Sara Stein and Karen Alweil first met in 2009 in the parking lot of the Silverlake Independent JCC, where their kids attended preschool. It was a fortuitous meeting. A friendship bloomed. And in 2012, the two Los Angeles moms, along with celebrated local architect Barbara Bestor, launched Sisters of Los Angeles, which Stein calls “a modern memorabilia collection celebrating city and state pride.” Already, their colorful glassware, accessories and clothing are in dozens of retailers across the country and can be found locally at Yolk, Ron Robinson and The Shop at The Broad, to name a few. By the end of this year, Sisters of Los Angeles merchandise will be sold in all 50 states.
It started with an idea that Stein, now 51, had. According to the Silver Lake resident, whose family worships at Temple Israel of Hollywood, “There was a tremendous void in the idea of modern souvenirs celebrating Los Angeles. Everything available was what you would find on Hollywood Boulevard, which has had the same stuff since 1987 [the year Stein moved to Los Angeles]. There seemed to be a huge opportunity [in] looking at Los Angeles as a brand because people love their city. People feel connected to their city.”
Stein approached Alweil, now 49, who grew up attending services at Stephen Wise Temple and spent summers at Camp Hess Kramer and Gindling Hilltop Camp, because Stein knew that the Pasadena resident would have a good sense of the market. Alweil owns Karen Alweil Studio, a sales agency representing some three dozen lifestyle brands; her job is to get these brands’ products into retailers across the country. The studio is based at the LA Mart in downtown Los Angeles, home to more than 150 showrooms like Alweil’s that are open only to the trade. Unlike Stein, Alweil also has manufacturing experience; she has owned both a furniture business and a body care company.
For her part, Alweil thought Stein was on to something. Soon, Bestor, who designed the offices of Stein’s former fashion public relations firm, came on board. (Bestor is no longer involved in the company.)
Sisters of Los Angeles, which its founders sometimes refer to as “SoLA,” as in, “That is soooo L.A.,” made its debut with two sets of glassware. One celebrates the beaches of Los Angeles with four distinct glasses, each emblazoned with colorful graphics and the name of one beloved beach: Zuma, Malibu, Venice and Santa Monica. The other set features four canyons of Los Angeles: Laurel, Beachwood, Topanga and Runyon. They have since added a Los Angeles freeway set (405, 10, 101 and 5) as well as area code glasses that buyers can mix and match. And they have expanded well beyond glassware and their hometown.
There are rainbow candles for Portland, Miami and many cities in between, needlepoint kits, friendship bracelets, zipper pouches and pencils. Among their most successful products is a line of metallic tote bags proclaiming, for example, “ALOHA STATE” or “GOLDEN STATE” in all caps.
Alweil is responsible for sales, including traveling to large trade shows around the country, and Stein handles operations. They have one employee. They also contract with a graphic artist.
According to Stein, her own lack of manufacturing experience has been, in a peculiar way, something of an asset. “I have no belief that something can’t be done,” she said. So when she gets an idea for a new product, her next thought is never, “Oh, this is going to be tricky.” She just forges ahead.
As much as possible, Alweil and Stein try to have their products made in Los Angeles. “The beauty is when we can make it here, we can create magic in a very short amount of time,” Stein said.
“It makes us feel good,” Alweil added. “It’s a benefit.”
Sitting in Alweil’s showroom on the third floor of the mart, it all seems very glamorous. But it is clear both women work incredibly hard. Stein is often down the hall in the Sisters of Los Angeles suite, which is basically a packing room filled with boxes and boxes of merchandise, fulfilling orders. On a recent morning, there was a large order from Japan, where there are half a dozen Sisters of Los Angeles pop-up shops. The Sisters of Los Angeles principals figured they would be creating specialty products for Japan. But no.
“What is interesting about Sisters of Los Angeles Japan is they don’t want Japanese products,” Alweil said. “They want L.A., New York, Las Vegas.” They were especially keen on the new Baja collection, which Alweil described as “California-esque: trying to give people the understanding of a true California lifestyle. And everyone wants that lifestyle.”
What’s next for Sisters of Los Angeles?
“We’d like to see it expand,” said Alweil, “go into different levels of product, different categories.”
“This idea of city and state pride isn’t going anywhere,” Stein added. “As fast as [the pace of life is] becoming, people are looking to connect to the people around them and where they live. It’s very happy and it makes people smile.”
