Meet Karen Ko of Alé and Poppy in Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Ko.

Karen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My background has been working in the Fashion Industry as a Dress designer in the missy world. I have been doing that for over ten years, it was something that I always wanted to do since I was a child. I loved it when I first started but the industry has changed so much and it’s no longer what it use to be. A lot of fast fashion has shifted a lot of the real concept of design.

Early in 2018, the department I was working for decided to close down I was four months pregnant around that time. It was a blessing in disguise since I was feeling the need for change. I had always wondered about one day doing something of my own. I just wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do.

In July, I had my baby girl in which my world completely changed in a beautiful way. I felt more inspired and I began to have new interests. I wanted to make her so many things… starting with decor for her nursery. I shopped around and couldn’t find anything that was my style and if I did they were incredibly expensive.

I began by making her a mobile for her crib. They are the ones that hang over the crib with little characters to entertain the baby. I wanted her to have little Llamas and peonies! It was perfect because it would have sentimental value and we can keep it in a box for her to open when she is older. Soon after, I kept coming up with more things to add to her room. I made her 1st birthday outfit and love making her and her dolls clothes.

A lot of my friends started encouraging me to open a shop. The fear of starting something of my own was holding me back for a while until September of this year, I finally decided I would start with an Etsy account to test the waters. That’s when Alé and Poppy became a reality! Alé is short for Alessandra my daughter who is my biggest inspiration in this brand and Poppy is the name of the Llama I first made (it’s also California’s state flower!)

About four years prior, I was working for a company that was draining me and I decided I would learn to do wall tapestries using a weaving technique. It was something I wanted to do for fun to get my mind off the stress from work. I made my own loom (weaving frame) and followed a few tutorials on YouTube and soon enough, I learned something new! It seemed and looked hard but soon enough, I had a new skill that now I have added to Alé and Poppy.

So far, it has been a very positive experience and I love learning new techniques like embroidery & rug hooking. It’s amazing how many talents we all have and all we need to do is be willing to try new things. A lot of times, I hear people say I wish I could do that and I always tell them it’s never too late to learn! It just seems intimidating at first because it’s the unknown…but once you master it you will thank yourself. I’m excited to keep adding to my brand who knows maybe later I will add clothing since its a very familiar world for me. I’m open to all the possibilities!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think what has been more of a challenge for me is managing my time. I’m working from home with a toddler who is at an age where she is curious about everything. A lot of times, I have so many new ideas of things I want to make but finding the time is tricky. I try to do things while she is napping or at night while she is asleep.

Being a momtreprenuer is not easy work. We are constantly interrupted and our focus can shift at any moment. Specially when they nap only for 30 mins instead of 2 hours! But with all that, as I have been learning about my role as a new mother, I am also learning how to manage my time wisely to get to the end result in a timely manner for my new business.

I have so much more respect for stay at home parents. I never realized how much work goes into it, but at the end of the day, it’s a very rewarding job.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
My business at the moment is focused more on baby/kids decor. The most popular item in my shop right now has been the felt Name Garlands. Each letter is hand-sewn and embroidered by me. I customize everything according to my customer’s request. From colors to any other special details to match there aesthetic. They have been the perfect gift for baby showers & birthdays. I also have the wall tapestry weavings that have been a big request and I’m currently working on some new ones to add to the shop.

I’m the most proud in my business because I’m open to learning from my customers and there needs. My focus is always having relationships with my customers and I love that Instagram allows me to be in there world and see there lives. This all inspires me to design new products that I think they would love.

I have such amazing customers that also share ideas of what they may want and I’m here to create it for them. This I believe sets me apart from so many other big business.

What were you like growing up?
As a young girl, I loved being creative. I remember when I was around six years old, my grandmother taught me the basics of embroidery and I loved it. As I grew a little older, my mother would sew and she taught me how to sew by hand. That is when I began making doll clothes for all my barbies. It’s funny that I would cut up socks and use them for fabric to make my doll clothes and I even made doll clothes out of toilet paper! That’s always been my personality to always find a way to make things happen with what I have.

My love for fashion started so young and it’s funny that I ended up making that a reality for 10+ years.

But besides fashion, I loved drawing and dance. When I was around nine years old, I would draw characters and make my own coloring pages. I would even draw some for my friends so they can join me in coloring. I believe that everyone has there own way of learning and for me it has always been in a more creative hands-on way.

I’m thankful that I learned those skills at such a young age and now I’m able to share these skills with my daughter.

Pricing:

• Name Garlands $29+
• Wall Weavings $40+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/aleandpoppy
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aleandpoppy/

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