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Last week, I received an email from Location Collection. I was unaware of who they were at the time, but they had invited me to drop by their store — located in the Glendale Galleria — to discuss carrying my collection. Getting my brand into stores has been on the forefront of my new goals for my business, so them contacting me out of the blue was actually perfect timing.

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Local Collection only carries products from emerging local artists and designers. I was surprised to find out that the idea of the store was actually put together by the mall, and they’re working on opening more locations with Glendale Galleria’s being its first. Knowing that a shopping mall — being surrounded by big brands and huge department stores — is supporting and allowing a platform for smaller independent designers was shocking to me… shocking, but oddly satisfying. The storefront is located across Nordstrom’s and near the food court… so location is pretty on point.

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Most of the products you’ll find in the store might look familiar if you’re in the handmade scene, and it’s because the managers handpick their artists from our favorite Los Angeles craft shows — Unique LA and Renegade, for example. I was happy to see a few of my Etsy colleagues in the store (holla to my girl from plastique*!). So while the craft shows are still events you don’t want to miss, storefronts like these allow the local community to shop handmade all year round.

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It’ll be a few weeks before I’m in the store, but you’ll definitely see a small pollution of pandas and ninjas in there ready for the holiday months. Needless to say, I already feel at home.

The ladies from Local Collection were nice enough to shoot a small video to let you guys know what they’re all about:

Also important to note: making frequent stocking trips to Glendale means a consistent excuse to drop by Porto’s for my potato ball and cheese roll fix:

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Delicious.

P.S. Want to see Steppie in a store near you? Do a little research and find local storefronts in your area that might fit my aesthetic, e-mail the information to the.steppie@gmail.com, and if we find a match I might just shower you with some goodies. ;)

Within the past six months, this is my second time I’m picking up my stuff and moving. While moving can be a pain, being able to re-decorate is hands down the best part. Since I work from my bedroom, it’s important for me to find a balance between function and aesthetics… and so far am really excited about how it’s coming together! I really wanted something more mature, but still fun and creative. Simple and minimal (since I work better without clutter), but still functional and productive. I wanted it to be inspiring… something to get me excited to wake up and get right to work!

The not so exciting part about re-decorating: building furniture. My dresser for my closet took me two hours (not counting the 24 hours I spent bribing friends to build it for me and trying to avoid looking through the instruction manual), but I must admit… it looks damn sexy.

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And I wanted to wait until the room was completely finished, but thought I’d show you some photos of the process so far…

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And…

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Like I said, I’m not quite done with my room yet! There are still a few pieces I’m waiting to get in…

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1. Mirror for my glass vanity set
2. White leather office chair
3. White leather bedframe (not the exact one, but similar)

Can’t wait ’til they arrive so they can really bring the room together! My sister is also giving me a small nook area that’s next to my room… hoping to convert it into a creative/packaging space… I’ll keep you guys tuned!

Let me know what you guys think so far!

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Thanks to Phil (Wong Fu Productions) who really pulled through for me, I was able to set up booth for the fifth — and biggest — International Secret Agents (ISA) concert this past Sunday in Cerritos! I anticipated a huge event before arriving, knowing that the 1700+ tickets were completely sold out weeks prior… but arriving three hours before doors even opened and seeing a line start to wrap around the building… speechless.

Needless to say, it was a great day. The crowd was awesome. Intense, but awesome still. They wouldn’t even let me finish setting up my booth before they bombarded my table and clothing rack! Special thanks to Rexford for accompanying me for the day, and Lily for helping me set up when it got crazy… and for letting me steal her concert photos. Teehee!

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With a line-up including AJ Rafael, Alyssa Bernal, Poreotics, Jay Park, Far East Movement, Wong Fu Productions, KevJumba, Ryan Higa, Lydia Paek… and guest appearances by Quest Crew, David Choi, Andrew Garcia, Cathy Nguyen, Timothy DelaGhetto, and even Nick Cannon… it was a venue full of the faces we usually watch on our computer screens.

It will always boggle my mind how insane this community of Asian-American and YouTube artists has grown. A year ago, it was a world I had no idea existed… but being amidst it all now at events like this past Sunday with a 1700+ sold out show will always remind me that anything is possible. I was watching Timothy DelaGhetto‘s vlog covering the ISA event, and something he said at the end of the video really rang true with me.

(Fastforward to 9:10 to hear what he has to say, or watch it all for a behind-the-scenes look at ISA.)

Though starting a clothing brand and struggling to get my name out there is different than a singer or performer trying to get into the entertainment industry… it’s also very much the same at the same time. I’ve been thinking a lot about the struggle we go through to keep doing what we love, but have also been humbled by the successes we have also experienced… I should probably save this for a later post, but needless to say, I’m inspired.

Hopefully I’ll be able to return to an ISA concert again… but thank you to all of you that dropped by and showed your love! You can find more of my photos from ISA here.

This weekend looks to be an exciting one for any entertainment-enthusiasts, and lucky me gets to be at the heart of it all.

This Sunday marks Wong Fu Productions‘ and Far East Movement‘s fourth International Secret Agents (ISA) concert, and this time around I have the opportunity to set up shop at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts for the event! I’m pretty excited to just be there, since the line-up includes a few artists I admire and a few friends I’m happy to support. And an event supporting Asian American talent? I’m all for that!

I’ll let the epic trailer do the rest of the talking…

ISA has been sold out for a few weeks now, so if you were lucky enough to snag a ticket… I’ll see you there!

Heading southbound, Boogiezone University will be taking place in Irvine all weekend. It is a 3 day technical dance intensive featuring classes taught by the community’s and industry’s most sought after choreographers who specialize in a variety of dance styles like Hip Hop, Contemporary, and various foundation based styles. Sadly, I won’t be able to set up booth at BZU like planned, but I am sponsoring the event and you’ll be able to find some giveaway opportunities if you’re attending the 3-day event. The line-up of “faculty” choreographers is sickkk, so be ready to work!

Whether I see your face or not, have an amazing weekend, m’ninjas!