Hallmark debuts Hispanic product line in KCK
Sporting & party goods store El Padrino Soccer will be the first in the country to sell Hallmark’s new VIDA line of Hispanic products.
“I’m a little bit nervous, this is a big step for us,” Raul Villegas, El Padrino Soccer owner, said to laughter at the ribbon cutting at his store Tuesday, December 13.
Hallmark expressed interest in bringing VIDA to El Padrino Soccer last fall. Villegas said his family was initially wary of Hallmark’s approach to their business. He said his sister and partner, Miriam Villegas, was one of the most vocal critics of inviting the greeting card company into their store. “But (Carlos Ayala, Hallmark's Multicultural Division leader) explained to us how Hallmark is trying to help family businesses.” Villegas cited his parents as an inspiration for his going into business, specifically his mother, who was always working long hours.
Responding to the question of why El Padrino Soccer was selected to carry the VIDA line in an interview Wednesday, “I would say it’s because El Padrino Soccer is in the heart of the Latino community, and also because El Padrino Soccer together with Soccer Nation, we help the youth through soccer.”
About 700 young people participate in soccer programs associated with El Padrino.
“That’s something that brought value to the store because Hallmark is a family-oriented business,” he said.
“At Hallmark, we’re so excited about the opportunity to bring forth our Hallmark Crown name brand to El Padrino,” Ayala said in the product unveiling.
“I think Raul knows when we first started exploring the opportunities in the marketplace … that I constantly kept coming in here and was looking at the store.”
“There was something about the store, there was something about the community,” he said. “We felt that both the store and the location — in the heart of the Hispanic community — were a natural fit for the Hallmark gold crown brand.”
Ayala also said the company also found the prospect of partnering with Villegas’ family and their reputation attractive in vetting the store.
“We could not have asked to have found a better partner to begin this journey to reach out to the Hispanic community,” Ayala said.
In El Padrino Soccer, Ayala said the company saw a culturally relevant and already well-known brand that would be natural home for Hallmark’s burgeoning line of Latino-centered offerings. The company announced the move in to Hispanic market in April. The product was ready for viewing at the store on Tuesday for the announcement, event-specific cards and other occasion markers for dating and marriage for example.
Ayala said the company’s presence inside of El Padrino Soccer is an opportunity to do live testing of its products.
“Hallmark is interested in partnering with El Padrino to gain some insights so we can continue to … complement not only his store but other future opportunities to emotionally connect with the Hispanic community with our brand,” Ayala said.
Villegas closed the conference with some light humor. The VIDA line of cards are printed with Spanish and the English translation on the back. Observing the cards and noting both languages, Villegas’ 13-year-old son asked his father “How do you love me in Spanish or English?”
“I guess both,” he reported saying to his inquisitive son.
“Now I can give him a card, and he’s loved in both languages,” Villegas said.
El Padrino Soccer has two locations. One at 708 Simpson Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. where they have the Hallmark’s products, and another in Olathe at 806 Old Highway 56.
