Here’s a list of Latino-owned lifestyle businesses in L.A. for National Hispanic Heritage Month
How do you compile a list of all of the Latino-owned lifestyle businesses in Los Angeles?
In a city where Latinos are nearly 50% of the population, there is certainly much to celebrate. So in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month we decided to start compiling a list, and in the process, one thing is clear: There are a lot of Latina business owners out there.
We have highlighted a number of small independent Black-owned fashion and design businesses in Los Angeles as well as women-owned businesses, and want to do the same for Latino brands. If you have a favorite that we missed, please let me know and we may add it to the list. Keep in mind that many businesses have limited hours, and products, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
1. Avalon Nursery
South Los Angeles’ only enduring nursery feels more like a botanic garden than a thriving business on a busy corner. In addition to trees, shrubs and colorful ceramics, the nursery features a “green room,” where most of the houseplants reside. instagram.com/avalonnurseryla/
2. Beatrice Valenzuela
The Echo Park designer, known for her feminine apparel, accessories and minimal sandals, started the popular Echo Park Craft Fair — an annual festival devoted to Los Angeles makers — in her backyard with friend and fellow designer Rachel Craven. beatricevalenzuela.com
3. Birch and Bone
Floral designer Amelia Rose Posada’s DTLA floral design studio specializes in bespoke botanicals. birchandbone.com
In our Plant PPL series, we interview people of color in the plant world, including plantfluencers, plant stylists, floral artists, enthusiasts, experts and garden store owners.
4. Calivolve
Entrepreneurs Lilly Cabral and Mia Pham’s line of cannabis-infused chocolates are made with Belgian dark chocolate, full-spectrum hemp extract and ashwagandha. calivolve.com
5. Carlos Anthony Lopez
The self-taught designer and builder, who has designed the interiors of Cafe Stella, Ostrich Farm and Sawyer restaurants, recently opened Winston Studios, a design firm focusing on interior/exterior space design, art direction, floral, landscape, and set design. winstonstudios.com and theprojectassassin.com
6. Cisco Home
For three decades, Cisco Pinedo has created understated eco-friendly home furnishings and accessories using sustainable materials. ciscohome.net
7. Concrete Geometric
Krizia Flores’ concrete, geometric planters and votives have been sold at West Elm, Urban Outfitters and MOCA. During the pandemic, she is offering private digital workshops and custom DIY quick-dry concrete kits. concretegeometric.com
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8. Cuyana
Classic bags and simple separates are designed by Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah with the philosophy that creating fewer but better-quality pieces will last. cuyana.com
9. Designing Chica
Susana Sanchez-Young’s prints and cards, posters and coffee mugs are inspired by her culture and current events. society6.com/thedesigningchica
10. EnCactusar
The COVID-19 pandemic gave artists Jackie Amezquita and Julio Toruno the opportunity to turn their hobby into their own nursery, a small business at their Boyle Heights home. Toruno makes arrangements with cactuses, and they both make ceramic plant pots. Open on Saturdays and Sundays only. DM them on Instagram to make an appointment: instagram.com/encactusar/
11. Espacio 1839
The Boyle Heights store specializes in culturally significant clothing, masks, jewelry and books, and includes a booth for community radio. espacio1839.com
12. Estudio Persona
Minimal furniture and lighting designs, made from natural materials, by Emiliana Gonzalez and Jessie Young. estudiopersona.com
13. Fabian Flores Publishing
Former attorney Norma Fabian Newton recently founded FabianFlores Publishing, a Latinx-focused independent publishing house, from her Culver City home. fabianflorespublishing.com/
14. Francis’ Cactus and Succulents
This tiny outdoor lot in North Hollywood sells a variety of cactuses, succulents and some houseplants. franciscactus.com
15. Gentle Riot
T-shirts celebrating Latinas and women of color. shopgentleriot.com
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16. Gladys Tamez Millinery
Handmade contemporary artisanal hats for both women and men in downtown Los Angeles; clients have included Lady Gaga. gladystamez.com
17. GRL Collective
Clothing, jewelry, stickers and more from the Latina lifestyle brand that is dedicated to ethical and sustainable practices. grlcollective.com
18. Hedley & Bennett
Former chef Ellen Bennett turned the need for stylish but functional aprons into a Vernon-based culinary line that includes handcrafted aprons, chef gear and face masks. hedleyandbennett.com
19. Hija de tu Madre
Patty Delgado’s Hija de tu Madre lifestyle brand explores the cultural intersection of being Mexican American with such pieces as a denim jacket adorned with an image of la Virgen de Guadalupe. hijadetumadre.com
20. Hola Mis Bonitas
Latinx stationery, stickers, and prints by Claudia Ramos, inspired by her life growing up in Los Angeles. holamijasbonitas.shop and claudiaramosdesigns.com
21. The Juicy Leaf
Felix Navarro’s Highland Park plant shop features terrariums and succulent arrangements, houseplants, cactus and housewares. He also offers DIY arrangements that you can create by following the step-by-step instructions on his Instagram. thejuicyleaf.com
22. Kneeland Co.
Joanna Williams, a longtime vintage textile consultant, recently opened a bricks-and-mortar store in West Adams specializing in one-of-a-kind, globally sourced,and handmade home goods and jewelry. kneelandco.com
23. The LA Garden
Latin-inspired stickers, clothing, home and office products as well as succulent arrangements by Dianna Martinez. You can find Martinez at the DTLA farmers market on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 5th & Broadway in front of The Last Bookstore. thelagarden.com
24. Latinx Lineage
Artist Ralph Lubia designs sportswear inspired by Latinx culture, including t-shirts, hoodies, hats and leggings. crestoneltd.com/
25. Latinx With Plants
Andi Xoch started selling houseplants on her Instagram account, Latinx with Plants, which led to the opening of her first plant shop in Boyle Heights last month. latinxwithplants.com
26. Lenita by Grita
Nemuel DePaula of the design studio Grita resumes his flower truck deliveries — courtesy of a pink 91 Dodge Aeromate — on Oct. 1. Additionally, he opened a flower shop this month at 1242 20th St. in Santa Monica. lenitabygrita.com
27. Lil’ Libros
Los Angeles moms Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein started Lil’ Libros in 2014 after they had a hard time finding children’s books in both English and Spanish. Their picture books, written by the co-founders, are designed to introduce bilingualism and Latin American culture to children. lillibros.com
28. Lincoln Avenue Nursery
Lincoln Avenue Nursery in Pasadena is owned by Ramon Franco, a Mexican immigrant who came to the United States when he was 14 in 1974, worked as a gardener, and then became a landscape contractor and purchased the nursery from the Takemura family in 2003. He now runs it with his children, Brenda Franco and Alejandro (Alex) Franco. lincolnavenuenursery.com
29. Loquita Bath
Cruelty-free bath bombs, soaps and scrubs made by women of color. loquitabath.com
30. Luna Magic Beauty
This Latina-owned and operated beauty brand founded by sisters Mabel and Shaira Frías offers cosmetics, T-shirts and hairpins. lunamagic.com
31. LunaSol Vintage
Mexican vintage store selling original artwork, books, jewelry, and more in Uptown Whittier. Open Wed.-Sun. by appointment. Instagram: @lunasolmexicanvintage
32. Majestic Bliss Soaps
Vegan and cruelty-free artisan soaps by Marcela Arrieta, who started her popular brand in her Boyle Heights garage with a $500 GoFundme campaign. she began making soap for the first time, learning along the way with the help of youtube videos.
majesticblisssoaps.com
33. Mi Vida
Women’s tops and accessories are illustrated with Mexican-inspired images and sayings such as “Paz y Amor” and “Yo te Cielo” from a Frida Kahlo poem. shopmivida.com
His East L.A. backyard is mostly concrete, but Ken Sparks has transformed the hardscape into something alive, with chickens, a butterfly garden and organic vegetables.
34. Mitú Shop
The Los Angeles-based Mitú Shop offers the latest Latino-inspired merchandise — apparel, jewelry and home decor. mitushop.com
35. Party Art Community
Socially conscious party goods, gifts and workshops by Destinie Escobedo. partyartcommunity.com
36. The Plant Chica
Sandra Mejia transformed an old auto body shop in Jefferson Park into her own urban greenhouse and plant shop. Mejia started her business by selling plants around her neighborhood and through Etsy and now specializes in unique plants. theplantchica.com/
37. Plantiitas
This queer and Latinx-owned plant shop is carefully curated by owners Anthony Diaz and Kevin Alcaraz who specialize in tropical houseplants, stylish planters, and hand-crafted goods. www.plantiitas.com
38. Pocket Square Clothing
Men’s pocket squares, ties and masks by founders Rodolfo Ramirez and Andrew Cheung. pocketsquareclothing.com
39. Pop Up Home
Tricia Beanum, known as the queen of estate sales, recently moved her West Adams warehouse to a massive showroom on Sycamore in West Hollywood. Shop for vintage furniture, accessories and art at 927 N. Sycamore Ave. popuphome.com
40. Querida Los Angeles
Vanessa Garcia’s Latina statement jewelry line is designed to promoted self-love and confidence. queridalosangeles.bigcartel.com/products
41. Raggedy Tiff
Apparel, stickers, stationery and pillows designed by Jessica Resendiz are influenced by the designer’s Mexican roots. raggedytiff.com
42. Sana Canna
Handcrafted vegan, hemp-infused body and skincare products, and plant-based sweets by Silvana Zamara. sanacanna.shop
43. Selva\Negra
Ethically-sourced apparel and accessories informed by the Latina heritage of designers Kristen Gonzalez and Sam Romero. selvanegra.us
44. Sweet Llamita
Bicultural stationery in Spanish, English and Spanglish by Brenda Castillo. sweetllamita.com
45. Tanya Aguiñiga
The Los Angeles-based designer, fiber artist and activist is known for her large-scale woven installations but also sells small pieces (prints, rope necklaces, and woven baskets) at occasional sample sales. tanyaaguiniga.com
46. Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural
In addition to book readings, film screenings, and art exhibits, this Latino-owned bookstore and cultural center in Sylmar offers bilingual intergenerational programming in mural painting, music, dance, writing, visual arts, healing arts sessions (such as reiki healing), and healing/talking circles. tiachucha.org
47. Ramon Valdez
The founder of Fine Art Solutions specializes in custom framing, fabrication, metal, woodworking, lamination and matting. fineartsolutionsinc.com
48. Valfré
Women’s apparel, accessories and home goods by Mexican-born artist Ilse Valfré. valfre.com
49. Viva la Bonita
Rachel Gomez’s Los Angeles-based Latina lifestyle and apparel brand includes T-shirts, sweats, jewelry and phone cases “inspired by the spirit of the women who are fearless.” vivalabonita.com
50. Xochiquetzal Arrangements
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Elizabeth Muñoz was able to launch her shop in Long Beach as a way to give back to the community she grew up in. “Flowers are a symbol of unity, love, beauty and life that our god and goddess have put here for us to admire. Flowers are a lot like us in a lot of respects, and grouping them together is a way of getting us all together in a community. To grow them, you can use a variety of colors and backgrounds. In the end, together we are beautiful,” Muñoz said. xochiquetzalarrangementsllc.com/
51. Xol y Luna
This Hawthorne-based small-batch apothecary and botanica create healing tinctures, candles, and oils handmade with locally grown herbs. xolyluna.com
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