Born and Raised in the City by the Bay!

¡¿Que onda?! Soy Mariajosé, I am a Salvadoreña born and raised in San Francisco, CA. I’m a proud San Francisco native but my parents made sure to immerse me in our Salvadorean culture too. And yes, I spell it Salvadorean/Salvadorian.. never heard of SalvadoRAN till a couple years ago!

I grew up in the Sunset and Mission Districts, from the fog to the sun. My favorite foods range from Pupusas y plátanos fritos, Mission style super burritos, and mangoneadas, to sushi boats on Geary, dim sum from Clement and Super Duper Burgers. And no matter what anyone says, Mitchell’s Ice Cream is the best!

Though I’ve lived in one of the most famous cities in the world, and have seen how my hometown has evolved with the rise of technologies, gentrification, and influencers posing for instagram, I feel like their versions of The City are just an illusion. We’re more than just Clam Chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf. I grew up surrounded by hundreds of cultures, languages, and music.

All along I have wanted to share my story, my favorites, my own little world in San Francisco as a Salvi Cipota and hence it finally clicked.

Fall of 2020 I finally kicked off a goal and idea I've had in the far back of my mind for a long time.. I finally launched my own brand @sanfrancipota! #sanfrancipota

It began several years ago - in 2018 - when I wanted a Salvadoreña shirt when everything was #chingona centered. I doodled a design in my Galaxy Note and… that was it. My fears held me back and instead I found comfort supporting small Salvi brands. Through the years I've loved watching them grow and am grateful for the friendships I've made along the way.

Fast forward to EXACTLY two years later, I decided to open a new instagram account and created that very same design on my iPad.. a couple months passed until my friend Aimee motivated me to take the plunge. Pues entonces, I pulled an all-nighter with my brother, pumped out my first two designs - The Salvadorian and the Salvadorian Gigantes styles - I opened an online store and just like that San FranCipota was finally born. I had totally forgotten about having made that doodle in 2018 but I found it buried deep in the Samsung Notes November 2020 and could not believe that it was all meant to be!

I want to give special thanks to Quirky Cipota for being my inspiration, motivating me and supporting me with this new venture!

I also want to acknowledge my Darling Jordan for being my talented Beeboo-tographer, handsome model, my admin team, my hypeman, and biggest supporter. Thanks to my family for supporting mis inventos, helping me brainstorm - shoutout to Bub, my brother- for his genius puns and for creating our original The Salvadorian design!

Thank you for supporting my adventure and I hope you can enjoy and connect with my nerdy, Salvi, and San Francisco themed designs!