Since he was 5 years old, Alejandro González has dreamed of opening a bookstore in the south of France.
That dream has been altered a bit over the years, but one thing came true: González is a store owner.
“The concept came from my trips to Mexico and this childhood dream that I wanted to have a store for some reason,” González says. “I would look at my mom’s fashion magazines and they always talked about France, and I loved to read, so I wanted to have a bookstore. But I think I prefer this.”
Tlazo Home was created by González as a home furnishings store with an emphasis on Latino, predominantly Mexican, design and artists. His objective is to provide one-of-a-kind designs, homeware, furniture and gifts while combining contemporary design with traditional artisan methods of manufacturing.
González’s husband, Aaron Boals, has been by his side throughout the process.
“Practically from the moment Alejandro and I started dating, he told me that he always wanted to open his own home furnishings store,” Boals says. “People talk, but I could tell that this was something different.”
Boals says González has an eye for decor and has worked tirelessly at putting the store together.
“He wasn’t always certain of how he was going to make it happen, but the perseverance was there,” Boals says. “That made it easy to get behind, and that has been expressed to me by all of the helpers we have had along the way. Among all of the beautiful objects, when I go into the shop, I see the people and the effort they put in to make this dream come true. I see how it has inspired them to chase after their dreams.”
It may not be France, but 411 N Tyler Street, just west of the Bishop Arts District, is where González found the perfect spot to live out his childhood dream. The store opened in October, and González says he has received an abundance of support from the community.
“I grew up in Oak Cliff. I’ve been here since I was 4 years old,” González says. “I’ve seen Oak Cliff change from what it was when I was a kid, to what it is now and it’s a wonderful journey. I think that the neighborhood has always had a lot of soul. It’s always been wonderful, and I’ve always seen that, and it’s nice that other people are finally getting to see it too.”
The name Tlazo comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec/Maya, and translates to “dear” or “precious.”
González has 15 years of experience in the home design industry, from sourcing to design to sales, and his passion has led him to Tlazo Home where he is dedicated to finding the right pieces for neighbors’ homes.
González was born in Mexico, and trips to the country through his design work have allowed him to embrace his culture and find passion for design in a new way.
Photography by Lauren Allen
“I worked for a high-end modern showroom named Holly Hunt, and when I worked for them, I would go down to Mexico four times a year,” González says. “And during that time, I was meeting all these wonderful artists and designers and architects, and I was realizing that there are just wonderful pieces here. Once I started learning about my culture and I was going down to Mexico, it was really exciting, and it just kind of made me feel proud of where I came from.”
Tlazo Home also features a hand-picked, ever-changing selection of refurbished vintage furniture, lighting, antiques, fine art, tableware, accessories and collectibles. The brand brings an international, cosmopolitan flare to the products while retaining a casual elegance that keeps it approachable.
González laid out the plan to represent artists and artisans from Mexico around 2020. He left his job at Holly Hunt, but the pandemic halted his plans. He went back to work, and found his opportunity earlier last year.
“I think this would have been a completely different story if I started back (in 2020),” González says. “Now I work with not only artisans in Mexico, but also in Latin America. I work with pieces with artists that are from the UK, India, a little bit more global. There’s a lot of vintage pieces, antique pieces, because that’s what I know, and that’s what I love. There’s also a lot of modern and a lot of pieces from my culture.”
In addition to selling top-notch home decor pieces, González says he wants people to come into the store and feel joy.
“I feel like it’s time for us to be joyful. There’s been a lot of doom and gloom, a lot of unhappiness, and I think we’re ready for some joy, right?” González says. “So that’s why the colors are a little bit brighter. I think that the colors work very well with the neighborhood as well, like the houses that people have around here, whether you live in Winnetka or down in Bishop or wherever, I think a lot of the pieces can fit right into their homes.”
