fully vaccinated.
But as Chicago-area families start planning quinceañeras, some are facing anxious guests who haven’t been fully vaccinated and aren’t comfortable mingling in large crowds.
Chicago’s Latino community has been hit hard by the pandemic. Latinos accounted for 41% of all COVID-19-related deaths in Illinois among people age 20 to 59, as of Feb. 28, according to the Latino Policy Forum. The organization has tracked COVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity since April 29.
According to a separate Cook County survey of 1,100 residents conducted in January and February, 35% of Latinos in the county said they probably will not, definitely will not or are not sure whether they will get a vaccine. Most said they are concerned about side effects.
Maria Contreras, of La Grange, is planning a quinceañera for her daughter Nataly in late May with about 40 guests. Contreras, who works at a suburban school, is fully vaccinated. Though she hasn’t invited anyone yet, the growing availability of the vaccine has made her feel confident she can invite more guests. But some members of her family are hesitant to get a shot.
Nataly’s sister-in-law Cristal Contreras, who bought the quinceañera dress and will attend the event, said she isn’t sure she’ll get vaccinated because of concerns she has with side effects. She also worries about possible longterm health effects, though public health authorities say the benefits of the vaccines outweigh any risks.
“As of now, I don’t know if I should take the vaccine,” she said. “I keep reading these stories online about people who get very sick after being vaccinated.”
Still, the family is preparing to hold the event by placing tables 6 feet apart, requiring face masks if the party is indoors and having plenty of hand sanitizer, she said.
“It does come to mind that COVID is still out there . ... We are making sure none of us catch it,” Cristal Contreras said.
Meanwhile, some families are hearing from concerned parents whose kids can’t get vaccinated yet. Children younger than 16 aren’t eligible to be vaccinated, and many quinceañera guests are in their early teens.
Robledo said the parents of one of her daughter’s friends and most of their immediate family have been vaccinated, but the girl is 14 and ineligible for a dose. She tried to assure the parents the party will be safe, but they remain undecided, she said.
Robledo said her daughter’s friend was invited to take part in a dance number being put together for the party, which is a tradition in most quinceañeras.
“It caught me off guard. I didn’t think they would say no. They are also Hispanic,” Robledo said. “It’s almost an honor to get invited.”
Even before the state announced the “bridge” phase that would expand capacity limits to 250 people from 50, families started venturing out to shops in the Little Village neighborhood to pick out dresses for their daughters.
Quinceañera dresses are big, brightly colored and puffy with ruffles that stretch from the waist to the floor, and are often paired with a crown. Picking the dress is the first step in planning quinceañeras.
On a sunny and warm Saturday, Novias Davila, a quinceañera store on 26th Street, had four families lined up outside the door as four more were inside looking at and trying on dresses. The store only allows up to 50% capacity inside per state restrictions.
Owner Tania Hernandez said business has picked up since late February, and she is getting a few orders for dresses needed later this summer. Hernandez said dresses range in price from $400 to about $1,500.
Hernandez said her shop made almost no new sales last year. What kept her business running were orders families had placed in advance for 2020 events, she said. There were a few events like drive-thru celebrations, she said.
“We probably had 10% of business last year compared to 2019 levels,” she said. “We had about two to three events. There really weren’t any parties happening. Families didn’t want to spend the money on something small.”
Hernandez was able to prevent a storm of dress cancellations last year by working with clients on payment plans. Otherwise, she said her store would have been stuck with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. Quinceñeras typically like to custom-design their own dresses, she said.
“We wanted to put ourselves in clients’ shoes. ... People didn’t want to use money they didn’t have to buy a dress, especially people who were unemployed,” she said.
At Peaches Boutique in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood, store owners Tony and Barbara Surdej said more than 100 people are typically lined up out the door to try on quinceañera and prom dresses. Families are visiting the store again, but last year sales revenue was about 10% of what it was in 2019, Tony Surdej said.
Statewide restrictions on large gatherings and cancellations have made it challenging to bring back employees, Surdej said. In a typical year, Peaches Boutique has about 90 fulland part-time employees working during the busy spring season. Now, the store has about 11 employees.
“It’s all we can support right now,” Surdej said.
The store received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan of about $333,000 last April, but it has been a struggle to sustain the business through evolving state restrictions, Surdej said.
“The PPP loan didn’t help solve the bigger issue here: Helping us survive long-term a year into this pandemic,” he said. “All the attention and the focus went to restaurants and bars. Those businesses could operate (under state restrictions).”
Specialty retailers like Peaches Boutique were allowed to open after the statewide shutdown last spring, but in order for those businesses to recover, large events need to resume.
Enrique Medrano, owner of Palace Regency Hall, said families are calling to make reservations for quinceañeras, bridal showers and weddings for the summer, starting in May, and other families are booking the venue for next year.
The venue has locations in Berwyn and Cicero, and its largest hall seats up to 400 people, but bookings are for groups of about 30 to 70, he said.
Guests are required to wear face masks unless they are eating or drinking, Medrano said. All groups must go through a health screening process before entering the venue, which includes a temperature check.
“The entertainment industry has existed for years. It’s what keeps us alive. It’s important we have parties. The promise of the vaccine is calming peoples’ worries about hosting parties,” he said.
Julius Valladolid, owner of banquet hall Pescadon, said families have start inquiring about reservations at his 300-seat venue in south suburban Summit.
But Valladolid said it’s been difficult to get people to book at the same price point as before the pandemic. Families have trouble justifying the price for a limited number of guests.
“If you are going to rent halls, with no food, a Saturday booking can cost families anywhere between $1,500 to $2,000. But there is a limit on the number of people we can have,” he said.
Pescadon received a PPP loan of less than $10,000 last spring, which helped the venue for about three months, Valladolid said. Yet the federal loan program had rules in place as to how the funds could be used. For Valladolid, that meant he couldn’t use the money to issue refunds to clients who already had dates reserved last year.
“I had some bookings for 2020. The refunds were the hardest part. I didn’t have any money to give back clients. And I asked myself, what do I do now. It’s been a struggle dealing with customers who didn’t read the fine print on their contract. We don’t issue refunds,” he said.
In most cases, Valladolid said he worked with customers to reschedule reservations for this summer and later in 2021.
Now, as the traditional spring quinceañera season approaches, the drop in the rate of coronavirus infections is instilling confidence in some families to start holding events indoors.
The Contreras family said they might have the party indoors if they can find a venue for May. But if COVID-19 cases start climbing or it’s deemed unsafe to gather by health experts, the family said they plan to hold a small photo shoot and dinner with immediate family instead.
Quinceañera Nataly Contreras said she will miss seeing extended family in person at the party, but the safety of their family will have to come first.
“It’s tough because it’s a big tradition in our culture, and I always imagined since being a little girl we would have a big party. I guess it’s something that has to be small,” she said.