Pasadena 5.23.2017

Christina Hobbs

The gallery owner was trained in the arts and has been a longtime supporter of Chinese artists, so he wanted to open a gallery that focuses specifically on contemporary Chinese art. His goal is to provide a space for younger Chinese artists that have exhibited extensively but have little exposure in the United States. The gallery is a great opportunity for our artists to show their work to new audiences and also an opportunity to introduce the public in the Pasadena and LA area to contemporary Chinese art. Read More>>

Howard Chen

When I was a 10 years old my favorite cousin would come visit the family and drop off comics for my two brothers and I and that’s how we all fell in love with comic books. My cousin was entering college and decided to give up the hobby and he gave his collection to me. At the time I was 15 and going to a monthly comic book convention working for a dealer there. With this new found bounty of comics I said I can sell these at this same convention too! From there, I was selling to fellow students through junior high and high school out of my locker and back of my house. Read More>>

Richard Luu

I was always interested in photography, when I was in high school I took a film class where I learned the basics and learned how to develop film. Digital cameras were getting cheaper and I was finally able to afford one in 2009 and photography started becoming more than a hobby. My first professional gig happened very early in my career where I got an opportunity to photograph Nicki Minaj for Billboard. I have to admit at the time I wasn’t exactly sure how big that was. Read More>>

Layla Zomorod

Happy Rose Florist has been providing floral designs for Pasadena and surrounding communities since 1991 when my father, Nasser Zomorod transitioned from selling wrapped rose bouquets in Old Town Pasadena bars to opening a flower shop with his wife, Ulrike. With no prior floral or business experience their first few years were spent on a learning curve. My mom, Ulrike recalls our early days and only knowing how to make one kind of arrangement and mass producing it. Read More>>

Christine (C.E.) Jordan

I was a theatre teacher in LA when I decided to look for another profession, one that had a creative element to it. Adapting plays, direction and and choreographing musicals for kid’s productions certainly was creative, but not wholely creative. When I moved to a small bungalow with a large overgrown, dormant garden in Glendale, things began to ‘grow’. As I brought the property back to life I realized this may be my new “calling”. Read More>>

Bonnie Wallace

POWER DANCE came out of a desire and passion to dance. I have been dancing all my life and danced with a company in the 80’s. I danced through two pregnancies and motherhood. In 2007, I began teaching just one class a week. Read More>>

Vanessa Sandoval

It’s funny, I never dreamed of becoming a Pilates instructor or running my own business. I graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Communication and Political Science, and I entered the workforce with the intention of pursuing a career in public relations. It wasn’t until I had gotten engaged and moved to San Diego that I was first introduced to Pilates. Read More>>

Jeremy Hapner

My story Started in the earliey 90’s. I was taking art classes in pottery, sculpture, and acrylics. I learned how to work with colors and lighting. I went to various events such as art shows, one day I went to an art show held in a park in Pasadena. Read More>>

Wayne Kawamoto

To start, I have been working as a full time, professional magician for the past 12 years. I consider this job to be a privilege as I get to be a part of special events and celebrations in people’s lives. I perform at anniversaries, retirement parties, weddings, and cocktail hours, and at business and company events and industry gatherings. I stand in front of a crowd and strive to create memorable moments. Read More>>

Cynthia Dawson

I was a stay-at- home single mom. My first priority was to raise my children. I worked from home around my kids’ schedule. When my youngest child started high school, I decided to go into a salon full time. I rented a booth and worked on refreshing my skills and honing in on what type of stylist I wanted to be. Read More>>

Abbey Claire Keusch

I’ve always been organized, and love that I get to help people while doing what I truly love to do. I come from a background in teaching, and found I was more interested in organizing the classroom than being the head of the classroom. I started my organizing business 11 years ago in Los Angeles. I’ve learned a lot since then, about running a business, about who I am as an organizer, and who my ideal clients are. Read More>>

Aramis Hernandez

My company, INC Technologies, is the cumulation of years of hands on technology practice; starting with repairing my family’s first computer after I broke it in just under two hours after we got it home. At 12 years old, I learned that IT doesn’t sleep, and neither did I that night. After pulling an all-nighter, learning rudimentary DOS, and re-installing the operating system; I was hooked on trouble shooting and problem solving everything technology can throw at me. Read More>>

Jessica Viola

I have always had a fascination with plants and the natural world. Although it wasn’t until I left downstate NY, where I was born and raised, and moved up to Ithaca, NY, where I went to school, that it was really stirred and came alive. I recall one of my first nights in Ithaca, walking with a friend down by Cayuga Lake, and my heart beating so fast. I was scared of that intense dark although it was a perfectly peaceful night and I was with a dear friend. Read More>>