Meet Allison Ward of Chartreuse Home Furnishings in LA and OC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Ward.

Allison, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
This story begins with me unhappily working at a law firm while going to design school. A fellow student in design school told me about this fabulous store called Chartreuse. I showed up unannounced to meet Wendy, the original owner, with a portfolio in hand. Since I did not make an appointment, I patiently waited three hours to speak to her. I was young, but Wendy claims, “there was just something about her.” She hired me because she knew that one day I was going to be successful.

I started behind the scenes doing office type duties while she taught me everything she knew. The day finally came for me to work with the wonderful clients of Chartreuse, and with the help of Wendy, my taste in design was polished and refined. Thirteen years later, my late husband and I purchased Chartreuse as Wendy moved into a life of travel and quality time spent with her husband, sons, family, and friends!

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?
It has not been a smooth road. I was fortunate enough to purchase the business in 2017 with my husband, Matt. I had been working for Chartreuse for almost 14 years and knew the business like the back of my hand so it was a very easy transition. However, things in my personal life changed one Sunday morning in October almost two years ago. My husband was driving our son to a Cub Scout event down south. Another driver on the road lost control of his car and crashed into my husband’s car. The impact killed my husband instantly and luckily my son, five at the time, survived. It was a tragic time and I had to take some time off from the store while dealing with everything. My staff was great and ran the store for a while so I could be with my two boys, now 7 and 3. I am so fortunate to have this business and my team so I can continue to support my boys financially on my own.

The business itself has been relatively smooth, with some typical retail struggles – competitors, marketing costs, and balancing quality as the industry around us grows and changes. We have had one change in ownership in 18 years, but both owners continue to work seamlessly together and have since day one. We are so fortunate to be in such a supportive community! We would not still be here if it wasn’t for them.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Chartreuse started as a creative outlet almost 20 years ago. We were a small design studio you could visit by appointment only. Locals would come to design custom sofas, dining and bedroom collections to fit their specific needs. Clients would bring pictures of items from chain stores to us and we usually had a more cost-effective option that was made right here in LA.

We’ve seen styles, color schemes, chain stores, and manufacturing trends come and go over the past 18 years. We are proud to say we continue to be a community-based business that functions in a retail space, but with the small design studio feel of where we started. We thrive on helping clients find one of a kind items and custom furniture for homes, offices and vacation rentals. Our staff is non-commission based and love to help clients pull together their final look as a team.

When walking into Chartreuse, you will find unique accessories, faux plants, and upholstery items, along with our one of a kind items that set us apart from the big box stores. We sell right off the showroom floor to help with instant gratification, so the look of our shop changes all of the time! Our upholstery and many of our other large pieces are made to order. Bring in your dimensions and we can help design a sofa, sectional or storage piece just for you!

What were you like growing up?
Growing up in Long Beach was a great experience for me! From soccer to surfing, there was always something fun to do. As a teen, I loved to re-arrange my room all the time. I feel that is where some of my beginning stages of design started; learning how to fit a lot into a little space! I was always the “talker” as my parents say, just practicing for retail.

Pricing:

• Sofas start at $999 in cleanable fabric
• Sectionals start at $ 1,798
• Bedroom Dressers start at $ 499

Contact Info:

• Address: 3938 Cerritos Ave
  Los Alamitos, CA 90720
• Phone: 562-493-5899
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: ChartreuseHomeFurnishings
• Facebook: Chartreuse Home Furnishings
• Other: Chartreuse Home Furnishings, LLC.

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.