Dressing baby Jesus for church

Rosario Gonzalez holds her baby Jesus doll that was repaired and dressed as Saint Judas Thaddaeus, the patron saint of hope, at Que Linda General Store in Boyle Heights for infant Christ's first church visit on Candlemas, Feb. 2.

Rosario Gonzalez holds her baby Jesus doll that was repaired and dressed as Saint Judas Thaddaeus, the patron saint of hope, at Que Linda General Store in Boyle Heights for infant Christ’s first church visit on Candlemas, Feb. 2.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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At El Mercadito in Boyle Heights, Christina Parodi competes with other vendors for customers to buy her ornate outfits for their baby Jesus dolls ahead of the Catholic Candlemas tradition. But Parodi offers something her competition does not: doll repairs on site.

Baby Jesus

Family members Steven Sanchez, 8, left; Angel Sanchez, 6; Juan Sanchez and Ana Navarre, of Fontana, admire their baby Jesus, newly dressed in an outfit that symbolizes health, at Christina Parodi’s store at El Mercadito.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Baby Jesus

Christina Parodi is asked to repair all kinds of baby Jesuses and their ailments. Her shop at Boyle Heights’ El Mercadito has been open for 40 years.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Baby Jesus

Laura Gutierez, right, dresses up Rosario Gonzalez’s baby Jesus at Que Linda General Store. Prices range from $14 to outfit a jalapeño-sized Jesus to $45 for a life-size doll.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Baby Jesus

Melissa Linares, 10, holds her baby Jesus, newly repaired and dressed up in white, as Christina Parodi, owner of Que Linda General Store, repairs the finger of another customer’s baby Jesus doll.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Baby Jesus

“Come in! Come in!” Christina Parodi, using plaster and paint to repair the finger of a baby Jesus doll, often yells to customers at her shop at El Mercadito in Boyle Heights. “What do you need? We have it all.”   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)