Rising Stars: Meet Nina Kazé of Los feliz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Kazé.

Hi Nina, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started collecting clothes in my college days & ended up getting a job in a vintage store in Sherman oaks soon after.

I was trained by a Japanese dealer to run an entire store which became increasingly profitable after I was hired.

The window display I would dress became one of the most important aspects to that among many other little nuances. I became the general manger of that franchise and worked there for a year and a half.

I moved to NYC after to pursue acting and a woman there told me I should do styling and something with clothing .
I did a myspace page that night with the name “ cherry pick vintage” and was later referred to the site “Etsy” recommended by my cousin.

My etsy store was super successful and led to a happenstance of seeing this space available for rent driving by and signing the lease & opening the store in 2009.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is no such thing as a smooth road doing this or I am assuming any endeavor.

I have been in business for sixteen years & have been through every mentionable struggle.

To give an idea I have even chased criminals down my street to retrieve items and a lap top they had stolen while I was in the store.

I had to lock my door and add a door bell for safety since then.

The constant need to adapt & study & learn my environment.

Covid made everything so different it forced me to be more specific with what I wanted to sell here and who I wanted to sell it to.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Cherry Pick Vintage, is a trademarked Los Angeles brand.
inspired by Blow-Up and 60s–70s New Wave cinema.

As a filmmaker and musician, my creative world shaped every part of it.
It’s the first of a franchise capturing Los Angeles’ pulse and spirit—
a space where iconic artists and everyday dreamers have left their mark.

This is a place that belongs to everyone and is not only beloved by me but many.

A space where some of the most iconic artists and salt of the earth people have made memories I can only relay by writing a book about it all.

How do you think about luck?
The luck was not knowing what I was getting myself into. A kind of naiveté that gave me the courage to believe I would be able to make my business work.

And the other luck was having an amazing Landlord who believed in me and values what the store brings to the neighborhood.

The bad luck was so many incidences too long to mention. Recessions and being on a beaten path as a business and covid and the strikes in Los Angeles and then the wild fires and a construction company next to my plaza for the past five years.

But maybe there is no such thing as bad luck because I wont change who i’ve become in the process.

Pricing:

• Average item 80-150

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.cherrypickvintage.com
• Instagram: @cherrypick.vintage