Petro Zillia Opens House on Retail Division
Whimsy and hard-nosed business are but two reasons designer Nony Tochterman opened her first House of Petro Zillia boutique in Los Angeles on Sept. 20.
The designer had created must-see shows at Mercedes-Benz Los Angeles Fashion Week with her 10-year-old line, Petro Zillia. Yet, Tochterman said she would scale back her wholesale business to concentrate on retail, which she hopes to grow to about 10 stores in the next five years.
She declined to state how much she would cut back her wholesale, yet in the city of Los Angeles, her label will be exclusive to her boutique. “I’m going to be responsible for my product until it goes out the door,” Tochterman said. “I want to make sure it’s my door.”
The whimsical Petro Zillia style has set the tone for the 1,500-square-foot boutique at West 3rd Street and Harper Avenue. It’s across from Toast, a watering hole for Young Hollywood, and next to hip boutiques Terra on Third and Hillary Rush.
The House of Petro Zillia is housed in the former Shambala Meditation Center. Tochterman, known for her outrageous sense of color, directed the boutique’s color scheme. Her husband and business partner, Yosi Drori, designed the rest of the boutique compound.
The retail space is divided into three environments. The first room is composed of furniture and bronze and rust colors with a mid- 20th-century ambience. Tochterman described the second room as neo-romantic with pink hues and floral wallpaper. The third room evokes the 1970s, what with its orange, yellow and pink colors and silver stripes. “It’s tacky, but in a good way,” she said.
The compound will also feature a 1,200- square-foot design studio and a 600-squarefoot garden, where shoppers can socialize during late-night Wednesdays when the boutique will be open until 10.
Price points will range from $15 for a gift to $5,000 for a couture dress. The boutique will offer other brands as well, such as denim label EDJ; Los Angeles–based T-shirt label St. Grace; London-based accessories line Laura Rosnovsky; and Milan-based vintage jewelry line Pepita.
The store also will sell vintage furniture refurbished by Drori.
The clothes will be arranged on rolling racks so Tochterman can change the look of the store as she pleases. “I can make it look different every day,” she said. —Andrew Asch
