AROUND THE

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Cheers to dads and grads in this unprecedented time

BECCA SCHMIDT BALDWIN PARK LIFESTYLE DIRECTOR

Lifestyle Director Becca Schmidt has lived in Baldwin Park since 2005 and has the pulse on neighborhood social gatherings. Check out the Groups and Gatherings section of baldwinpark.net for a list of Baldwin Parkbased groups. Contact Becca at lifestyledirector@baldwinparkpoa. com if you’d like to start a new group or have questions about how you can meet your neighbors.

Dad, Daddy, Dada, Papa, Pops, Pappy, Pa, Daddyo …

No matter what your kids call you, fatherhood is a role like none other. In fact, fatherhood requires being proficient (OK… at least average) in an ever-changing list of roles.

One day, you are baby soother, bottle washer and diaper changer. And in a blink of an eye, you’re coaching your toddler in the swimming pool. In another blink, you’re teaching your boy the art of tying a shoe and your little girl how to ride her bike. You’re a counselor during the challenging middle-school years. And before you know it, you’re a fashion consultant helping your son tie a man’s tie and a driver’s education teacher, gripping the dashboard while your little girl learns how to maneuver a car.

In the past two months, I’ve seen a lot of dads enjoying their kids on a whole new level. It’s funny what you wish for. I know that just before our stay-in-place order, many Baldwin Park dads, along with dads (and moms, too) everywhere, longed for more quality time with their kids.

And suddenly, hundreds of fathers in our neighborhood had that coveted extra time. Of course, many parents still are working outside the home at hospitals, restaurants and other frontline locations, but for those dads who suddenly found themselves on Monday-morning Zoom meetings and with flexible work hours, they found a way to integrate family life and job duties beautifully. In other words, Dads dived in!

Here are some of the “dad moments” I’ve witnessed: (Hint, must be read like a Dr. Seuss book.)

Dads on Foot! Dads on bikes! Dads on skateboards, unicycles, With Frisbees and kites! Dads with babies and puppies and yoga mats and weights. Dads singing and dancing and juggling plates! Dads at the stove, Dads at the table, Dads discovering all that they’re able!

As with all my columns, I like to add a few tips. So here are some ideas for dads (and moms) to continue this stay-at-home essence after returning to traditional workplaces.

n Keep the spirit of togetherness. Cook together, dance together, color the sidewalk and, why, not … hopscotch together!

n Keep learning together. Check out The Great Courses (streaming or on DVD and CDs) for photography, guitar, cooking, drawing and much more. The Orlando Sentinel offers One Day University for family learning. Coming soon, Baldwin Park’s Lifestyle Meet & Mingle series will be offering family learning time.

n Keep teaching. Show your daughter how to change a tire, build a birdhouse or use a Dremel tool. Show your son how to cook breakfast for mom, change the air-conditioner filter or unclog a sink!

n Keep playing together. Dads, take your kids on an uncharted bike ride and see where the path leads.

And finally, dads, share your experience with other dads. There’s been interest in starting a dad’s group for single dads, non-traditional dads, older dads and every kind of dad! Contact me this month for details on a Zoom gathering of dads. During the month of June, we’ll be posting “Daddy and Me” pictures on our Baldwin Park Groups and Gatherings Facebook page. So, start submitting those prize-winning shots, and please include why the photo is special to you.

It’s also been a rough couple of months for the graduating high school and college seniors. But Baldwin Park grads are showing plenty of ingenuity and are finding ways to celebrate the uniqueness of their graduation days! If anyone can figure out how to stay together while apart, our teens sure can. We’re making space on our Baldwin Park Groups and Gatherings Facebook page for your pictures this month. Reach out to me via email to get started.

In the meantime, wishing you a Happy Father’s Day and Happy Graduation!

We See Exotics! Welcoming All Scales, Tails, Paws & Claws!

Animal Hospital at Baldwin Park is excited to welcome Dr. Julia Bakker!

She sees non-venomous reptiles, small exotic mammals including pocket pets, and backyard poultry. Other unique species may be approved by the doctor, so please ask! Our extensive range of services for exotics include:

• Lab Work • Fecal Screening Tests • Gender Determination • X-rays, Ultrasound, & CTs • Dentistry • General Surgery • Laparoscopic Surgery &

Endoscopic Procedures

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Skate style

DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR B arely two years after opening their first business, SAOR Boutique, in the Village Center, Baldwin Park residents Julio and Angie Montenegro are branching out again.

The pair recently opened their newest venture, Showroom 11, on Corrine Drive in the Audubon Park area. Inspired by the interests of their sons, Miles and Julio Jr., the Montenegros’ new business is a skate shop that sells anything from casual apparel and skateboards to shoes and funky finds.

Although the Montenegros have wanted to expand and open another shop for a while, they weren’t sure what it would look like. That became clear when their oldest son, Miles, started sixth grade at Glenridge Middle School this year and became interested in skateboarding.

Around Super Bowl weekend, Angie Montenegro took Miles and his friend, Mason Moses, to a hotel for a weekend getaway. There, Miles and Mason collaborated to design and launch their own T-shirt brand, Sk8 Life.

“We both started skating in sixth grade, and we both needed some cash for our skateboards, so we just wanted to make a skateboard line,” Miles says.

The Montenegros realized this really was their son’s passion. While the process for planning SAOR Boutique, its logistics and its opening took two years, Showroom 11 was born in a matter of days.

“Showroom 11 was a great opportunity, a great neighborhood — we love Audubon Park — and really the kids got into it,” Angie Montenegro says. “It was the quickest turnaround, the quickest business plan that we had. It honestly really stemmed from the kids and the

For SAOR Boutique owners Julio and Angie Montenegro, their new skate shop, Showroom 11, is a family affair.

Danielle Hendrix The Montenegro family is thrilled to have opened its second business. From left: Julio, Julio Jr., Miles and Angie Montenegro.

It’s what the kids want and the kids like, and we’re blessed in the sense that we’re able to do something for them that’s going to end up being the long term — something they can keep.”

— ANGIE MONTENEGRO

things they like. The opportunity came about, and we jumped.

“Usually, everything is long-term thought out, but with the way things are changing and our kids are going from little boys to preteens — they’re getting a lot older and (we’re) just realizing that they’re not our babies anymore, they’re going to be teenage boys soon — we were already looking for another business,” she says, “We’ve constantly looked and we’re ready to expand from SAOR Boutique, so that’s how it all started.”

Julio Montenegro came up with the name Showroom 11 — the number 11 represents how old Miles was when he and Mason founded Sk8 Life. He loved how they took their passion and ran with it, taking initiative at just 11 years old. He also realized his sons’ styles were much like his — casual, funky and fun.

When the opportunity to lease their spot in a retail plaza along Corrine Drive came about, the opportunity was too great to pass by. Showroom 11 was born.

“This definitely reflects more

SHOWROOM 11

2816 Corrine Drive, Orlando PHONE: (407) 845-1998 MODIFICATIONS: Although Showroom 11 is now open, the Montenegros are keeping temporary hours because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Find the most upto-date hours and information via social media.

CONNECT

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ showroom-11-orlando

WEBSITE: showroom11.com

INSTAGRAM: @showroom11orlando

of our personality (and) it reflects us on a regular basis — jeans and T-shirts and just fun things, a fun environment, music and games and a cool place to be,” Angie Montenegro says. “It’s what the kids want and the kids like, and we’re blessed in the sense that we’re able to do something for them that’s going to end up being the long term — something they can keep.

At Showroom 11, shoppers can find skateboards, casual clothes, skate shoes, socks, funky flip-flops, and fun trinkets and accessories. What’s more, the shop also will feature Miles’ and Mason’s T-shirt line, as well as Julio Jr.’s sporting goodsstyle face masks.

For Sk8 Life T-shirts, Miles and Mason have been learning how to do everything from designing using the Canva program to sublimation.

“We put it on sublimation paper, and then we have this heat press to put it on the shirt, press it at 400 degrees for like 45 seconds, and then it just comes onto the shirt,” Miles says. “It’s ink on a piece of paper, and then you heat it on.”

Showroom 11 is open with limited, temporary hours during the COVID-19 pandemic, which already had slowed down the timeline traction of opening. The original idea was to open in April, but COVID-19 forced a delay of a little more than a month.

“Overall, COVID-19 affected us opening, but it also affected some of the brands, because they’re delayed in shipment,” Julio Montenegro says. “Some of the brands don’t have them yet, because they typically buy from overseas or from other vendors. It’s a trickle effect.”

And although Showroom 11 is the newest member of the Montenegro family, SAOR Boutique isn’t going anywhere. Employees will work at both stores, and the Montenegros hope to be able to pass the reins of Showroom 11 onto their sons when they’re old enough to take over.

“We want them to be part of our family business, and if it takes modeling a store or whatever business after something they genuinely like, they’ll stay connected,” Angie Montenegro says.

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