Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Benton. Lil Devils was opened in August of 2008 by Long Beach natives Sarah Benton and Pete Toulios.
Sarah – please kick off the story for us.
We both had professional careers and were looking for a change. We were sitting at the Queen Mary one evening overlooking our gorgeous hometown and came up with the idea to open a unique children’s store. We found the perfect location on 4th Street’s Retro Row and we ran with the idea!
We lost Pete to an unexpected heart issue in 2010. I, along with Pete’s brother John, have continued to run the shop together and are looking forward to celebrating 9 years in business in August.
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?
Running a small business is a continual learning experience! When Pete and I opened in 2008 our agreement was that I would handle the creative side of the business and he would handle the financial side. This partnership was ideal and worked really well for us, but when Pete passed unexpectedly in 2010, his brother John and I had to scramble and quickly figure out a whole aspect of running a business that was foreign to us. There’s been lots of bumps in the road, but we treasure our small business and being a part of our community.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our goal has always been to carry unique children’s products that you can’t find anywhere else. We are constantly inspired by our community and especially our historic and funky neighborhood which is called Retro Row.
We love anything handmade and strive to support local handmade artists by selling their products in our store.
We are also known for our excellent customer service and are always happy to help customers pick out the perfect gift! And gift wrapping is always free!
Our favorite events that we hold every year are pictures with Santa during the holidays and pictures with the Easter bunny in Spring time. Our Santa is covered in tattoos and has been coming to our event since 2009!
What were you like growing up?
I was born and raised in Long Beach and always wanted to be a teacher.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2218 East 4th Street
Long Beach, CA 90814 - Website: www.lildevilsboutique.com
- Phone: 562.439.0555
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: lildevilsboutique
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lildevilsboutique/
- Twitter: lildevilsboutiq
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lil-devils-boutique-long-beach
Image Credit:
Stefanie Winter-Gonzalez
Jennifer Marie Nigro
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.
