Brothers open western wear, soccer shop

Brothers Jonny Soza, 21, and Carlos Mendoza, 25, recently started a family business together inside of the new store in the Gateway shopping center in Anderson.

After moving into the space, that once held Norma's Collectibles, the store was remodeled to the way they imagined their business being set up, with western wear on one side and soccer gear on the other.

In the beginning, when Mercado Latino first opened, there were some exotic western wear items, soccer cleats and soccer balls. There was also a fully functional Latino Market and Tax Preparations business. Some of the customers that came in began to ask if there were any other soccer items available, and if Mendoza and Soza knew how big soccer was in the area. Coming from the bay area, Mendoza and Soza had no idea. Through new friends, they were introduced to the local soccer leagues, and invited to sell soccer items at tournaments in Redding, Anderson and Red Bluff. For Mendoza, soccer became not only a sport he enjoyed watching and participating in when he was younger, it became a passion that he wanted to pursue.

After a lot of planning, research, ordering of new products and getting the word out there that the business was growing, the new shop became available at the other end of the strip mall. The family decided that they were going to make over all improvements in the business. Besides keeping the original business of doing taxes and other legal work for the Latino population in the area, the business was enlarged to carry a line of soccer gear including Joma, Nike, Adidas and other brands, a western wear shop was also added to the mix, which is run by Soza.

Soza gained his knowledge of Western Wear while working in Houston at the Boot Tree. As long a Soza can remember, he has had a love of rodeo, the lifestyle that accompanied it and clothing styles. Soza currently carries boots, hats, belts and western wear for adults, and is working on becoming a retailer for brands such as Ariat and Wrangler. Soza also has full service hat cleaning and shaping equipment and a huge knowledge of different materials, felts, and leathers used in western wear apparel.

Soza enjoys working with western wear because it is always changing and there are so many different styles some are Italian, Mexican and American. There are so many styles available and they are world wide.

In the near future Soza plans to sponsor local youth participating in the sport of rodeo.

For Soza and Mendoza, their family is willing to make the sacrifices to help make their business futures and dreams come true. Together, the brothers run the shop along with their mother Eva. Soza Western Wear and Shasta Soccer are run under the parent company Mercado Latino.