October 20, 2021
1 min read

3 vendors to check out at Patches and Pins

Showing off his caps and his outfit (also designed by him) is Christopher Hall. Photo by Maria Gutierrez/ el Don

The Patches and Pins Expo is an open market that helps small businesses exhibit their artwork, allowing the vendors to earn money by sharing their stories and culture. By doing this, it unites the community. The next Downtown Santa Patches and Pins Expo will be their Halloween Horror Night on Oct. 30 located at 201 E. 4th St. in Santa Ana. Here are some of the vendors worth checking out while you’re there.

Common Threads  

Christopher Hall, 28 sells hats, sweaters and sweats of many different colors but all sharing the same message. “We all have a Common Thread”. This is his first time selling at the Patches and Pins Expo to which he, smiles ear to ear when describing  his clothing brand Common Threads  

Recently married, moved into a house with a baby on the way, Hall shares the message behind his brand, “Common Threads is  inspired by the people in the society and although many of us have different perspectives and difficulties everyone faces, we must remember to be kind, and caring to others because we are all connected, we are all the human race,” said Hall.

In order to purchase his products visit his instagram since he is still working on his website: @commonthreads143

Antiona Maldonado Garcia standing alongside her booth. Photo by Maria Gutierrez/ el Don

Flor de Ruda  

Wearing a colorful rebozo and surrounded by her handmade artwork, 52-year-old Antonia Maldonado-Garcia who was born in the small town of Cruz Agua Fria, Guerrero. Antonia makes handmade jewelry, rebozos, face clothes and masks all inspired by her Mexican culture.  

“I started selling thinking about my retirement but when I was presented with the opportunity to fix my immigration status I focused on raising the money to pay back the lawyer. A goal I want to achieve is to get a house of my own where I can live independently”  Said Maldonado-Garcia.

READ MORE:  In Photos: SAC theatre department performs Dracula

To purchase her items you can shop at :  https://www.etsy.com/shop/florderuda

On the left is Jorge, the boyfriend of Natalia Cardenas, both smiling in front of her booth. Photo by Maria Gutierrez/ el Don.

Shop Valentina 

Natalia Cardenas is a 28-year-old Latina artist and digital illustrator based in Southern California. Her digital designs are available on shirts, keychains and tote bags and more — all of it inspired by her Mexican culture and traditional tattoo imagery. “I love that people can look at my art and see themselves in it,” she said

To purchase her items you can shop at :  https://www.shop-valentina.com/

group of friends
Previous Story

Santa Ana gets its own pop-up roller rink

Next Story

Dons women’s soccer is back in action

Latest from Blog

Fashion department flourishes in temporary studio

The moment Serafina Torres first stepped into Santa Ana College’s new fashion studio, equipped with industrial-grade sewing machines, piles of fabric, and large expanses of working space, she knew she had come

Inside el Don’s 2025 Immigration Issue

Download the Special Issue: Immigration Vol. 103 Issue 1 Letter from the editor After grabbing lunch with a close friend, we headed to the June 11 protest against the raids by Immigration

Talk to us! We’re community reporters

Reporting on sensitive issues is always a struggle. There are a lot of ethical questions that need to be addressed. El Don’s staff has struggled to properly document historical moments happening in
Go toTop

Don't Miss

East End Skatepark still closed despite ribbon cutting over a month ago

Fourth Street’s hopeful new addition for skaters has been closed

In Photos: Fiestas Patrias 2025

Even with the recent presence of ICE in and around