Pasadena 5.30.2017

Simon Kuang

I came across Chiropractic Care while I was competing in the sport known as Olympic Weightlifting. I’ve been a strength athlete for as long as I can remember. Lifting heavy weights was a way of life for me, and did so while throwing caution to the wind. This was until one fateful Saturday evening inside the weight room at 24 hour fitness. Read More>>

Mike Gerbrandt

Mike has always been an eccentric visionary – as most artists are. In 2013, he happened upon a documentary called “The Institute” (which you’ll find on Netflix) about a citywide alternate reality experience that was organized in San Francisco between 2008 and 2011. Intrigued and amazed, his wheels started turning toward the surreal. The following year talks began with his friend and Pastor Craig Lawrence about starting up an escape room business in the Inland Empire (“Mysterium” which is still in utero). Read More>>

Alison Hooper Keslake

I started dancing when I was 5 years old in a small town in Kansas. From the moment I put on my first pair of tap shoes I was smitten! I danced every day and everywhere! I was a part of my dance studios’ performing group and had the opportunity to perform at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, MO with the National Tours of Annie Get Your Gun and Peter Pan. Read More>>

Ming Lai

I’ve always loved film ever since I was a kid. However, becoming a director seemed impossible so I explored other careers, including medicine and law, before getting into advertising and eventually film. I went to UCLA and received a B.A. in English. And then I attended CSULB and earned a M.A. also in English, doing my master’s thesis on Akira Kurosawa’s “Throne of Blood,” his adaptation of “Macbeth.” Read More>>

Justin Hornick

We started our business in 2006 as part of our video production operations because we were receiving customer inquiries about helping to digitize and handle the personal archives of photos, video, and audio recordings from family members. While we were only operating as a production company, developing videos for use on websites and at events, we decided to use our skillset to help these people who were looking to convert their old materials to something modern and useful for safekeeping. We felt that we had the expertise to handle their materials in a professional way with professional equipment from our experience as a post production house and therefore started our new, separate business offering called LA Video Transfer. Read More>>

Hilary Thomas

I started Lineage as a nonprofit dance company in 1999. Our mission as a dance company is to raise support and awareness for nonprofits as well as to making the arts accessible to all. In 2010 we opened the Lineage Performing Arts Center as a community hub designed to bring the arts together in an affordable, inclusive way. Our Dance for Joy program offers free movement classes to those in the community struggling with Parkinson’s Disease, stroke recovery, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and autism. Read More>>

Staci Mitchell

When at the age of 42, I was given a breast cancer diagnosis and prescibed a western treatment plan, I accepted it knowing I would formulate my own healing regimen, infomed by the ancients, to run parallel. Being a yogi for 18 years prior, I was humbled by the comfort yoga provided during treatment, while also being affirmed through the healing & strengthening benefit. However, while I was in treatment, the Black Lives Matter Movement was erupting here in Los Angeles and I am intimately linked. Read More>>

Marvin Khudadian

Started working for my family at their nursery, studied horticulture, landscape architecture, have been operating a landscape design and build business since 2011, specializing in outdoor living. Opened my nursery in Pasadena in 2015, developing it as we go, gearing towards becoming a full landscape center with a retail outlet, wholesale plant production, and landscape related products. Read More>>

Viridiana Frias

Veridian Deserts was born at the same time I entered the world, back in the 80’s. It represents a desire to belong to the earth in the most respectful and loving way. As a kid, this “save the earth” mentality was manifested as a need to be around critters, whether that be the rolly pollie I found while playing in the dirt or the adventures I had chasing the neighborhood cats. I know this can sound like a Disney cartoon but I truly reveled in nature (cue the bird sounds). Read More>>

Diane Staples

I have been a Buyer and Manager of specialty retail stores for over 20 years. My passion is in handmade artisan items such as jewelry, leather goods, greeting cards and so much more. I have worked with hundreds of incredibly talented artists in my career and I am always excited to find new work. I enjoy creating a great experience for customers in every way. Read More>>

Rita Derkalousdian

Rita has been in the optical business since the day she was born. She gained knowledge of the practice by working at her parents optical shop on the weekends at a very young age, and took on a full time position as an optician once she graduated from high school. Today, 19 years after graduating from high school, Rita continues her career as a licensed ABO certified optician. Read More>>

Laura Powell

Brandon and I have both been introduced to dance accidentally. For me, my parents, students at a local dance academy, took me with them when they were taking classes. I was so enthralled & they offered a teachers training course and I jumped at the chance. I started teaching & then made my way to the competition dance floor where my partner & I won many major competition including International Grand Ball Champion, multiple Emerald Ball Championships and the California Star Ball theater arts Championship. Read More>>

Ani Aratounians

Over 30 years, Critters has been a favorite gift store in the quaint family community of Montrose, offering fun and exciting products for kids and adults. Its old-fashioned horse (named Champion!) and the Harley motorcycle rides in front of the store bring nostalgia to passerby of a small town USA. For decades, this unique, fun store has been the place to go for birthdays and special occasions, or to find something unusual. It is well known for their special selection of plush animals and funny greeting cards, but the toys, gag/prank gifts, novelties, hand-made jewelry, boxed signs, and vintage candies don’t go unnoticed. Read More>>