Today we’d like to introduce you to Constance Baker.
Constance, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My passion for vintage clothing happened at a very young age. I began thrift shopping regularly as a hobby around age 12. I always knew I wanted a career in fashion, and it had always truly been my dream to one day open a vintage shop of my own.
In 2009, the opportunity to co-own a business fell into my lap. I partnered up with the Mas Boutique in Silver Lake where we created the balance of new emerging local designers paired with curated vintage. It was such a fun shop with the most incredible customers, however we were working through the tail end of the recession at that time and decided to move on from having a brick and mortar.
I continued my vintage journey through creating an Etsy online boutique and regularly selling at music festivals around Los Angeles, but never lost sight of the dream to open my own vintage shop.
In 2014, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to rent a little shop on York Blvd in Highland Park.
Weepah Way is the namesake of the street I grew up on in Laurel Canyon. It pays homage to a special time and place when I fell in love with vintage clothing.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think if you were to ask anyone who went their own way in terms of opening a business you would find it’s never a smooth road. It’s always been my goal to work for myself and that comes with a very long list of its own set of struggles. For me I would have to say my biggest challenge is striking the balance between personal and professional. I tend to give most of my time and energy to growing my business – which is a beautiful thing in my opinion because Weepah Way is so much an extension of myself that it feels very personal. But I do have to be a bit more mindful to take a step back every now and again and give myself a little break to do something unrelated to my business.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Weepah Way is a curated vintage clothing boutique. We specialize in affordable one of a kind pieces mixed with vintage denim on trend with a modern aesthetic. In terms of buying for the shop I gravitate toward creating a collection that feels accessible and that feels like you can fit any one of these vintage finds into your everyday wardrobe.
I am most proud of the community of customers I have had the privilege to come to know since opening the shop in 2014. I am finding as my business grows the word of mouth continues to spread and I think that speaks volumes to the consistency of the collection that you can always find at Weepah Way.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
When I opened Weepah Way in 2014 it felt like a bit of a risk for my little shop. York Blvd was a pretty sleepy street and the business boom of Figueroa hadn’t even begun yet.
I feel very fortunate that I have been able to grow alongside my fellow small business owners as Highland Park has continued to grow. I also feel very fortunate to have a business on York Blvd because the everyday pace is a bit laid back and truly feels like a community.
The past two years we’ve seen a huge trend with investors moving into the business sector of Highland Park which has unfortunately driven up not only residential real estate, but we have seen commercial leases increase dramatically overnight.
My wish for Highland Park would be that the investors coming in to capitalize on the real estate market wouldn’t have the need to rapidly inflate the cost of doing business. In a perfect world I would hope that the investors and property owners would be more mindful of the communities that they are moving into.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5151 York Blvd Los Angeles
- Website: weepahway.com
- Phone: 323-332-0414
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @weepahway
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weepahway/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/weepah-way-los-angeles-2
Image Credit:
All images provided by Weepah Way are the property of Weepah Way
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