Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Tomasi.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Chelsea. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I come from a family of entrepreneurs, both of my grandpas came from very little and made something of themselves. One grandpa was a brick mason turned into big developer and the other started an architecture firm in Northern California and was very well known. My dad also started a successful architecture firm in Los Angeles called TSArchitects, specializing in commercial, retail, multi-family residential and lifestyle centers. Both of my grandpas served in world war 2, one as an engineer and the other a pilot. My grandpa who was a brick mason always told my family and myself that they will never have to worry about me…” that Chelsea, she’ll make something of herself one day,” One of my very first jobs was working with children as a nanny, I fell in love with it. I wanted to further my education in family care, I became a Postpartum Doula, I worked with amazing families all over LA. I was always started little businesses, from my doula business to an organizing business, specializing in organizing and coming up with unique ways to keep families with kids more organized. Along my journey through life, I met my future husband, he was in the bedding industry. I went to visit him during one of his meetings, he was picking out fabric for a pillow he was going to make. I went over and started looking at all of the fabric before I knew it, I was designing the pillow and coming up with all of these ideas. I started to run with it, I asked for all of his contacts in the bedding industry and the rest was history.
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 felt as though the odds were against me. I had no knowledge base in the bedding industry, I had to start from scratch and build it all from the ground up. I started to set up meetings with different manufacturers, I wanted to get a sense of the industry and see what I was up against. I soon realized that it’s highly competitive. It was hard to break into the industry and be taken seriously, especially as a woman in a mostly male ran industry. I met with more manufacturers and finally found what I was looking for, a great manufacturer.
I was almost ready to launch Ladies Pillow when we were hit by the devastating COVID-19. All of the manufactures shut down, production halted. I needed photos to finish our website, we hired models for a photoshoot with our pillows, a photographer, the whole nine yards- it was all canceled. I took matters into my own hands, I thought to myself…” I can do it, I’ll be the model to get it started.” that’s exactly what I did.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ladies Pillow – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
What I love most about Ladies Pillow is that it’s a woman-owned company. Everything has been carefully selected by me, it’s a quality product. I wanted a create an elegant, comfortable, simple, and fun pillow. I love our fun and educational commercials, I wanted it to be light-hearted and fun, for anyone that knows me, it’s a lot like my personality. I’m a very positive person, I believe in passing energy from one another, what sets me apart from others, is that I work with the most amazing, kind people, from my cut and sow team to all the component companies. I also love that Ladies Pillow is made here in the heart of Los Angeles and that I can create jobs for such amazing people.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I would love to expand our Ladies Pillow line and also explore bedding. I’ve always loved interior design, it’s a passion of mine. I want to create a beautiful, elegant, and fun bedding line that’s the same quality as some of the top brand names but is more affordable. I also see myself giving back to the world. I want to open a nonprofit organization, helping children that are bullied in school or in their own homes. I’m very passionate about helping others and see myself working in our communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: ladiespillow.com
- Email: info@ladiespillow.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r1bQwTIjD0
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
