Carmen Oriana made one long trip to get to the U.S., and she covers a shorter distance to get to work Downtown every day. Oriana works at the newsstand near the northwest corner of 7th Street and Broadway, offering newspapers and magazines to passersby. She came to the U.S. from her hometown of Zacapa, Guatemala, in 1999, and now lives in Long Beach. Oriana rides the Metro Blue Line to the newsstand on the edge of the Jewelry District, where she has become a familiar and friendly face to merchants and workers. She says she likes the job because she enjoys talking with her customers—and she adds that any job is a good job these days. Oriana says he also likes working in Los Angeles because she has two sisters—Melba and Noemi—who live nearby. A third sister, Amparro, lives in Miami. The Blue Line doesn’t go that far, but the Garment & Citizen hopes that the four sisters will be able to get together for a reunion sometime soon.
Local Hero - 02/19/2010
Alfonso Chacon works at the Fashion Design Center at 117 W. 9th Street, where handles a variety of daily maintenance tasks ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 02/05/2010
Kurt Bier decided not to pass the offices of the Working People’s Law Center during a bicycle ride around the Echo Park di ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 01/22/2010
Business is slow for Downtown retailers these days, but Marcos Moreno still finds plenty of good as he works the counter a ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 01/08/2010
Richard Smith is a longtime resident of the Skid Row district of Downtown, where he does his best to look out for the comm ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 12/18/2009
Lydia Choi is one of the business owners who make Broadway special. Choi owns Mikado, a restaurant located at the southwes ... [ Full Story ]
Local Heroes - 12/04/2009
Imelda Rodriguez (left), daughter Maria Hernandez, and son Oscar Cerezo work together at Sew Rights Fashion Inc. at 939 S. ... [ Full Story ]
Local Heroes - 11/06/2009
Memories are more than old facts—they’re also a matter of feelings and perspective. El Centro Del Pueblo, a non-profit soc ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 10/23/2009
Hector Peralta likes life in Los Angeles just fine. The native of Mexico City says that he is happy with his work handling ... [ Full Story ]
Local Heroes - 10/09/2009
Max Azria, famed designer and founder of the BCBG fashion label, shares a moment with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigo ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 09/11/2009
Hilda Gomez Quiros has helped a lot of brides get ready for their big days, offering specially designed dresses and all th ... [ Full Story ]
The Los Angeles Garment & Citizen is the community newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods, including the Arts District, Chinatown, Echo Park, Little Tokyo, Pico-Union, Silver Lake and Westlake.The Garment & Citizen reaches more than 20,000 readers weekly, an audience that spans the demographic makeup of the city and serves as the leading edge of statewide and national trends.
