Shani Chiang/Houston Public Media
When Casa Ramirez’s founder Macario Ramirez died, his spouse Chrissie Dickerson Ramirez had little doubt she would proceed operating the store. She loves Mexican tradition deeply and is dedicated to carrying on Macario’s legacy.
“The store had a lot of his spirit,” she stated. “It grew to become sort of a companion to me.”
Casa Ramirez, a folks artwork gallery in Houston’s Heights neighborhood, is well-known for popularizing Day of the Lifeless celebrations in Houston. Chrissie knew one of many first issues she needed to do after Macario’s passing was to construct him an ofrenda, or altar. She adorned it together with his images, Aztec memorabilia — reflecting his respect for Indigenous cultures — rocks from his beachcombing adventures, art work from a few of their favourite artists, and different artifacts. She pointed to the highest of the altar and stated fondly, “I’ve used the solar yearly. There is a phrase in Mexico, a time period of endearment, mi sol y mi luna.”
The Day of the Lifeless, or Dia de los Muertos, is a celebration of life and reminiscence. One quote on the altar reads: “Once we die, we don’t really die, as a result of we reside.”
The identical may very well be stated of Casa Ramirez itself. Even because the store prepares to shut, its spirit will reside on within the hearts of the Houston Latino neighborhood.
Earlier this week, Chrissie introduced that Casa Ramirez will shut on the finish of 2025. As she is now 79 years previous, and with the present lease on the nineteenth Avenue store expiring in March 2026, Chrissie stated it’s a becoming time to retire.
For the previous 40 years, Casa Ramirez has been a cherished a part of the Houston Latino neighborhood. Macario had opened the store in 1985, impressed by his father who owned an identical retailer promoting Mexican crafts in San Antonio.
Macario’s motto was “tradition, traditions, and good causes,” which Chrissie strives to hold ahead.
Strolling into Casa Ramirez, clients are instantly greeted by a vibrant show of Mexican artwork and tradition, bursting with colour: beaded hummingbirds, paper marigolds, hand-woven tapestries, sombrero hats, Spanish books, and extra.
The Ramirezes introduced many items again from their journeys to Mexico. Chrissie recalled her first go to to Mexico Metropolis: “I used to be completely in awe. Its complete historical past, and it has a wealthy, deep historical past, lays over town to me like a blanket, like a heat, cozy blanket.”
She wished to carry a chunk of the tradition again to Houston.
“Something that I noticed [that] I felt folks put the great thing about their work and put it on the market on the market, touched my coronary heart,” she stated.
Simone Ralph, a longtime buyer since 2011, hurried again to go to the shop when she heard the retirement information. Through the years, she has purchased numerous artifacts from Casa Ramirez, together with milagro hearts, rugs, wall hangings, youngsters’s books, pottery, picket statues, and jewellery.
As a half-Filipino, Ralph appreciates Casa Ramirez for deepening her understanding of Mexican tradition.
“The Philippines is clearly Asian, but it surely has a really heavy Spanish and Mexican affect,” Ralph stated. “Quite a lot of it’s studying. I’ve bought a whole lot of books on tradition and historical past that I would not have identified in any other case.”
However Casa Ramirez is greater than only a retailer promoting distinctive Mexican crafts and items — it additionally hosts many vacation celebrations. The shop’s Day of the Lifeless festivities draw a big crowd.
Throughout the Day of the Lifeless, Casa Ramirez welcomes the neighborhood to contribute to a public altar. Ralph remembers witnessing the altar triple in dimension over the previous decade.
“I believe that reveals the center of how necessary this place is to the neighborhood,” Ralph stated. “And other people would take one thing that is so private, that probably they’re nonetheless actively grieving for, and contribute to it. I believe that claims quite a bit about Chrissie to create that house for the neighborhood, and I believe it says quite a bit about how cherished she is, that everybody is that susceptible and participates so totally.”
Shani Chiang/Houston Public Media
Alina Sotelo participated in one in every of Casa Ramirez’s ofrenda-making workshops.
“I grew up going to cemeteries,” Sotelo stated. “Our household would spend our day on the cemetery simply reminiscing and pondering and speaking about our family members which have handed. That was in Mexico.”
After shifting to Houston, Sotelo embraced ofrenda-making as a significant method to honor her late relations. She stated the altar she constructed at Casa Ramirez now serves for example for her family.
“Now we do ofrendas,” she stated. “It was an incredible alternative to set it up right here, and I’ll maintain that in my coronary heart for an extended, very long time.”
Macario was not solely instrumental in bringing Mexican traditions like Day of the Lifeless to Houston — he was additionally a passionate advocate for the Hispanic neighborhood.
Macario labored carefully with the late activist and photographer Al Vasquez. Each have been lively members of the Political Affiliation of Spanish-Talking Organizations, working to broaden voting rights.
Edelia Flores Castañeda, Vasquez’s niece, additionally visited the shop upon listening to the retirement announcement.
“They have been groundbreakers,” Castañeda stated. “They’d go door to door encouraging folks to vote. … I understand how a lot my uncle appreciated el Señor Macario, and I’m very pleased with my heritage, so naturally, I needed to come right here.”
After Macario handed, Chrissie confronted the problem of operating Casa Ramirez on her personal. With a Scottish heritage herself, she stated she needed to set up her personal id and strengths throughout the house.
“It’s troublesome as a result of many individuals assume I needs to be Latina if I am right here with the store,” she stated. “However some folks have stated to me, ‘Properly, it is in your coronary heart, Chrissie, it is within the corazón.’ And I really feel that very, very deeply. So I’m very proud to have been capable of have performed what I do and honor the tradition every single day.”
After retiring, Chrissie plans to work on archival tasks that doc Latino historical past, in addition to Casa Ramirez’s and Macario’s contributions to Houston and Texas. She hopes that these collections will proceed to coach folks.
Chrissie stated she made the retirement announcement early, so the neighborhood can nonetheless go to and revel in one final run of the vacations.
Martha Almaguer, Casa Ramirez’s retailer supervisor, stated she found the store at an ofrenda-making occasion 10 years in the past.
“I simply fell in love with them … I by no means left!” she stated.
As clients go away the shop, Almaguer affords them a delicate parting: “It is not goodbye — it is hasta después, hasta luego.”
