“The emphasis of [Vivier & Bentley, formerly owned by jewellery designer Kathryn Bentley and bag designer Clare Vivier*] is mostly local L.A. designers and artists, like these ceramic hanging pieces are by a woman named Heather Levine and like the stained glass and handmade shoes, they’re all people who live in Echo Park or Silverlake [suburbs of L.A.]. And then we have other lines mixed in as well that are not so local. But I mean like the chocolates are from people in Topanga and they’re really neat, Zenbunni**, they make jewellery and all kinds of different things, they’re kind of just like, I don’t know, a hippy power couple…so we’re trying to promote people in the neighbourhood.”

How do you find these designers? Do people come to you?

“Not… I mean that’s starting to happen a little bit and we are starting to seek people out but originally it was just people who were like, friends of Kathryn and Clare. And fellow like-minded artists and people who were making things in the neighbourhood who were just friends. So yeah, we’ve started bringing in a line of baskets… from Brooklyn which is something we got tipped off to. It’s not local and it’s not a friend, but something like that, we’re interested in bringing in.” - Elizabeth / Vivier and Bentley

* Clare has since opened her own store, literally two shopfronts down. Interview to come. 

** Spicy chai flavour recommended.