When Ruby Alas-Cruz was a child, the moment she received the Bratz doll she’d been begging for, she started experimenting with its clothes. Her fascination with fashion has stuck ever since.
She remembers visiting a boutique with her mom and being drawn to the clothing and accessories.
“One day, I’m going to work in here,” Alas-Cruz told her mom.
In 2024, she opened Sueños Buenos, a clothing shop in South Nashville, in hopes of creating a community. Since then, she has organized multiple events centered on re-creating the feeling of community she experienced while visiting Los Angeles around 2022.
Sueños Buenos is tucked into the corner of a hair and nail salon on Travis Drive, the smell of acrylic and the sound of a nail file echoing in the space. Artwork by Latino artists is displayed, and a large metal net decorated with ribbons and photos sits against a wall. The clothing racks carry a variety of curated pieces — vintage-inspired athleisure and streetwear.
Alas-Cruz opens only on weekends; she gets her shop ready, organizing her clothing racks and cleaning. She plays a mixture of hip-hop, Mexican music and reggaeton to create the right vibe, and sets good intentions for the day.
Alas-Cruz was born in Los Angeles to a Mexican mom and a Salvadoran dad. She moved to South Nashville around age 3 and later attended Glencliff High School, which has a very diverse student body — the school’s website says more than 37 nationalities and 27 languages are represented. Still, Alas-Cruz never found a space like the one she wanted to create.
“What I like to do is bring in a lot of people together and give South Nashville the representation that it needs,” she tells the Scene. “I feel like we’re overseen a lot, and people are always like, ‘There’s no community in Nashville.’ But we’re here. You just have to find us.”
Sueños Buenos
In the beginning, Alas-Cruz did wonder if she would get any customers. But since Sueños Buenos opened, customers have thanked her for creating a space for the Latino community. She remembers a teenage girl walking into her shop, looking through the clothes and telling her that Sueños Buenos makes her feel seen and proud of her skin color.
“I was like, ‘This is why I do it, and I have to keep going,’” she says.
Before she started Sueños Buenos, Alas-Cruz launched a limited kids’ clothing line with art drawn by her 11-year-old son. She also organized a modeling shoot, with her son’s friends showing off the clothes.
But designing and screenprinting take dedication, and she found that sourcing clothing to sell in a boutique was a better fit.
“There’s a difference when you actually create your own clothing, where you screenprint, do the art and all that than actually having a boutique,” Alas-Cruz says. All clothes at her shop are sourced from vendors in California. Alas-Cruz tries to find pieces that fit her style and are different from what other boutiques carry.
Alas-Cruz remembers being considered the weird kid at school because of her unique fashion choices. Now she enjoys experimenting with all styles, but likes to draw inspiration from her culture.
Sueños Buenos
But she knows she’s outgrown her space, and wants to provide more resources for her community.
“I do want a place that has like a backyard situation so I can host events, markets and all those things,” Alas-Cruz says.
As she continues to grow, she finds it rewarding to accomplish all of this despite being told she couldn’t.
“It’s rewarding to feel like I came out of Glencliff … and now I have my own little business, and I bring community together and I help a lot,” she says.
She encourages other Latina women to remain 100 percent authentic and pursue their businesses and callings without discouragement.
“Be you,” Alas-Cruz says. “’Cause there’s nobody like you.”
