Elma Chavez was in the midst of a busy work day and reflecting on the one before as a self-described “one-man show” at the Raymondville Chamber of Commerce. It has been about two years since Chavez was called back from the private sector to revive a chamber that had lay dormant since 2020. She knew what she had to do. A previous tenure as executive director of the Raymondville Chamber…
A city without a chamber of commerce isn’t whole. In Raymondville, that essential piece was missing before a long-standing community leader returned to revive a dormant organization. Elma Chavez was running her own business in Raymondville when city leaders approached her early this year. Their suggestion was more of a plea. She had retired five years prior from her post as executive director of the Raymondville Chamber. The community needed…
The history of a legendary Rio Grande Valley bootmaker provides the backdrop for the Bootique, a clothing and gift shop in downtown Raymondville. The store is in a portion of the brick building where Abraham Rios crafted custom footwear for decades. The building’s current owners, Cruz and Sonya Tijerina, ran the Bootique until they sold the business to Elma Chavez, former director of the Raymondville Chamber of Commerce. The Tijerinas…