SAN ANTONIO — Mixing colors on her pallet, Barbara Miñarro sets up her canvas.
"I have a big obsession for purses, but also I’m an artist, so I always wanted to combine being an artist with my love of purses and accessories,” Breakfast Friend, owner, Barbara Miñarro said.
Today her canvas is purses.
“Since the purses are so intimate and I work really close with them when I paint I just feel I can be really raw with what I am interested in at the moment," Miñarro said. "It allows me to be playful in a smaller scale.”
Inspired with the idea during the thick of the pandemic, Miñarro took the leap of faith and translated her love of art and accessories on to ten bags.
“Honestly I still can’t believe it. It was like an instant hit,” Miñarro said. “They sold in the first 24 hours."
Miñarro enjoys painting familiar items from her background or every day items from her favorite pastimes.
"I’m originally from Mexico but I m a Texas transplant, I’ve been living here for half of my life so I feel like I am taking inspiration from both cultures and kind of like panning it out on the purses," Miñarro said. "Just everyday objects, foods that I like to eat anything."
The name, Breakfast Friend, comes from her college years.
“I feel like the friends you have breakfast with are the friends you really connect with and have these deep conversations, and I just love the conversations that are around food so that’s why all my purses are food centric, Miñarro said.
Her love for food, conversation and accessories are now headed out into the world to become conversation starters themselves.
“I would say my one true love is painting and I’m getting to do it every day," Miñarro said. “It’s like my little babies are out in the world accompanying amazing people and I feel very honored that they decided to have a painting of mine with them every day.”