Ground Floor: South Miami Formal Fashions brings the heat to Marion wardrobes

MARION -- Native Colombian Maria Gilbert was cold when she stepped off the plane in 2003 at The Eastern Iowa Airport.

It was July 31.

'My husband said if you're cold now, you're in trouble,' Gilbert said.

Gilbert had met her husband while he was vacationing in Colombia. After they married, she moved to Cedar Rapids, where he works at Rockwell Collins.

The first few months in her new home were difficult for Gilbert. Not only did she have to adjust to a colder climate, she also had to learn a new language and culture.

'Normally, I'm very social,' she said. 'Staying at home made me sad and homesick.'

Gilbert and her husband decided that opening a women's clothing boutique would be a good way for her to get out of the house and meet new people — and to bring some Colombian heat to her new home.

She opened her first store, The Hot Tamale Hot Colombian Fashions, in 2004. The store's main focus was Latin and salsa dance clothes and other Colombian-inspired fashions. The store initially was located on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids and later moved to First Avenue across from Coe College.

'It was kind of scary starting a business when I barely knew the language,' Gilbert said of her first store. 'I had wonderful customers who were very understanding and knew I wasn't from here.'

After the flood of 2008, the business struggled. With a new baby at home, Gilbert decided to close the store and stay home with her three children.

In early 2015, with all her children in school, Gilbert determined that it was time to reopen. She found a space on Mount Vernon Road close to where she had her first store and opened South Miami Formal Fashions in April 2015. But with her home and children in school in Marion, she was spending a lot of time in the car.

She started looking for something a little closer to home and found a property for sale on Eighth Avenue in Marion. The remodeled home previously housed an antique store and tea room.

'I said it would be wonderful for my business if I can make this work,' Gilbert said of the high-traffic location.

She moved into the Marion location in January and has seen business picking up ever since, especially as prom season approaches.

South Miami Formal Fashions offers evening gowns, prom dresses, dance wear, lingerie, swimwear, shoes, and jewelry inspired by the Latin flavors of Gilbert's native country. Much of the inventory comes from warmer climates such as Miami, California, Columbia, and Brazil.

'My primary goal as a Latina is to demonstrate to my family, my children, and myself that coming to a new country won't stop you from doing well,' Gilbert said. 'I am so blessed and so happy to be a part of this community.'

South Miami Formal Fashions will host a lingerie party and open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.

At a Glance

Owner: Maria Gilbert

Business: South Miami Formal Fashions

Address: 786 Eighth Avenue, Marion

Phone: (319) 432-1154

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/South-Miami-Formal-Fashions-712305858892782

Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com