Meet Koral Casillas & Michela Ricci | Monsoon Market Co-Owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Koral Casillas & Michela Ricci and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Koral Casillas & Michela Ricci, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Michela: Risk taking has been one of my biggest strengths in life – blame it on being an Aries, maybe. When I can visualize something working, and when it lights me up, the risk seems meaningless. I know myself well enough to trust that I’ll make whatever I set my mind to work, whether that means I pivot, I ask for help, I take a step back before taking two forward, etc, the risk of doing nothing and feeling purposeless is more frightening than any other option.

Koral: I’ve always looked at opportunities and asked myself “what if everything went as planned.” I think that my optimism has led to more positive outcomes in all aspects of my life. I’m one to take a chance on something that I believe in, even if it’s perceived to be risky — because you can’t let that stop you from chasing after it. Although you do have to understand the financial risks associated with opening a brick-and-mortar business, and this is amplified when you have a partner. We’re taking risks and reaping the rewards together, side by side.

Please tell us more about your business. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
We got to where we are today by taking one step at a time, but keeping our eyes set on the bigger picture. You will hit speed bumps and at times we wanted to quit, but we would champion each other and remind ourselves that we can do hard things. Working with city permits, initial startup costs, signing a lease — there’s no handbook. We visualized and spoke about the market in such a specific way. In many ways we manifested the business we have today (paired with a lot of hard work). Monsoon Market is a showcase for products, art, music, people and makers of all kinds. We’re here to be a place for discovery and connection and we’re curating a community of brands that we work with closely. You’re supporting those people when you shop at the market.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Phoenix has so much to offer. First we’d go on a hike to one of the many mountains around the area, catch a sunrise (the best!), and then head to a locally owned coffee shop/truck like Dark Hall, First Place, PIP, Luana’s, Caffio, the list goes on. Our itinerary usually revolves around food, so while our friend is in town we’d introduce them to the awesome foodie spots in town. We’d grab a bite and a sweet treat at Ollie Vaughns or lunch at The Main Ingredient (great dog friendly patio). For a good sandwich craving we would hit up Michela’s fave, Niccoli’s Italian Deli or if it’s a Tuesday we’re definitely going to grab the market sandwich from Pane Bianco.

Post lunch we’d walk it off at the Desert Botanical Garden or the Japanese Friendship Garden. On another day we’d dedicate an afternoon to checking out The Phoenix Art Museum. For dinner we’d head to Belly, Sake Haus or Valentine. If we could swing a reservation, we’d spend their last dinner in town at Tratto or Glai Baan. For drinks we’d hit up Linger Longer, 1912, The Dirty Drummer, Hidden Track Uptown and The Wayward. For a late night snack we’d grab a slice from Snapback Pizzeria and some ice cream from Novel or Nami.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
For the both of us, it starts with how we’ve continued to show up for each other. Also the support of our family and our husbands (Josh and David) for encouraging us to take a chance on Monsoon Market and for believing that it would be everything we imagined it would be. We are the product of our experiences and the people who’ve poured into us, and there’s a long list of deserved thanks to our past mentors. Koral’s previous leaders who set her up to run a retail business like this, Michela’s community who’ve supported her since The Early Bird PHX, and our close circle of friends who continue to show up for us. We also want to shoutout all of the indie businesses and creatives who continue to collaborate with us and we feel lucky to be in such great company. We can’t thank everyone enough for all of the ways in which they’ve supported us individually and in this joint business venture.

Website: monsoonmrkt.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monsoonmrkt/?hl=en

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/monsoon-market-phoenix

Image Credits
Noah Vizzerra Dino Jagger Bayley Ugstad