Community Spotlight: Ellen’s Silkscreening

By Declan Chin
Staff Writer

Ellen’s Silkscreening is a familiar name to most South Pasadena residents. However, many have not entered the Mission Street shop or have ordered printed shirts from the
home-grown business.

Hailing from New York, Ellen Daigle moved to the Los Angeles county after becoming a registered nurse. After going through a divorce, Daigle searched for work that would allow her to spend more time with her three daughters. Taking a silkscreening class led her to open a small business in the back of her garage.

“I didn’t really set out to start a business,” Daigle said. “The industry was really starting to take off at that time. I wasn’t particularly great at the technical aspect of silkscreening, but I discovered that I was great with the business side of things.”

Daigle moved her business to South Pasadena in 1984, and is located at 1500 Mission Street. Now, after printing here for over 30 years, Ellen’s Silkscreening has developed a positive reputation with all customers. Daigle’s work is well-known on a local level; business such as Dinosaur Farm and Space boast her products. Ellen’s Silkscreening has also surpassed South Pasadena’s city limits to include printing for the TV show Hannah Montana, as well as the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Starting your own business requires a lot of hard work and determination, and you have to be able to problem solve,”Daigle said. “Nowadays, so much can be learned about how to begin online, something we didn’t really have a couple decades ago.”

Ellen’s Silkscreening currently does not offer internships for high school students. However, the shop occasionally hires students to help out during the busy holiday seasons. Students with computer experience can reach out to Ellen Daigle if interested in this position.