Our Company
We sit with your shop before we say anything about it.
Esmeralda was built around a simple idea: a retailer who feels understood is far more likely to act on advice. So we start there.
Back to HomeOur Story
How Esmeralda came to be.
Esmeralda grew from a few years of noticing that many small shop owners in Barranquilla were managing fine on their own but occasionally needed someone to think alongside them — not a consultant who arrived with a prepared presentation, but someone willing to walk the floor first.
We started with a single retail review for a neighbourhood clothing shop on Carrera 53. The owner wanted to know why foot traffic was good but conversions were not. We spent a morning in the store, watched how people moved through it, and shared a short written list. She made three changes the following week. That felt like the right kind of consulting.
From that beginning, Esmeralda has grown into a small, focused practice. We now offer three services — from a one-time Shopfront Read to a structured Commerce Study — and we work with independent retailers across Barranquilla and the wider Caribbean coast.
Our Mission
Thoughtful commerce, one shop at a time.
Our mission is to make retail thinking accessible for independent shop owners who do not have the time or budget for large advisory firms. We keep our scope specific, our language plain, and our deliverables short enough to actually be read.
Observation first
We look before we speak. A store or online shop reveals most of what it needs if you spend time with it properly.
Written clarity
Every engagement ends with something on paper. Good ideas forgotten in meetings help no one.
Gradual improvement
We do not expect large changes fast. Most retail improvements are small, frequent, and cumulative.
The People
The stall keepers.
A small team means you always know who you are talking to, and so do we.
Claudia Restrepo
Founding Advisor
Claudia spent twelve years in retail buying before moving into advisory work. She conducts most of our Shopfront Reads and leads the Commerce Study process.
Andrés Fuentes
Commerce Analyst
Andrés focuses on inventory and margin analysis within our Commerce Study service. He has a background in wholesale distribution across the Atlántico region.
Lucía Morales
Client Relations
Lucía manages scheduling, follow-ups, and the shared checklists within our Retail Companion engagements. She ensures nothing falls through after a session ends.
Our Standards
How we hold ourselves to account.
Confidentiality
Everything a client shares with us — sales figures, supplier relationships, staffing — stays within Esmeralda and is never shared without permission.
Written deliverables
We commit to writing. Every review and study ends with a document you can read, return to, and share with your team without us in the room.
Timely responses
We respond to all client messages within one business day during office hours. If something needs more time, we say so and give a clear timeline.
Transparent scope
Before any engagement begins, you know exactly what is included and what is not. No additions mid-way without a separate conversation.
Inclusive of your team
We include floor staff in our assessments where it is appropriate. Good retail knowledge lives with the people who work in the shop every day.
Colombian Chamber member
Esmeralda is registered with the Cámara de Comercio de Barranquilla and maintains its professional standing in the local business community.
Retail consulting that respects the pace of a working shop.
Independent retailers in Colombia often carry the full weight of their business — buying, floor management, customer relationships, and accounting — with limited time for stepping back. Esmeralda exists to offer that step back in a structured, manageable form.
Our Shopfront Read is designed for shops that want an outside perspective without committing to a long engagement. It is quiet, observational, and ends with a practical written list that the owner can work through at their own pace.
The Retail Companion is for owners who value a sustained rhythm of thinking. Over three months, we build familiarity with the shop and the team, and the advice that comes from that familiarity tends to be more useful than anything we could offer after a single visit.
The Commerce Study is our most thorough service, suited to established shops preparing for change — a new channel, a second location, a shift in pricing structure. It takes the time it needs and delivers a roadmap that the whole team can read and discuss.
Talk to Us
Curious about working with Esmeralda?
We are happy to have a short call first — no commitment, just a conversation to see if there is a useful fit. Reach out and we will find a time.
Book a Call