More than meets LIFE

8May 27, 2021

LIFE

“Two things, generally, for me, is what life is about. And they’re not funny. Living in the moment, is one. And number two is getting out of yourself and helping other people.”

- BoBBy Lee

A hidden gem shines in Upland

Antique store owner thrives with change, nurtures new entrepreneurs

BY KATIE SANCHEZ SPECIAL TO VIEWPOINTS

On the corner of Second Avenue and C Street in Upland sits an antique shop — ordinary in appearance and absolutely nothing else.

If you were to judge it prematurely, you’d probably believe it to be filled with your great grandma’s dining room and bedroom sets. You would be wrong.

Don’t let your eyes deceive you, for The Vintage Vault of Upland is much more than just an antique store. Fitting with its name, this shop safeguards some of the finest gems money can buy.

Carlos Velastegui, the vault’s owner, is one of the gems. Growing up a troubled youth, Velastegui dropped out of high school at a young age. He joined his entrepreneurial father in one of his many businesses as a means of earning money.

“I was a troubled individual,” Velastegui said about his academics. “I didn’t know anything.”

At the age of 27, after being out of school for almost a decade, Velastegui decided to invest deeper into education. Once a problematic teen, he now has an associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degree under his belt.

With a new confidence about him and the desire to help people, Velastegui stumbled upon the Vintage Vault by way of his father.

“This was more his thing in the beginning as far as the “antique” aspect of it,” he said. “I kind of went with it for a couple of years just because that’s what his direction was. It wasn’t working.”

Skyrocketing home prices led to a decreased demand for furniture. Velastegui knew he had to make a change in order to save the business.

Going against his father’s early plans, he took the business in an alternate direction. He strayed away from antique furniture and set his sights on vendors with a vintage feel to their businesses.

Slowly but surely, the shop shifted from an ancient tomb of lost artifacts to a vault encapsulating remnants of the past with a modernized twist. The Vintage Vault carries an assortment of items ranging from fashion inspired by previous decades to restored collectables.

Velastegui went even further in his effort to revamp the business. After seeing the crowds brought in by the annual Lemon Festival, Velastegui was blessed with an idea.

“We would use the parking lot to have some vendors in there,” he said. “I had to actually beg people and give them real great deals. I had to give people spots for free to show them that there were possibilities here.”

He started with a couple of vendors and was permitted by the City of Upland to host a vending fair one day per month. As interest in the event grew, this evolved into two days per month with about 100 vendors.

Since then, The Vintage Vault of Upland has put on multiple events, such as monthly Art Walks, Dapper in Downtown and Vault-Con. Each event has its own creative elements, while still sticking to the initial idea of a vending fair.

These events hold a special importance beyond simply providing entertainment to local families. Their impact on the vendors has been huge.

“I wasn’t always a good guy,” Velastegui said emotionally. “But with age and maturity, I’m able to give back and help.”

He takes great pride in knowing the Vault is not a parasitic business, benefiting off the backs of others, but instead holds a symbiotic relationship with its vendors.

“We’re like a big brother because we are taking them by the hand, showing them the ropes and providing an outlet that has actually helped both of us as businesses,” Velastegui said.

Even with all its successes, The Vintage Vault has experienced some hardships.

The closing of the business during the pandemic brought a lot of financial strain on the owner and his dependent vendors. Even after reopening, it was getting little to no customers.

Fortunately, after almost a year since its initial closure, The Vintage Vault has completely reopened and has received even more foot traffic than before the pandemic.

Velastegui had a mural painted on the southside of the Vault to encapsulate the struggles of 2020. The commemoration depicts a bald eagle carrying a surgical mask in its beak. He hoped it would communicate to locals the perseverance of the American people through the pandemic and symbolize the end of 2020.

Stepping out of the rubble, The Vintage Vault is looking forward to brighter days ahead.

KATIE SANCHEZ | SPECIAL TO VIEWPOINTS A mural depicts a bald eagle with a mask held in its beak on the south side of The Vintage Vault in Upland. Carlos Velastegui, the shop’s owner, hoped that the mural would symbolize the perserverance of the American people through the COVID-19 pandemic and a look to brighter days ahead.

Riverside’s new churro spot is satisfactory but pricey

BY STEPHANIE ARENAS STAFF REPORTER

Back in September, I wrote a review on a quaint little boba place called Kung Fu Tea and since then, I’ve always wondered if any new fun food locations would open up in the near future.

Well, a new restaurant opened right next door to Kung Fu Tea called The Loop.

The Loop sells a variety of handcrafted churros as well as soft serve ice cream and cute and colorful drinks perfect for an Instagram photoshoot.

I’ve never been much of a fan of sugary treats. Growing up, I always preferred the tang and spice. But a close friend really wanted to try this place out, so I decided to give it a shot.

I was blown away by the amount of people there when we arrived. The line looped around the entire store and amounted to an estimated wait time of roughly two hours.

Of course, my first thought was to leave.

However, after much dismay and the fact that my friend wanted to try The Loop out so badly, I decided to stick around and began conversing with the customer lined up in front of me..

“This is my third time coming this month,” said Maggie King, who lives about 30 minutes away from The Loop. “There’s no place like this where I live, so I think it’s worth the drive. My favorite thing to get right now is the Birthday Churro.”

Luckily, the line ran shorter than expected — it was our turn to order about an hour in. The menu was insane, as there were so many things to choose from.

I was overwhelmed by the options.

I settled for the Strawberry Cheesecake Churro. We sat in my car after we got our food and began to dig in.

In all honesty, it wasn’t that bad. The ice cream tasted like any normal soft serve ice cream and the churro tasted like any old normal churro.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was satisfied with the flavor overall.

However, my main concern about this place are the prices: almost $6 for a single churro and more if you add toppings.

While The Loop is definitely delicious and creative in its own way, it just seems like a scam when you can get the same exact thing at a smaller business for a lower price.

It also just seems as though people really only go to take pictures for their Instagram feed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I do believe that a food location should be much more than that.

Overall The Loop was pretty satisfactory. I wasn’t disappointed or upset.

However, you definitely could find a much better churro location for a cheaper price.

DANIEL HERNANDEZ | VIEWPOINTS The Loop is located at 3678 Central Ave. in Riverside.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IGDB.COM “Resident Evil 8: Village” protagonist Ethan Winters points a gun at the towering Lady Dimitrescu. The game is set three years after the events of “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.”

‘Resident Evil 8: Village’ brings the action

Eighth installment in franchise a thrilling experience for fans

BY TYRESE BLUE STAFF REPORTER

Resident Evil has become one of the most talked about and trending games of the year by far, due to its new approach to the franchise.

Many fans were not pleased with the 2012 release of “Resident Evil 6” and some even claimed “the series lost its way.”

Due to its failure, Capcom had to rethink how it could redeem the Resident Evil franchise.

Fortunately, the release of “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” five years later revealed a completely different approach: First person gameplay set almost entirely in a derelict estate in Louisiana.

“Biohazard” leads to the events in the franchise’s newest release, “Resident Evil: Village,” which takes place three years later.

The game is set somewhere in Eastern Europe, which can be assumed to be Transylvania, Romania.

Protagonist Ethan Winters relocates to Eastern Europe with his wife Mia and infant daughter Rosemary while under the protection of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSSA), an international antiterriosm group sanctioned by the United Nations.

Mia is seemingly shot and killed while having dinner by BBSA member Chris Redfield’s squad.

Chris is also a returning character who appeared in the first installment of the franchise. His squad takes Rosemary as Ethan gets thumped on the head and blacks out.

Ethan then wakes up in a destroyed truck and finds his way to a rundown village resembling the late 19th century — all the while in distress over not knowing his daughter’s whereabouts and believing his wife was killed.

He then discovers werewolflike creatures have overrun the village and the survivors he encounters eventually all die.

He is once again kidnapped and wakes up in Dimitrescu Castle, where he is surrounded by four mutant lords: Alicina Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau, Karl Heisengerg and their cult leader Mother Miranda.

Ethan escapes and eventually finds out that they’re keeping his daughter captive in order to use her as the vessel to resurrect Lady Miranda’s late daughter Eva by using the substance known as the Mold.

Mold is a fungal superorganism that plays a huge role in the game’s plot. It causes humans and organisms that come in contact with it to mutate and gain abilities such as regeneration. It can also store DNA and the consciousness of people as well.

Miranda dismembers and crystallizes Rose’s body and each body part is given to the four lords.

She does this because she knows Rose has special abilities and is still alive despite being dismembered.

This is the reason she believes Rose is the perfect vessel for her daughter.

Therefore, the main objective of the game is to save Ethan’s daughter by collecting all of her body parts from the four lords by defeating them and putting her back together before Miranda performs the ceremony to resurrect her daughter Eva.

“Village” is more actionfocused than its previous installment and is even comparable to “Resident Evil 4” — a telling comparison, as the fourth game is considered by many fans to be the franchise’s best.

The game’s horror elements, creatures and plot seemingly resemble “Silent Hill,” another popular Japanese game franchise. This is seen when playing in the haunted home of Lord Donna Beneviento, who controls creepy looking dolls.

If that is not alarming enough, Ethan encounters what is often described by fans as a “mutated giant baby fetus monster.”

Without having any use of weapons, it will inevitably swallow you whole if you don’t find a way to escape.

Many fans were horrified by this monster, including myself when I first came across it.

I wasn’t expecting something so creepy and it caught me off guard. I panicked.

If you’re searching for a thrilling game that will keep you on your toes and heart racing, this game will not disappoint.

“Resident Evil 8: Village” is a pleasure for both veteran and novice fans of the franchise alike.

St. Vincent gets personal about family struggles

“Daddy’s Home” album gets into artist’s growing pains about father

BY STEPHANIE ARENAS STAFF REPORTER

St. Vincent, also known as Annie Clark, brought in a fresh new ’70s rock ‘n’ roll sound with her new album “Daddy’s Home,” released May 14.

Inspired by the likes of David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Kate Bush, Clark decided to shine a new light on a heavy topic: her relationship with her father.

Clark’s father was arrested in 2010 for his involvement in a multi-million dollar white collar crime.

However, since his release in 2019, Clark has been very vocal about his incarceration.

“In some ways, the roles have reversed – I feel like ‘Daddy’ half the time,” Clark said in an interview with The Guardian. “He’s a person, and every person has a lot of facets, and a lot of s— they’ve done wrong, and good qualities. So it just is. That’s not very poetic, but it just is.”

Luckily, Clark has since discussed how great of a relationship she now has with her father. However, that doesn’t erase the pain she suffered throughout her childhood and teen years.

Fans of St. Vincent were initially concerned when the album was first announced, as Clark had never written an entire album about such a strong and touchy topic before.

Some were even dismayed by the title of the album alone, as it includes the word “daddy,” an uncomfortable phrase for many.

Fans were overjoyed after the release of the album and some even claim this to be her best album yet, myself included.

The album opens up with “Pay Your Way in Pain,” a song that discusses the troubles of being a young adult who is just trying to get through the day.

Everyone has their own struggles, even Annie Clark herself. Clark was just a young musician when she lived in New York City.

The song depicts a young woman who is just trying to get by paycheck to paycheck.

This woman is looking for food that she can’t afford when she finally decides to just head to a park and relax.

After being chased out of the park by mothers who think the woman looks trashy and immodest, the woman heads home only to find that her partner has changed the locks to their apartment.

St. Vincent has even made it known that this particular song is about “a world where we’re often asked to choose between surviving and dignity.”

The most emotional song of the album by far is the title track “Daddy’s Home.”

Clark writes, “you still got it in your government green suit / And I look down and out in my fine Italian shoes / And we’re tight as a Bible with the pages stuck like glue / Yeah, you did some time, well, I did some time, too.”

Here, we get a pretty good understanding of how Clark’s father’s incarceration truly affected her.

While her father was locked up, Clark did her own soul searching as she did not have that second parental figure around.

Despite its specific topic, this song seems like one that anyone with an absent parent can relate to.

Overall, “Daddy’s Home” is a well-made album that deserves the attention it’s getting.

Annie Clark has yet again struck gold with her new album and I’m looking forward to what she has in store for the future.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Michael Che, right, stands next to “Saturday Night Live” co-star Colin Jost, who is also a guest star in Che’s new show ‘That D--- Michael Che.’

‘SNL’ star showcases his reality in new show

Michael Che doesn’t shy away from poking fun at controversy

SIGIFREDO MACIAS STAFF REPORTER

It’s understandable and intriguing to see a “Saturday Night Live” cast member create something that isn’t a part of “SNL.”

“That D--- Micheal Che” is a new sketch comedy show on HBO Max created by and starring Micheal Che himself.

It’s a good sketch show that brings up many of the issues society is focusing on today — all from Che’s point of view.

The show’s sketches are controversial, but it’s not really a show that tells the audience what to think. Rather, it communicates the experiences of a Black person born in Queens, New York, and the experiences that others go through.

The program has featured guest stars such as Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man, Sam Jay, Colin Quin, and Billy Porter, as well as “SNL” cast members such as Cecily Strong, Heidi Gardner and, of course, Colin Jost.

The first episode tackles policing from the perspective of Che and others.

One part of the episode is about a mediocre policing video, the end result being a group of kids arguing with police and the officers shooting the kids’ basketball.

There’s a commercial parody on a Fitbit for Black Lives Matter protesters and their opposing demonstrators, and an X-Men cartoon parody poking fun at what people believe is and isn’t a threat.

All of this is going on while Che, playing himself, is stuck in an elevator with a White woman (Strong) who opposes police violence.

It’s uncomfortable for Che because the woman apologizes for “everything going on” because he’s part of a marginalized group. Che then provides his perspective about protests and policing.

By the end of this episode, it’s kind of clear how the rest of the show will roll out.

Other episodes cover dating, healthcare, vaccine paranoia and Che’s take on why people think he had to “kill someone or do some weird s---” to get where he is today. “That D--- Michael Che” doesn’t seem to have a big problem with who it offends. It sometimes feels like “SNL” sketches that were too controversial to make the cut — but the skits are good.

This show finds ridiculous but hilarious ways to explain truths about our society.

In one episode, there are two characters who suspect the government is trying to get them every time something new comes and changes the world or their neighborhood.

It turns out those two characters have been saying the same thing since 1901, when they

“ ” This show finds ridiculous but hilarious ways to explain truths about our society.

believed pigeons were a source of communication and decided not to use them because of their own conspiratorial theories.

Their antics go as far back as 1807, when they had a mistrust of a way to free slaves.

The show has a weird way of explaining things, such as COVID-19 ignorers and deniers eventually just killing or infecting themselves and those around them.

At the same time, it presents many reasons why people should be suspicious of the government, such as the Tuskegee Experiment, a study about untreated syphilis that was purposefully practiced on many Black males without their consent.

While the show presents what Che believes is true, it gives people interesting perspectives on many topics that affect everyone today.

It’s not for everyone but it’s an interesting and really funny show.