How a Peruvian business owner traveled hemispheres to set up shop in Bozeman

Montana is home to over 41,000 people of Hispanic descent and over 200 years of Hispanic history. Many people of Hispanic heritage initially migrated west to serve as furriers, railroad track workers or sugar beet workers, yet the stories of this community remain in the shadows.

Hispanic Heritage month works to bring stories out of the darkness and inspire others to redefine their own narratives. The Exponent sat down with Ana Macrae, a local business owner from Peru, to bring her story to light.

Macrae is the owner of Cosmica World Boutique, a mother and first-generation immigrant from Chincha, Peru. Her efforts to bring Peruvian culture to Bozeman eminate in the decor and liveliness of the shop. 

According to the nonprofit organization, Coprodeli USA, Chincha Peru is home to 13,011 people; more than 25% are impoverished, living on less than $1 a day. Despite this, Macrae described her hometown as inviting and full of community, music and good food. Chincha markets are full of people selling their goods, men riding bicycles on the streets selling avocados and people haggling for the best price. There was always something happening. “ If you wanted to hang out with your friends, you would just walk right on over, and if you timed it right, you could get lunch out of the deal,” Macrae said. 

Macrae’s family was among those who had very little. The house she grew up in had dirt floors, bare walls and only one room had a roof. Macrae’s mother was a veterinarian and her father never finished high school but ran an illegal and private casino, for high-stakes card games. Since both of her parents worked, Macrae and her two older siblings were raised by their paternal grandmother, Elsa. She and her siblings attended private school in Chincha, where they learned English. 

After graduating high school at 15 and college at 19 with a degree in Business Management and Tourism, Macrae applied for a program that would take her to Big Sky, Montana. “My people only knew of Florida, California, Texas and New York. I remember looking at a map with my father, and Montana wasn't near Florida, so we looked at California and kept moving north. I remember my dad saying I was moving to the North Pole!” 

Macrae’s family supported her decision to take a job in America and banded together to support her financially and emotionally. “My father had given me one of his coats which he thought to be overly warm. Let me tell you; it wasn’t warm enough!” Macrae said. Before leaving, her father, Jorge traveled into town to buy her a sleeping bag for her journey. After purchasing the bag, he had no more money for the return bus. However, he had placed Macrae on the bus to a tiny house they were renting in Lima, Peru, with her sleeping bag so she wouldn’t have to walk. The bus would have been around $1.5 (USD) or five Peruvian Soles then, and the bus to the bus station near her home another 50 cents a sol, or five cents to the dollar, Macrae explained. 

To this day, Macrae’s family continues to use this sleeping bag, a constant reminder of her selfless and fantastic father. Jorge was able to meet his two American granddaughters before he sadly passed away seven years ago. During their visit, he played and sang songs to them just like he did with Macrae when she was a young girl in Peru.

In 2000 at the age of 21, alone but excited, Macrae made the journey to the United States with a work visa and $200 from her grandmother in her pocket. She left behind her mother, father, two older siblings and her grandmother. 

"When you grow up in hard times, it makes you want to change," she said. She arrived in Big Sky and worked countless jobs. "What didn't I do? I taught Spanish, nannied and worked in a restaurant and a boutique. If they needed workers, I was there to work." Macrae said. Macrae worked seven days a week to save and send money home to help her family survive. She didn't have a vehicle in Big Sky, so she had nowhere else to go. "My only options were to work or the bar. I chose to work." In Big Sky, Macrae made about $9-15/hour,  a vast difference from her $300/month in Peru. 

Macrae met Andy, her future husband, while visiting a Peruvian friend that lived in Bozeman. Andy was practicing Spanish with her friend's boyfriend, and it was love at first sight. The two dated only four months before deciding to marry. "He is the love of my life and my next life. If I had to go through my life experience again, I would do it just to find him." They went on to have two girls, now nine and twelve years old. 

When Macrae decided to open a Bozeman boutique, she said her grandmother Elsa was a huge inspiration. Elsa raised four children independently and was a powerful woman and independent entrepreneur. She traveled around Central and South America and would bring home beautiful and unique items from each location. After getting them home, Macrae would inventory the items, and Elsa would sell them out of the living room of their home. Macrae was her right-hand woman and was in charge of organizing the many items. Here she learned the ways of a successful businesswoman. 

"She told me once when I was scared to jump in the river. ‘Come on, just jump. You won’t learn how to swim if you don’t jump.’" These qualities were brought to her business in Bozeman, Montana. If you are lucky enough to visit Macrae in Cosmica World Boutique, her Hispanic upbringing and culture shine through in bold colors. It is a delightful shop downtown with specialty items from around the world. Next year, Cosmica will celebrate its 15th year on Main Street. In 2010, Macrae purchased a ticket for her grandmother Elsa to come to meet Macrae’s family and visit Cosmica,  “I am eternally grateful to have had her in my life. She told me before dying to never forget about my siblings back home, especially my dad (her son). I told her, ‘Mama, don't worry. You have already taught me that lesson.’”

Macrae’s culture is essential to her, and she continues to integrate it into her family's life. She is raising bilingual daughters, often cooks Peruvian cuisine and enjoys playing music when working to remind her of the constant motion of her hometown. Every year, Macrae makes it a priority to return to Peru to visit her family and expose her two young girls to her culture and the "real world," where things are made by hand. Since leaving Peru, Macrae has purchased a lovely home for her family in the capital so they would never have to worry about paying rent again. 

You can continue to support Macrae and her family by shopping locally and purchasing gifts and other exceptional items at Cosmica World Boutique. During Hispanic Heritage Month it’s important to remember that there is an entire world ready to explore, but you have to take the first step. As our chat concluded, Macrae bestowed upon me a piece of advice that I will pass to you,  “Risk it, do what you love, travel, and immerse yourself in new cultures as it will be the best thing you can do for your soul.”