After getting permission from Tropicana Liquors owner Gursharan Singh to paint his walls, Espino talked to other nearby struggling businesses who agreed to support the mural project by donating wall space.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt went from an idea of being one property with five\u00a0murals<\/a>\u00a0to over two dozen\u00a0murals<\/a>\u00a0with five different locations,\u201d Espino told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWe could really beautify something. This is a working-class neighborhood and we\u2019re changing their thought process and sparking imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n Espino wants residents to feel empowered and see themselves reflected in the artwork. He brought Bay Area artists together for the festival, including many from East San Jose. He said the name East Side Stories was selected to pay homage to an album cover by East Side hip hop artist Richard Hoffman.<\/p>\n Graffiti artist King157, who grew up in East San Jose, took part in the festival. He said he wants to inspire youth.<\/p>\n \u201cI was one of them little kids looking at murals and thinking, \u2018One day I would like to paint something,\u2019\u201d he told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIt\u2019s a full circle moment for me to help create that \u2026 from a young kid\u2019s perspective dreaming about art, to one day becoming a full-time artist.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to instilling community pride and revitalizing the area, the artwork is an attempt to attract shoppers.\u00a0Foot traffic has declined<\/a>\u00a030% to 40% at local small businesses following a January immigration raid by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Target on Story Road, District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz said.<\/p>\n ICE actions<\/a>\u00a0have stoked fear in the community and led to\u00a0students not attending class<\/a>\u00a0and some undocumented residents choosing to\u00a0self-deport<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOur small businesses right now on the East Side are hurting because of the immigration enforcement,\u201d Ortiz told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cA lot of immigrant families, they\u2019re not coming out of their homes. People unfortunately don\u2019t feel safe. But this area belongs to our community, especially our immigrant families, and they should come out and celebrate our heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n Ortiz\u2019s office is investing $10,000 to $15,000 toward the community mural at Tropicana Liquors, reflecting the vision of residents on Kollmar Drive, which will be completed in February. Ortiz said he also secured a grant of $100,000 from the city budget to invest in additional murals and cultural markers in District 5.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/LNM-20251209-SANJOSEMURAL-02.jpg\")
Curated by 1Culture art gallery owner Andrew Espino, East Side Stories celebrates the rich spirit, heritage and traditions of immigrant cultures. (Lorraine Gabbert\/San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/LNM-20251209-SANJOSEMURAL-03.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/LNM-20251209-SANJOSEMURAL-04.jpg\")
\nLeft: San Jose artist DAWLL creates murals and art with characters inspired by femininity and local culture. Right: Vogue, an artist who cruised along Story Road on weekends as a youth, created an image of a 1959 Impala. He wants to show youth they can use spray paint to create murals. (Lorraine Gabbert\/San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight)<\/p>\n