Stacy Garcia has designed the life she’s always wanted. Literally. Born in Mexico to parents of Eastern European descent, Garcia is an award-winning textile designer specializing in luxury fabrics. “My designs are eclectic leaning towards contemporary,” says Garcia. Having worked early in her career for Ralph Lauren’s home goods and later designed bedding for JCPenney, Garcia now designs beautiful interiors for hotels around the world.

When she was pregnant with her first son, Harrison, Garcia knew that she wanted to launch her company. After all, entrepreneurship runs in her family; her father, grandfather and both great-grandfathers were all entrepreneurs. So she took baby steps to begin the process. She incorporated her business, took classes and networked with some of the top players in the industry. After landing some freelance work, Garcia realized that she was making more money than ever in her career. Recognizing her potential, her super sweet husband, Michael, let her mortgage the house, and a friend gave her a journal to write down the date when her line would launch. “They were always my two biggest cheerleaders,” says Garcia.  

Almost ten years later, Garcia’s textile line LebaTex (named for her grandmother) can be seen in top hotels around the world. “It’s incredible to think that I started this company in my basement and now we sell to all the major hotel brands,” says Garcia. She admits that balancing her two companies (she also runs Stacy Garcia Inc., a design studio) and raising her three sons can be challenging. Says Garcia: “It’s taken years for me to learn to draw boundaries, but my priority is to be home to have dinner with my kids.” She’s since learned to delegate – no more checking faxes at 11:00 P.M. – and her trusted employees have become like family.

Garcia’s plans for the future include bringing her designs into the retail market. Although she wants to branch off into furniture design, Garcia’s first love will always be textiles. “Textiles are my passion,” says Garcia. “They create the backdrop of our stage where we all live out our own play.”