So I’m at a party the other night with my co-workers celebrating the holidays at a beautiful place of business. So while I’m there, of course, the people I had conversations with were curious as to what I do, and how I do it.  This is a normal thing for me as I am a young, hispanic business owner, and people are always intrigued.  But this time however, there was a conversation that stood out from the rest, that I decided to write about.

A couple came up to me and asked me if my name was Carla, the new owner of Kane Marie Galleries.  I politely answered them with a yes.  They had a look of surprise on their face.  They questioned me again, as if they didn’t believe my first reply.  Again, I replied with a yes.  They went further and asked me where I was from.  I told them I was from Los Angeles, married and moved to Virginia Beach with my husband.  Then they asked me if I was BORN in Los Angeles.  I replied with a yes, and started to feel a little uncomfortable.  They then asked what part of Los Angeles as they were extremely familiar.  However, when I told them exactly where, they had no knowledge.  They went further into asking me about how I financially support this company and if I had any business partners, etc…

Am I the only one who thinks this is a little “rude"? And I didn’t think about it at the time, until I felt like I was defending my position for my own company.

I know it might be a little hard to believe, but I am who I say I am.  I am a 28 year old, hispanic female, who owns a fabulous gallery in Virginia Beach.  What’s the big deal?