CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Juan Lopez was adjusting to working overnight for Chicago Public Schools and dreaming of being his own boss when he decided to harness the power and positivity of social media to create a small business.
“I had seen somebody do it on TikTok, and I just kind of went for it,” Lopez said.
Lopez started “Juanito Rugs,” in which he uses carpet as a canvas to bring iconic characters, pop culture symbols, and other commissioned pieces to life.
“I think the common misconception by a lot of people is that I draw it by hand — that every design is drawn by hand — which isn’t the case,” Lopez said. I’ve never been the drawer-type of person. I use a projector, which has been amazing.”
Through social media, Lopez began taking requests to create all types of rugs and even began appearing at pop-ups across Chicago.
“Meeting people at different neighborhoods, I had a pop-up in Midway, so that was a different demographic, which was great,” Lopez said.
Juanito Rugs has taken off in recent months and, like his fuzzy rugs, has made life as the father of a 6-year-old boy a lot more comfortable.
“Being able to not be a quote-end-quote zombie and being tired all the time has been amazing,” Lopez said. “I can’t really picture it going any other way.”
Find Lopez’s work on social media @juanitorugs, Made In Chicago.
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