Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Marshall-Miller.
Hi Scott, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My husband, Brian, and I are both longtime residents of Los Angeles and Studio City having been in the area for over 20 years. Brian is originally from North Carolina and I am a native Angeleno. We both grew up outside the US, moving frequently, but now we couldn’t think of calling any place other than Studio City home with all the incredible opportunities and adventures to be had here.
We had talked about starting a business together since 2008, but each of us were active in our existing careers. Brian in the medical world and myself in luxury retail and entertainment as a jewelry stylist. I retired a few years ago and Brian asked me, “What are you going to do because you don’t sit still well?” Brian and I are both shoppers who love searching and finding unique items that make us smile and add a little “whimsy” to our home. We batted around several ideas and finally decided. “Let’s open a place where we fill it with everything we love and have discovered together…and just have fun and laugh.” While we briefly entertained opening our store in Century City, Sherman Oaks and even Beverly Hills, we felt like home is Studio City and that’s where Restrained Whimsy should be located. We were thrilled to open our doors in late 2019, not realizing we were about to put all our skill, talent, laughter, and pivoting ability to the test as we closed less than 14 weeks later for the first time during the pandemic.
We would open and close three more times still…we celebrate three years this holiday season! We laugh now that it took three years for us to be open 18 consecutive months in a row. That’s nuts! If it was a Hollywood script, someone would say, “That’s not realistic.” But the reality is that we stayed true to ourselves and each other. We laughed, tried to not take ourselves too seriously, and “pivoted” at every turn that came our way, knowing that something incredible was just around the corner for ourselves and the artisans we partner with every day.
When curating for Restrained Whimsy, we try to focus on locally made items from independent artisans and companies that we would and have bought for ourselves. Except for a handful of imported products, such as diffusers by Marmalade of London, and items we each grew up with internationally, we actively seek out things by people who live and work in the area. Four Points Candles, made in Sherman Oaks, is a good example, as its best-selling banana bread-scented candle that makes anyone’s kitchen smell like a bakery. We also take pride in the fact that the storehouses naturally flavored sea salts from Laguna Salt Company and are the only store in L.A. carrying a large selection of Ojai Olive oils.”
Restrained Whimsy is a family affair. Our daughter April, 15, is involved in the selection process, especially children’s books. The 3 of us (Brian, Scott, and April) all read each book submitted cover-to-cover, making sure positive messages about encouragement, empowerment and having fun remain consistent throughout. The same holds true for other family-focused gifts that will ensure hours of fun, especially as families are spending time at home with one another.
While we carry puzzles, cooking items and toy models, a lot of times parents are looking for a great book that sends the message, “It’s ok to be you” and “Be true to yourself,” whether you’re that kid who reads at their own speed, has autism, is the boy who wants to be an artist or the girl who wants to be an astronaut.
In our store, we believe that you should feel at home, see yourself, and the endless possibilities that are yours for the taking. Can you restrain whimsy? We don’t think so when it comes to honoring and celebrating others … and yourself.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Without a doubt, it was the pandemic. We opened 11 weeks before we closed the first time. Items didn’t arrive on time, if at all. Guests weren’t sure who we were combined with the caution of being in a small space. But, we approached the entire experience with the word “pivot” as part of our mantra to move forward. If it was working, keep moving forward till it didn’t, then pivot in a new direction till it worked. Repeat as many times as necessary remembering to breathe and laugh along the way. And…we’re still here!
For Brian and myself, we made sure we were focused on our mission, our focus, our guests, and our community. Then, pivot.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Success for us is showing up every day with the best balance of who we are as individuals and as a couple. For us, it’s literally in our name, Restrained Whimsy. Creating and maintaining the perfect balance of fun, laughter, and possibilities in coordination with grounding, reflection, and pivoting. And since we opened at the end of October 2019 … we would be doing lots of pivoting and laughing to survive the pandemic. Which we did.
Balance is important to both Brian and I as neither one of us wanted to be lost to the other person’s vision or personality, nor did we want to overwhelm with just our own idea. We knew our strength was together both as individuals and a couple. The real trick is to keep talking, listening, and understanding where each of us is coming from. This doesn’t make for quick decisions, but when we do finally make a choice, we were resolute with where we were headed.
Being on the same page means that the store is heavily curated and we only have items we have tried and love. Every book is read, every bath bomb tried, every chocolate tasted, and every candle burned to make sure we can stand behind endorsing it and assuring guests that it is going to be incredibly well received as a gift for someone or for themselves.
Another key to our success has been remembering that you cannot expect to grow and also stay the same. You must make room for growth. I love to create the experience so that it is fresh and exciting every time a guest arrives. Brian has the natural business strategist instinct that is always looking to the future and how to manage growth. This is key because without that hand of wisdom, pivoting could end up looking more like a very beautiful spinning circle.
We believe that when you walk into the store, you should see yourself without looking too hard, that you should find a spot that makes you smile and feel a little lighthearted. You should feel balanced childlike energy.
In the end, we believe our success comes from being true to ourselves, family, friends, and guests alike. It is a journey we all take together and are better for it.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Ten years ago, we foresaw deliveries by drone and the thought that if you couldn’t deliver within hours, you might be in trouble. Online shopping and “super-fast delivery” seemed like a tsunami hovering about small businesses, but “online” is always developing — for good and bad. “Drone delivery” is still in development and requires your purchase fit into one shoe box and be dropped from 12 feet in the air. So, there is that.
The future of small businesses is going to be about maximizing customer experience, specialized products, embracing artisans, being consistent, and above all be true to the mission and vision of the business. The synergy of these characteristics will play a significant role in one’s success.
Let me explain.
Guests come to small businesses for a relationship. People are tired of being a number. They want to be “Cindy, who is building a second home where she is excited to play with her grandkids – both of whom love dragons though she prefers cows and loves shopping in a place where someone knows her name when she arrives and ‘sees her.” And because of that, she flies 2 hours to see friends and shop with you six times a year when she isn’t simply calling to place her order or shopping on your website because it feels like home.” That is an impressive skill which is exclusive to a small business and gift store. They are a guest, real people, not just customers number 1,342.
A guest’s experience begins the moment they open the door, take their first step in, reset from the outside, breathe in the aroma at the door, and scan the scenery to ponder where they want to begin their adventure with you.
• People benefit from 5-15 feet of space from the door to the first thing they encounter to “transition” themselves from outdoors, take in the store, and feel comfortable to proceed forward. Smell, appearances, layout, and friendliness will decide if you are going to be someone they will grow to trust. This helps create a partnership with you. Greeting them as they arrive establishes not only a positive impression but demonstrates someone “sees them.” The individual(s) may respond or not, but they will remember that one simple detail.
• Smell is everything when deciding if you have made the right choice to come into a store. We’ve all walked in places and instinctively cut the moment short because of “a smell.” Equally, we have lingered taking in the aroma which we are pretty sure we want to take home. Yes, I understand it is a trick to capture the perfect scent. Depending on where you are in the country and the time of year it may be something clean, or woodsy, or non-descript floral, or even a combination of all of them. FYI – No smell, or your lunch, is the wrong smell.)
• Your store layout is key. Guests want space to experience your store. A good rule of thumb for aisle space: if two people pass each other and their bags touch, it’s too small. No one wants to feel as if they are in an obstacle course which could result in them breaking something.
• Merchandising is crucial in telling your story and the story of the artisans you are representing whether it is a bar of soap, a curated chocolate bar, or a leather bag. Guests want to take in the luxury of the environment while being at ease to view and interact with the curated pieces. People do not simply shop what is in front of them. They shop what is in view, including vignettes on the other side of the store. You take in everything to determine where you need to go next.
Artisan and specialized products are what people are seeking. Not “off the shelf” but something unique, unexpectedly incredible, a “find.” Sure, we can all go buy a spa gift for our friend. But does the story of your spa items include a mother whose child had such severe sensitivities that she had to develop her own items and found a following that embraces the same needs, and being a vegan product is a bonus? The uniqueness of your products will take some time to develop, but as you step outside of what “everyone is buying” and “other stores best sellers,” you will find that your guests will gravitate to the discoveries you have made and find the same delight as you. Will you hit it out of the park every time? No. But will you nail it on the head more than not? I believe you will. People are shopping small businesses because we have a superpower unlike anyone else. We can offer an array of selections that create a more individualized experience. How do you do that? Shop everywhere and when you notice something unexpectedly wonderful…ask if you can bring it into your store. Artisan gifts allow for a heightened differentiation from the rest of the market offerings while enriching the community and your ability to stand out from the crowd.
Consistency is everything. Be true to your mission, your vision, your values, and yourself. Be unapologetically you. Truth be told, writing a mission, vision, and values statement is as complicated as you allow it to be. Equally, it is as easy as saying, “Our mission is to focus on local artisans, and then we branch out from there. We believe that when you walk into a store, you should be able to see yourself and not look too hard. We believe in offering quality items at a fair price. We try everything before it comes into the store (because no one wants to have a relaxing bath to discover the bath bomb has left a ring we now have to scrub). We read every book, so we know that it is about empowerment, believing in yourself, enrichment, and learning something new about being a better you.” Can it be word smithed to create a tighter elevator pitch. Sure, but it doesn’t have to be either. The key is being true to it, and who you are. Consistency is also being able to “pivot” when needed without taking your eye off the ball. Be you!
“Like it or not, sharing our stories is part of the plan. I cannot just depend on word of mouth. As a small business owner, I do not have the luxury of fear. I must figure out how to take cool pictures, write witty comments, post on social media regularly, and a litany of other tasks to tell my story.” The secret is that you are not alone. One of my realizations of telling our story is to “just be me” …because I’m great at that. I’m not always as skilled trying to be “small business owner extraordinaire. Again, consistency and authenticity are key. Still not sure, take a class and do something every day to help enhance your ability to tell your own story. Scary…I get it…but be your stores advocate.
When the story of you and your business is told, these key points will be the foundation your guests use when describing being welcomed, the smell, the environment, and unique findings which cannot be found elsewhere. Feeling like they belong. Sharing, “Just being there makes them happy and discovering the thing they didn’t know they wanted happens every time.” If you are being true to yourself and your vision, offering the best of who you are, and providing the services and unique items which have come to define the beauty of your small business, then you need to simply share your story as often as possible.
In 10 years, shoe boxes may be falling from 12 feet in the sky, but if you focus on maximizing customer experience, specialized products, embracing artisans, being consistent, and above all being true to the mission and vision of the business, you will have guests walking into your store with excitement on their faces to be part of what you have created.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.restrainedwhimsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restrainedwhimsy/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restrainedwhimsy
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/restrained-whimsy-los-angeles
Image Credits
Aaron Han Photography – Lead Image
