Today we’d like to introduce you to Bridget Connelly and Liza McGowan.
Hi Bridget and Liza, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We met in 2018 while working admin positions at a creative advertising agency and bonded over being wannabe TV writers. We know, we know, we’re so unique. Bridget eventually left the company to pursue freelance work, and the pandemic hit about a week later. She acquired a Craigslist Pomeranian, Gidget, who Liza would co-parent while Bridget was waitressing at a French restaurant downtown. We thought Gidget was fattening up from all the boeuf bourguignon Bridget was feeding her, but when her triple-X nipples sprouted, we knew something was wrong. Low and behold, Bridget had gotten three for the price of one. We became bickering parents with twins practically overnight.
The restaurant Bridget worked at was located in Skid Row and just begging to be turned into a show, so the natural next step in our friendship was becoming writing partners. We did a lot of vintage retail shopping together as a procrastination tactic. It’s a total rush finding a cool piece, so when we happened upon our first estate sale, we got completely hooked. Once Bridget finally had enough forks to host a dinner party, we graduated from shopping for ourselves to sourcing furniture for a vintage shop Bridget was working for at the time. We frequented estate sales enough to build relationships with the brokers, who Bridget came to work with directly doing set-up, staging, and sales.
Somewhere in there, we started honing in on our style, slowly curating our own collection. Liza, a hoarder at heart, justifies every purchase by saying, “If we don’t sell it, I’ll keep it!” It was when Liza’s roommate nearly met his demise while trying to retrieve a suitcase from a closet, and Bridget found herself crawling through an etagere to access her kitchen, that we realized we needed a showroom. We started with a pop-up in the back of a modern furniture store and recently moved into a space on the 2nd floor of the Mercantile building, right next to the Cecil Hotel. It’s a cool up-and-coming artist community with an art gallery on the main floor that we’re able to host events in. Stop in and see us on the first Thursday of every month for the DTLA Art Night, or check our Instagram for events.
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?
We’re still at the stage where we’re wearing a lot of hats. Everything except accounting. We have an accountant for that. The thing we’ve struggled with the most is probably social media. Bridget thinks an algorithm is a dance move.
Our first shoot was particularly entertaining for a group of onlooking German tourists. We crammed a designer chair into the Blue Bullet, Liza’s clown car, and hauled it up to Malibu. Our vision was to pose with it next to the waves like, “See how dangerously fabulous we are? We take chrome and leather chairs to the beach”.
For some reason, we decided Liza, who often dresses like the disapproving Edwardian mother of a flapper, would model in a bikini, and Bridget, who refuses to reset her oven clock for daylight savings because it’s too stressful, would operate the camera. It was a recipe for disaster. Bridget yelling directions like, “Quit crying and strut like Betty Boop!” Liza seconds from strangling Bridget if she has to tell her how to focus the camera one more time (it was on autofocus). The Germans got an eyeful of Liza having a meltdown and Bridget threatening to throw the camera to the sharks.
Aside from specializing in barware, that’s why we now incorporate liquor into every shoot. Effective problem-solving.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We’re a vintage boutique that offers rentals and styling services. We’ve curated a collection of furniture, furs, and barware from the 20’s and 80’s – anything that elicits the decadence of the brass age and the art deco revival. We both feel like we were born into the wrong eras, so working in estates is like getting a glimpse at a time when people knew how to live lavishly. They took partying seriously, and it showed in their barware. That’s what we want to bring to our clientele. We’re still working out our mission statement, but one pitch on the table is, “No one should have to drink out of plastic. Not even dogs. Bridget’s Pomeranian, Gidget, drinks out of crystal.”
We approach design as crafting a scene and think every space should have a sense of humor. That’s why we specialize in dramatic statement pieces – the more ostentatious the better. We currently have a black ceramic swan the size of a vending machine. And in our showroom, you can expect to find tables that Tony Montana would snort cocaine off of and martini glasses that Joan Collins would like to throw across a room.
Since we just came onto the scene, we can’t claim we’re “known” for anything yet. We’d love to be the shop that people think of when they need to step up their barware game or find the perfect conversation piece for the morning after a bad date. One of our favorite art pieces is an expressionist painting that depicts an orgy.
What are you most proud of?
Liza’s quads; a product of lifting and transporting the swan. We’re also proud of the community of creative people we’ve managed to attract in the few months since opening the showroom. We have a few collaborations in the works so far and are excited to see what’s to come.
What sets you apart from others?
Probably our sense of humor. If you check out our Instagram, you’ll see how ridiculous it gets. We noticed that other resellers and designers keep it pretty straightforward in their online presence, so we decided to lean into a satirical approach. We’ve focused on finding ways to make each other laugh by coming up with over-the-top scenarios and putting pieces from our collection in ironic locations. Mixing high with low.
Also, our new showroom is located in the Mercantile building, and there’s a huge gallery space that we’re able to utilize. There will always be an art exhibit up – check it out during the DTLA Art Night – and other events that will draw a crowd in.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
If you’re looking for a deal at an estate sale, drive a crappy car. You can’t ask for a discount in a Tesla.
Contact Info:
- Website: afterhoursvintagela.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterhoursvintagela/
Image Credits
Daniel Marsh
L.A. Motherfucker
@jason71
