Local Business Owners Use Art To Brighten up LA During COVID Pandemic

Americans across the country are finding more ways to stay creative during the Covid-19 pandemic. A task that not easy when considering that people’s livelihoods are at stake. Several business owners in LA are up to that task and adding creativity to the look and feel of their businesses. 

Business owner Jamuna Priti decided to board up her nail bar Kleur in Alamitos Beach, CA as an extra precaution toward the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, but she said it wasn’t an easy decision. Totally understandable as we are in the midst of something we’ve never seen before. 

The business owner said the boarded-up storefronts reminded her of the Los Angeles riots: “To me, it’s so threatening,” Priti said. “I just can’t wrap my head around seeing a bunch of boarded up windows.”

That’s when Priti had an incredibly artistic idea. “I love to paint,” she said. “I came up with all of these different messages that I’ve seen and kind of tapped into how I was feeling.”

Her storefront now showcases these messages: “I don’t have to be productive to be worthy,” “My feelings are real,” “I am loved by others,” among others. 

She painted the boards that covered her store’s window bright purple and added messages of positivity and hope. 

Pritti’s idea of converting boarded-up storefronts into works of art made its way to the Arts Council for Long Beach. 

“For any business out there who might feel alone, they should know that there is a community behind them trying to beautify their storefronts and protect them during these times,” said Griselda Suarez, Executive Director of the Arts Council for Long Beach. 

This will for sure spark more creativity and positivity in and around cities where businesses have been boarded up. It’s important for residents to see things like this popping up in their communities. It gives people hope that we will fight our way through this pandemic and get back to some sense of normalcy.