If you ask Giovanna Mantilla what she loves about living in City Heights, she will tell you it is because it is a tight-knit community.

“It’s so different from every other community I’ve lived in,” she told NBC 7 while sharing that she has lived in other areas and has plenty to compare it to. Mantilla explained that she moved to the United States from Mexico with her mother when she was nine years old, then spent 12 years moving until finally finding a home in City Heights eight years ago.

It was 16 years ago that she founded Lumily , her small business.

“Lumily is a company that partners with women artisans around the world that make beautiful handmade products and also uplift women,” Mantilla said, while she added that she now works with 200 women and has personal relationships with

See Full Page