Local vendors came together to display and sell their products at the Creative Communal Market on April 25 at 2nd & PCH.
The in-person market, which implemented COVID-19 safety precautions, was vibrant as people strolled and explored various products local vendors sold while live music played.
Amir Amor Boutique, a Mexican artisan sandal company, is made by Jeanette Magenna and Yvonne Lita. They started this business in the beginning of March 2020, right at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Magenna said that she created this company as a way to connect with her Mexican heritage and embrace modern fashion together. The sandals and huaraches are handmade by artisans from Michoacán, Mexico, where Magenna’s parents originally emigrated from.
“It’s so different from an online boutique where you have no interactions with the customers to actually having a one-on-one thing with them,” Magenna said. “People are really interested in [the products] which makes me very happy because I am showcasing a part of my culture.”
The Creative Communal event was their first market boutique. In the future, they hope their business will become more mainstream and can someday open up a storefront.
Samantha Maccarthy creates and runs her own rainbow design store called The Cluttered Wall. She creates rainbows through macramé, a type of knot style.
Maccarthy started her business in 2018 with encouragement from friends interested in buying her pieces. She said she mainly sells her items for nurseries to expectant mothers.
“I like meeting people who also enjoy what I do,” McCarthy said. “It’s just fun seeing [expecting mothers] get really excited, who buy little rainbows and stuff for their nursery.”
Maccarthy said she has noticed her online sales have increased around the times of the stimulus checks and hoped to grow her business into a full-time.
The Creative Communal Market was founded in 2019 by Diana Morales and Sarah Vogels, both who used to previously be vendors.
Morales used to operate a similar vendor market and the pair decided to collaborate together to create their own vendor market, which mainly operates in Irvine, Costa Mesa and Long Beach.
Vanessa Alcala is a vendor who owns The Rhinestone Rodeo, a western country style boutique selling a variety of items including vintage finds and hand-cropped flannels.
Alcala originally was a country western blogger who used to cover concerts and provide information about upcoming events. She moved into selling country western clothing due to the coronavirus pandemic closing down concert venues.
“I just wanted to use my creativity in a way that could add to country music,” Alcala said.
Alcala explained how all the vendors are hardworking, with many laborious tasks behind the scenes from setting up to closing and unloading everything at the end of the day.
“When you do a business like this, all of your money gets put into actual assets to hold,” Alcala said. “You’re left with nothing right before market and you’re hoping to God somebody supports you.”
Creative Communal’s next market will be a Mother’s Day vendor market on May 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at South Hill Church in Costa Mesa.