Cristian's Customs

Most high school seniors develop “senioritis” before their graduation, but Sam Houston High School grad Cristian Berumen decided to take on some extra work during his last year of high school in 2020 and start his own business.

“My mom had started her own business six or seven years ago, my dad was starting his and so was my sister,” Berumen recalled. “It was the pandemic, so I decided to start my own thing too to help with the boredom and earn a little extra money for college.”

He started a western clothing line, making shirts for both men and women. But almost immediately, he started receiving requests to do custom orders. After a few months, he decided to make the custom orders his priority, creating Cristian’s Customs.

Berumen had a few ups and downs as an 18-year-old starting his own business, plus juggling work and his first semesters of college. But after working in his garage for the first few years, he made a New Year’s Resolution in 2023 that he would have a brick and mortar location by 2024.

“I passed by this location every day. And I noticed that the daycare I used to go to had moved,” Berumen said. He contacted the landlord and by August 2023, he decided 2004 E. Abram St., was the perfect home for Cristian’s Customs.

“It felt like a special connection because I did used to go to daycare here,” Berumen laughed. “Coming from my garage to here was an adjustment, but it’s been going good. The business has been growing and we are slowly getting more equipment.”

Cristian’s Customs has grown from just making custom shirts, to also making all your small business needs like banners, custom tent canopies, business cards, labels and more. Plus, he can also do custom embroidery on hats, shirts, jackets and more.

You can learn more about Cristian’s Customs online at cristianscustoms.com or on his Facebook and Instagram. Or you can visit the One Start Development Center, on the second floor at City Hall from April 22-26, 2024, during Small Business Promotion week. The City’s Planning and Development Service Department is also hosting Customer Appreciation Week during the same time and will be providing refreshments and bottled water for the customers visiting the Small Business Promotion table.

The City of Arlington is highlighting East Arlington small businesses throughout 2024. Canales Furniture, another Small Business of Arlington, who has grown substantially in the last few years, wants to give back to the community and is sponsoring this program with the Planning & Development Services Department for the year 2024. In their new headquarters at 102 E. I-20 Highway, they have dedicated a training room for their growing community, including free English-speaking classes, citizenship classes, and teaching small businesses on how to utilize social media as a marketing tool.