Brandy and Pablo Romero’s vintage home in Orange was built in 1956. Brandy’s volunteerism in the community helps raise funds for local events like the annual Halloween “Treats in the Streets” in Old Towne.
- - - -
There’s no place like Orange for Brandy Romero, whose popular Instagram account of the same name keeps more than 49,000 followers informed about anything and everything to do with Orange.
When Brandy launched her “There’s No Place Like Orange” account almost three years ago, her goal was to help support the local community, small businesses and residents. Since then, she’s taken her volunteerism to the next level by raising much-needed funds for beloved annual events like the upcoming 30th-annual “Treats in the Streets” in the wake of budget cuts by the City.
“When the City canceled it last year, it felt like such a loss,” says Brandy.
Pablo’s pumpkin collection is on display on the couple’s front porch, where they take family portraits every year on Halloween.
- - - -
“With the support of OTPA, we worked to raise $40,000 in five weeks and put it on as a private event with about 12,000 people attending. We are saving it again this year with a new fundraising effort and are partnering with the Orange International Street Fair. We are hoping to see all the non-profit booths come back, along with a parade and a Halloween stage.”
Whether raising funds for Treats in the Streets and the Christmas tree lighting ceremony or facilitating $75,000 worth of Starlink equipment for Orange firefighters, Brandy finds way to promote the local community and keep the traditions going.
Her business acumen comes from working for her family’s packaging company, OEM Materials and Supplies. Founded by her mother, the company has been nominated best family-owned small business in Orange County for four consecutive years by Orange County Business Journal. Brandy has been doing outside sales for 17 years.
This china hutch is one of many antique pieces throughout their home. It came from an estate sale in Old Towne Orange.
The family dinner table was purchased at an estate sale in Orange. The chandelier, circa 1910, came from Muff’s Antiques in the Plaza.
- - - -
“I love it,” she says. “I can work from anywhere, including here at our home in Orange.”
Brandy’s love of Old Towne began when she was a little girl. Raised in Costa Mesa, Brandy recalls the countless times she and her mother would go antique shopping in the Plaza when she was growing up. With close relatives living nearby, she always felt a kinship with Orange and dreamed of someday living here.
That dream came true in 2018, when she and her husband, Pablo, relocated from Los Angeles after purchasing a vintage 1956 home in the Cambridge and Walnut tract.
“I called it the Christmas House because it was painted green with red shutters,” says Brandy, who was pregnant with their second child at the time. “It looked like something Snow White lived in.”
Annual Halloween decor in the family room includes pillows purchased at the Assistance League Boutique Noel in Orange. Created from an old trunk, the coffee table came from an estate sale in Old Towne. On the wall are sculptures Pablo obtain from his hometown of New Orleans.
- - - -
According to Brandy, the home’s original owner occupied it for decades until a transitional owner sold the property to a flipper in 2012. The flipper’s remodeling effort left much to be desired.
“The flipper who bought the house did a terrible job,” she says. “Everything was done really cheaply. Half of his lousy cabinets were falling off. The original plumbing and electrical also had issues.”
Enter Brandy’s father and stepfather. Licensed contractors, they gutted the kitchen, installed kid-proof vinyl flooring, painted the exterior white, re-did the backyard and built a porch.
“They are very talented and did the entire remodel project in three months,” says Brandy. “They even built a white picket fence that surrounds our updated landscaping where we planted beautiful roses. It was all completed by the time our second child arrived.”
The Romero’s charmingly renovated kitchen features a farmhouse sink where they used to bathe their two children when they were babies. The renovation was done by Brandy’s father and stepfather, who live nearby and are licensed contractors.
- - - -
The couple describes their interior design choices as a combination of Jane Austen, haunted mansion, New Orleans, Victorian and nerd. An accomplished artist and oil painter, Brandy attended art school in San Francisco, and then lived in West Hollywood for 12 years to pursue a career in art. She met Pablo in West Hollywood when he was managing Golden Apple Comics, one of the oldest comic-book shops in the country.
“She came into the store for her friend’s comic book signing,” recalls Pablo, originally from New Orleans. “She was a fan of the movie ‘Hook,’ and I just happened to be holding the Hook comic book when we first met. She wanted to buy it, so I challenged her to a trivia contest. When she came back a week later, she had memorized every Hook fact she could find.”
A content creator and stay-at-home dad, Pablo assists Brandy with her community pursuits. Because she spearheads so many local fundraising projects, she decided to open a brick-and-mortar store to elevate the cause. Located at 80 Plaza Square next to the Wells Fargo building, her “There’s No Place Like Orange” store features souvenirs, home goods, beauty products, apparel and more, all devoted to Orange.
Brandy splits the space—which they call “The Squeeze”—with Johana Marin, whose “CasaLulo” screen-printing service offers printed T-shirts and apparel designed and printed right in the shop. More than a thousand people showed up to the grand opening in April. Together they have raised $10,000 for the Orange City Firefighter Foundation selling custom sweatshirts. Several local organizations have held fundraisers at The Squeeze, including The Orange Public Library Foundation.
The Romero’s open-concept kitchen is the perfect gathering spot to enjoy some homemade pumpkin pie.
In the spacious backyard, the Romero kids play a candy-corn ring toss game for Halloween.
- - - -
“Everyone is so supportive of what we are trying to do with the store,” says Brandy. “It really is a testament to the people of Orange. The community shows up in droves.”
With her husband and friends helping to run the store, Brandy is raising funds to support the local events they are trying to save, including movies in the park and the 2025 Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.
One of four winners of this year’s Woman of Impact Award from New York Life of Orange County, Brandy has become a difference maker in Orange. Having watched every city council meeting for the last two-and-half years, Brandy recently announced her candidacy for City Council in 2026 to replace incumbent Arianna Barrios, who terms-out next year.
“It does not escape me how blessed we are to live in this close-knit community of Orange and to be able to give back,” says Brandy. “There are so many things to love about living here. It’s absolutely true, there’s no place like Orange.”
