Southern High Concept
“Scarlett O’Hara goes boho-chic” sounds like a high-concept pitch for a Hollywood romance. Instead it’s how two Southern girls mixed the sass of Los Angeles with the grace of their former homes in Dallas. The result is a new, contemporary boutique that co-owners Jeannette Chivvis and Kelley West hope is as sweet as its name: Sugar On La Brea. The shop opened Memorial Day weekend.
Chivvis and West’s new venture takes threads from all the adventures of their lives. The two moved to Los Angeles to work as actors less than two years ago, and both had solid retailing experience in their backgrounds. Chivvis had worked for more than 10 years at apparel stores, including stints as a buyer for Pasadena, Calif.–based boutique Elisa B and Macy’s executive program. West had owned an antique shop in Dallas.
Sugar specializes in West Coast designers, including Trina Turk, LA Made, Pegah Anvarian and BelleKat. The store also carries lines such as New York–based Loomstate, which offers organic denim, and Samantha Treacy. Prices range from $20 for an LA Made boy-length tank top to $400 for a Pegah Anvarian dress. The store also stocks Chivvis’ Nay Nay line of shrugs and halter tops made from vintage scarves.
The store’s Southern roots grow deepest in the deacute;cor. Silk taffeta curtains and antebellum antiques with a “Gone With the Wind” charm grace the 1,200-square-foot space.
Chivvis expects the store will earn $50,000 in the first month. She anticipates it will earn more eventually because the store’s section of La Brea is becoming more of a destination. She said two restaurants will open in the area soon, and a movie theater, New Regency, recently reopened.
Chivvis said she hopes to open Sugar as a national chain through which she will be able to inject a little Southern hospitality everywhere it goes.
“We live in Los Angeles,” Chivvis said. “But you can’t take the South out of the girl.”
