We waited for two things to open a second store: we needed some more vintage metal casement windows, cause that’s our brand, and we needed a classic row storefront in a neighborhood worth visiting. Old Pasadena, with its historic buildings and alleys; parks and parking; and rich community culture fits Jenette Bras like a bespoke glove. Our 1914 Holly St. Building was rehabbed by the late Jim Plotkin, the unofficial Mayor of Old Town and one of the driving forces behind Old Pasadena's revival in the 1980s. It’s been eye-opening to experience the cultural differences between East Hollywood and Pasadena. We find the Pasadena customer is slower to adopt a new store—is it that old school, old money vibe? —but once they’ve decided you’re the real deal, they are fabulously loyal.

Our big jump forward as a company! Over a hundred years ago, this building stood on the corner of Sawtelle and Oregon Avenue (better known today as Santa Monica Boulevard) in the town of Sawtelle, CA. Most recently a Persian pawnshop, we rehabbed this slightly distressed gem into our biggest store yet. With twice the square footage of our Pasadena store and serving the whole Westside clientele, this store is the powerhouse of the chain. It was at this point that Jenette was forced out of the fitting room and had to learn to delegate and lead her team. The success of the Westside store, and the systems we had to develop to maintain quality across the Los Angeles area, have set the stage for our current expansion out of state.

We had considered opening in the Valley before, but a long location search turned up nothing and we moved our focus to the East Coast for a few months that turned into a year and a half. Frustrated when multiple lease negotiations in Atlanta fell through, we took another drive over the hill and very quickly found a perfect spot in a perfect district: scrappy, sexy, geeky Magnolia Park. Honestly, there have been more impatient emails and social media posts from gals waiting for this store to open than we’ve ever experienced: it’s City Plan Check, ladies. It was out of our hands. Look for the pink building in the shadow of the transformer tower, two blocks west of Porto’s.

Started before Burbank, opening just a little bit after. Why jump all the way to the East Coast, why go to the South, why Atlanta? BECAUSE… 1. Jenette’s Mom was from Atlanta, and Jenette has happy memories of her childhood vacations there, and 2. a bunch of our film industry friends and clients are spending a lot of time there these days, and 3. the food is amazing, and 4. we’re a privately owned company so we can do things that seem fun and a little impractical. Truthfully, it was starting to feel a LOT impractical until we discovered the wonderful small business community of Decatur; just inside the perimeter but definitely its own town.

When we told our Leasing Attorney we wanted to take a space invisible from the street, with an entrance behind and below all the other shops on the block, and which would need to be brought up to code with completely redone electrical, plumbing, HVAC, facade and concrete frontage, he commented, “Y’all sure don’t do things the easy way, do ya?” It’s true: we over-value character and charm. The two strips of independent shops at the corner of Roswell and East Andrews Drive were the first storefronts that caught our eye when we came to Atlanta. None of them were available, so we took a terrific location in Downtown Decatur instead, and bided our time–until now! Welcome to Buckhead’s best kept secret. We’re down in the parking lot behind W. Port, Peoples, Pieces, and London Trading Company. Find us.