Author: The Argonaut

Walk ‘n Rollers continues mission of encouraging kids to be more active By Katie Lulla Walk ‘n Rollers is devoted to encouraging kids to walk and bike to school. During the pandemic, the organization continued to keep kids active and is gearing up for a mobile Repair Hub program for underserved communities. Eleven years ago, Jim Shanman, founder of Walk ‘n Rollers, joined the Culver City Bikers Coalition when he realized that many parents didn’t walk their kids to school. While discussing plans for bike lanes, he became frustrated with the length of the expected timelines. “I did more research and thought about what we as parents could do right now,” Shanman said. “What doesn’t cost money and will have some kind of an impact? I learned a lot about Safe Routes to School Programming, walk to school days and things of that nature.” Shanman started a walk to school day at his daughter’s elementary school. It became a monthly event, which eventually grew to 40% of students walking to school once a month. That got Shanman thinking about expanding the program countrywide. Walk ‘n Rollers has since expanded from Culver City to Orange County, Riverside and the Inland Empire. The organization works with specific elementary and middle schools and has citywide efforts. “Our big lesson is, these programs should be three to four years at the minimum so...

Champïone by Mileva brings tree resins and their benefits to the U.S. By Srianthi Perera Champïone by Mileva’s Salve It All Beauty Balm assails the senses with its compound of organic tree resins enhanced with violet and rose extracts. Fragrance is one of the biggest selling points of the line with walk-in customers to the store. “Because the botanical cosmetic business is heavily reliant on the sensory experience, the online sales process seemed challenging,” said Champïone founder Violet Mileva. Mileva, creator of the now California-based beauty products derived mainly from tree resins, learned about online marketing in a hurry to keep her business afloat. She moved from Florida to California in 2019 and set up shop at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Mileva had barely unpacked her inventory when COVID-19 upended her California dream. “The pandemic hit strong in April 2020 and the city closed the entire strip,” Mileva said. “I was never prepared to be full-time online. How could I? I was used to traditional brick-and-mortar-type retail shopping. With in-person shopping, I knew I would see 10 to 20 people per minute walking past my shop.” Mileva didn’t panic; she gathered experienced people and strategized on expanding in the online marketplace. Terms such as Social Engine Optimization, Facebook advertising and user experience research A/B testing became part of her daily vocabulary. “Now things are starting to pivot,” Mileva said. The first-generation immigrant...