For Jesus Vishnivetskiy-Casiano, getting laid off wasn’t just a chance to try something new in his work, but also an opportunity to uplift others in his community.
An on-and-off drag queen since 2009, he got the idea to open YA Ready Store & Boutique after assisting with the 2024 Miss Universe pageant. The store stocks drag items as well as regular clothing pieces, and Vishnivetskiy-Casiano aims to be a safe place for everyone to shop and find something that makes them feel special.
The desire to boost customers’ self-esteem goes much deeper than just physical looks. Vishnivetskiy-Casiano’s sister—the inspiration for his drag persona—was a victim of domestic violence. Since her death in the early 2000s, he said he has helped many people in domestic violence situations since he is familiar with what they look like.
He hopes by uplifting each person he encounters in the store, it could help raise their confidence in other areas of life.
“I think that my advocacy goes along with the business that I’m doing,” Vishnivetskiy-Casiano said. “If I can empower them to look better, to boost their self-esteem and all that … I’m pretty sure that I can help them to get out of that kind of [situation].”
Vishnivetskiy-Casiano has been a salesman since he was a child selling mangoes on the streets of Puerto Rico—he said it must be “in [his] blood” since his grandmother owned a sandwich store. He went on to work in sciences as an epidemiologist.
In 2017, the year he first moved to Chicago, he began working for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center as a public health initiative director. From there, he went into the federal government, working with the Health Services Department and even moving to Washington D.C. for two years.
After coming back to Chicago and later getting laid off by the current presidential administration, he began thinking about what to do next. His time at the 2024 Miss Universe pageant began turning the gears in his head.
“At the end of May, I woke up one day and said, ‘I’m going to open this store,’” he said. “I have to do it, even though the times don’t look very promising and all of that, but I know what I do can be good and people will like it.”
By mid-June, he had all his documents already submitted and began knocking on doors to raise awareness. On Aug. 14, Vishnivetskiy-Casiano cut the ribbon and opened YA Ready.
The name comes from the initials of his drag name, Yeveah Altieri. But the store isn’t just for queens—there’s of course costumes, jewelry and hair pieces, but there are also regular clothing pieces anyone can wear at special events or day-to-day.
Vishnivetskiy-Casiano also stocks rhinestones, fringes and other accessories people can buy to enhance their outfits at home.
The store’s items come from supplier catalogues—Vishnivetskiy-Casiano selects pieces himself one by one—secondhand stores and even some he makes himself. He’s upcycled pieces he’s used for a show or others have given to him and sold them in the store.
Beyond physical items, he also provides services such as style consulting and interview coaching. He said people have often looked to him as someone who did well in interviews in pageants, which created a natural customer base for the service. Although he has more experience in Spanish, he’s been trying to move more into the English part, as well.
“Girls [from a previous fashion show] are now hiring me to be their pageant coach, like for interviews, and coming to the store to get their dresses for final night or for a cultural dress for the competitions,” Vishnivetskiy-Casiano said. “They see the store as a wrap-around service place, so that they can get all that they need for their pageant stuff.”
YA Ready has also developed a strong trans clientele base. Vishnivetskiy-Casiano said many trans women have come into the store since they know it is a safe space for them and can experiment and try on different clothing, jewelry or wig options.
He decided to design the store with bright colors—yellow, blue and pink—as part of his mission to create a happy, joyful environment. He’s excited about the reaction overall from the community, which has so far been “very, very positive.”
“My husband works for the restaurant industry, so he’s pretty much [always] fixing issues,” Vishnivetskiy-Casiano said. “But here, my ‘issues’ are more [about] self-esteem and giving people happiness and all of that. It’s not a place to just complain, it’s just to feel happy.”