local collection mtg:3

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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. ;)

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