E12: Cristal & Nancy Bueno - Local Latina Makers of Bueno Designs

Meet the local makers behind the Mexican culture inspired business, Bueno Designs: The Bueno Sisters, Cristal and Nancy Bueno. We sat down for delicious hot chocolate at Sirens Java & Tea and talked about the recent local Dia De Los Muertos event in downtown San Pedro. Nancy mentioned how she felt that the Mexican tradition seems to be a little more approachable in recent years. We spent a lot of time talking about how the Disney animated movie "COCO" might've helped with that change as well as the cultural impact the heartwarming movie has had on the Latino community. Nancy lives with her husband and kids in San Pedro. Her husband is a longshoreman and she tells me about his early days of longshoring when he was a "casual" and the sacrifice they had to make as a family to prioritize that job. It was something they felt would be best for the family in the long run. Nancy on why her husband's Longshoreman job was worth the sacrifice: "When he was casualing, we had to put the job first. So he missed a lot of things, and, you know, it was tough, but it's like, at the end of the day we were getting to the goal of getting him in." Cristal, on the other hand, does not live in San Pedro but in El Segundo and works in Santa Monica as a graphic designer. Her and I share the turmoils of commuting in Los Angeles. She tell me why it's important for her to start creating outside of her job. It became apparent that she wasn't fulfilled with her job alone and wanted an outlet for her creative ideas. She and her sister also felt passionate about sharing their Mexican culture with everyone. Cristal on what motivated her to start this business: "I've always been a creative... I have all these ideas. For me starting this business, it's something that will take my mind off the stress and everything that happens on a day to day basis. " Bueno Designs These sisters are incredibly skilled and creative. Both able to sew and hand bead meticulous designs they are always looking for an original idea for a product design. They have received orders from overseas including large orders from the U.K. and even Australia. They are hoping to expand their business by adding a wider variety of products on their Etsy shop in 2019. LINKS: Bueno Designs Instagram https://www.instagram.com/buenodesigns/ Bueno Designs on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/buenodesignsla Bueno Designs Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BuenoDesigns/ SPONSOR: Siren's Java & Tea https://www.instagram.com/sirensjavateahouse/?hl=en