Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizelle Villapando.
Hi Lizelle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started out as a maker. After a fire damaged the bulk of my photography work in 2000, I shifted my focus to crafting and sewing, making small accessories and designing dresses with my friend, Talena. She would drape and sew, using my drawings as references. We would design and sew daily, and eventually get jobs at the fabric store, Hancock Fabrics. Over time we accumulated a collection of pieces and had a launch party at Club DeVille to showcase our work. For months after the event, we rolled our remaining pieces on a garment rack from shop to shop, hoping to find a retailer to host us. (I remember Elijah Wood bought some t-shirts from us while we were trudging down Dirty 6th St. during SXSW.) At one point, I ran into my former boss, Alexandra, from the vintage, New Bohemia. She offered a 10’x10′ space where we would sell resale clothing alongside our handmade garments and accessories. It took less than a year to realize that there was an obvious need for a space dedicated to selling handmade goods without the competition of resale items. Alexandra offered a brick and mortar space for Talena and I to open up shop, and on February 4, 2004, Parts & Labour opened its doors at 1604 S. Congress Ave. Talena and I were responsible for 100% of the store operations in addition to maintaining our own collection. All of the merchandise in the shop was sold on consignment. Artists and crafters poured in and we took on an average of 100 new brands per year. Sadly and swiftly, the store’s needs came before our sewing needs, and our brand was shelved indefinitely. Over the years Parts & Labour thrived. We took on the works of over 1000 artists in the first ten years of business. Eventually, we bought the vintage store from Alexandra and opened another location focusing on men’s vintage wear, New Brohemia on S. 1st St. I embraced Parts & Labour and Talena dove into the world of all things wearable vintage. She became an expert at quality and brand recognition and was called “the denim whisperer,” by some. She could tell what size and fit denim would look perfect in one try. Through P&L, I developed long time relationships with many local artists, and I still maintain many “year one” artists to this day. From 2004 – 2019, Parts & Labour and New Bohemia, and New Brohemia expanded and relocated to multiple locations, totaling four addresses for the vintage stores, and three for P&L, each location at least two thirds larger than the last. The businesses and their operations had evolved while demanding more and more time and attention from each of us. In 2020 Talena and I parted ways. She maintained ownership of the vintage side of the business and I maintained Parts & Labour. After licking the wounds of a business break-up and finding my bearings post-pandemic, I eventually closed P&L. In 2022 I opened Paper Work, its’ focus is to highlight print artists, and to continue to hold space for underrepresented artists.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some personal struggles that affect how I run my business include maintaining optimism. I feel doomed pretty easily. On the other hand, sometimes blind faith can be disguised as optimism and I watch people function with “optimism” instead of strategy. I’d find myself repeating bad habits, or “gambling” that someone else would have the ability to see situations how I see them.
I’m also easily distracted, or struggle to stay focused, or focus on the wrong thing. For example, if a tree fell across the road, I’d be more focused on helping people step over the tree instead of focusing on how to move the dang tree. For better or for worse, I know I’m good at working with limitations, be it financial, or other resources like patience, tolerance, or consistency.
I thought I was a good communicator, now I have no idea. Ultimately, nothing can happen when healthy communication ceases, but often I’ll decide DIY is the shortest path to completing a task instead of communicating my needs to others. Gosh, what a can to open, “obstacles/challenges”.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I would love people to know that Paper Work is woman owned, more specifically, owned and operated by a Filipino woman. I never gave it much thought until I opened Paper Work. It’s important that people know this, because there aren’t a lot of Filipino woman owned small brick and mortar businesses. I would love people to know that we host close to 100 independent artists.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy working at Paper Work is seeing my business and the space that it holds help amplify artists in real time. I watch them come in with new products, watch their sales grow, and see how that positively affects their lives. I see them come our of their artists’ hideouts, put their art into the world, and see the fruit of their hard work. I see them engage with customers who often swoon over their talents, and connect outside of social media. I love hearing the gasps of awe as customers adore and appreciate handmade pieces or mementos reminding them of special times. It can be a treacherous tightrope walk, operating a brick and mortar retail business in 2026, but the reward from the grind is knowing I am making a positive impact on so many sweet and earnest people’s lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://paperworkatx.com/
- Instagram: @paper_work_atx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperworkatx
