Knock Knock's Blog, page 5

9 Gift Shops You Should Know About

We have a huge place in our heart for brick and mortar stores and encourage you to shop local this holiday season. Below are a few stores and friends of Knock Knock you should know about this coming Small Business Saturday, November 26. Find a small business near you in our store locator.

1. Hi Sweetheart

Location: La Jolla, California

Nestled close to La Jolla Cove in San Diego, Hi Sweetheart has hand-picked gifts for all occasions made by both local and global artists and designers. The store’s owner, Molly Rossettie, originally owned The Little Apple in Philadelphia before moving back to SoCal.

2. The Mustache Goods & Wears

Locations: Fayetteville and Bentonville, Arkansas

Quirky is as quirky does. Mustache Goods & Wears has been offering eccentric and hilarious gift items and comfy apparel for all since 2011. Check them out and #ShoptheStache!

3. Tiddle E. Winks

Location: Sonoma, California

Tiddle E. Winks focuses on one-of-a-kind retro and nostalgic gifts, blast-from-the -past items mixed with irreverent picks (like, who needs inflatable turkeys? Everyone!). Plus, their store dog, Scooter, is adorably awesome.

4. Pop Katonah

Location: Katonah, NY

This snarky and funky store carries “cool items for tweens, teens, and immature adults.” This one-stop shop isn’t opened on Mondays—because Mondays.

5. Silver in the City

Location: Indianapolis, IN

Silver in the City has “giftmongered” their way into winning a “Best Gift Shop” award from The Indy A-List. They also have an “Emergency Gift Service” for gifters in Downtown Indianapolis.

 6. Lola of North Beach

Location: San Francisco, California

With three locations spanning San Francisco, Lola of North Beach is filled with something for everyone—including cat lovers, babies, and Raiders fans.

7. Atown

Location: Austin, Texas

Atown keeps Austin weird with fashion, jewelry, stationery, and accessories from local Texan creatives. Also, where else can you quickly get Willie Nelson for President shirts for the whole family?

8. Parkleigh

Location: Rochester, New York

Since 1960, Parkleigh has been the go-to destination for gifts. Each month they create a fun shop calendar designed with random, eccentric holidays (we missed Banana Day—darn!), and store specials.

 9. McArt á la Carte

Location: Woodbury, New Jersey

McArt á la Carte is three-parts art studio and one-part storefront. They host daily art classes and paint parties for kids and adults while also offering gifts for the art lovers.

 What’s your favorite mom and pop shop? Give them a shout out in a comment.

“In Heroes We Trust” Release Party

We had a packed house at the In Heroes We Trust: Street Artists and Their Heroes release party and book signing. Thank you to everyone who came and hung out with us, including In Heroes We Trust artists Teachr, Midas Lives, and Made of Hagop.

In Heroes We Trust is a creative collaboration between two Venice locals—Knock Knock and Neely Shearer, book curator and boutique owner of In Heroes We Trust. The book shares the work of 60 street artists from around the world and heroes that have inspired them.

Los Angeles street artists featured in the book stopped by and had a drink with us. (From left to right): Teachr, Made of Hagop, Neely Shearer, and Midas Lives.

The crowd flipping through In Heroes We Trust copies.

Midas Lives signing a copy of the book.

Street artist Le Fou hanging out with Neely.

A special thank-you to our neighbor Venice Duck Brewery, who sponsored the event, and provided us with delicious beer inspired by familiar Venice characters—Dogtown Duck IPA, Stoner Duck Hemp Brown Ale, and Lucky Duck Agave Blonde Ale, which has a fantastic label featuring Venice founder Abbot Kinney as a duck.

Thank you for the tasty beer, Venice Duck Brewery!

In Heroes We Trust: Artists and Their Heroes is available at Knock Knock, Amazon, and other fine retailers. 

For upcoming events, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Bring Your Kids to Work Day: 7 Favorite Moments

Kids ranging in ages one to 13 years old, ran amok around the office during Knock Knock’s first-ever Bring Your Kids to Work Day. Our head honcho, Jen, created, planned, and led the programming for the day from start to finish. Yes, we had a rollicking good time, and yes, we’re still tired from the day’s adventures. Explore a few of our favorite moments below.

1. Kids learned WTF each department does all day

Department heads, including product development, editorial, design, production, manufacturing, sales, customer service, operations, marketing, and digital—whew—gave a quick summary of what his or her team does at Knock Knock. Whether or not the kids understood the ins and outs, they at least pretended they did.

Shane (far right), production manager, explains how the Production team preps design files for the Manufacturing team.

Craig (far left), publisher, talks about Knock Knock’s product development process, including coming up with product ideas.

2. Reading Silly Words Flashcards out loud

Who knew “monkeyshines” was a word and that it was oh-so funny?

Our Editorial Director, Megan, let the kids choose a Silly Words Flashcard.

3. The Knock Knock logo got a very hip facelift

Our marketing designer, Janet, added patterns to our logo so it could be used as a coloring sheet. Do you think we’ve found our next Knock Knock catalog cover design?

Our Manufacturing Director, Elyse, and her daughter Millie work on a drawing together. (That’s her other daughter, Willa, in the back corner.) Check out the Knock Knock logo colored in!

4. Ping pong tournament time

The kids went to head to head while playing a longtime Knock Knock pastime.

Really great form!

5. Filling out Fill in the Love® items

Knock Knock parents helped their kids fill in the love with pages printed from our Fill in the Love® journals. Many of the kids gave their Fill in the Love gifts to their moms and dads and we’re sure said moms and dads cried from all the sweetness.

Rayden (far right) had some help with writing a Fill in the Love® message for her dad, Paul, one of our customer service dudes (shown left).

6. Introducing Love Letter to the next generation of tabletop players

Yamil, our manufacturing coordinator and game-board extraordinaire, introduced the kiddos to Love Letter, a card game that everyone should play if they have 15 minutes to kill. It’s very fun, addictive, and they loved it.

Playing Love Letter: Batman.

7. I scream, you scream, we all screamed for Salt and Straw.

We ventured to Salt & Straw, an ice cream parlor a few blocks away on Abbot Kinney. As you may have guessed, we were asked multiple times if we were a camp.

Afternoon outing to Salt & Straw. Everyone gets ice cream!

Not on the list, but still memorable: Beginning the day by telling bad Knock Knock jokes, the kids sharing what they wanted to be when they grow up, and finding this Inner-Truth™ Journal marketing sticker on a piece of office artwork. Hmm, now who could have done it . . .

A kid “decorated” this piece with a Knock Knock sticker. What a surprise.

Now when’s Bring Your Furkid to Work Day?

Beat Thanksgiving Stress with These Helpers

So, you’re the brave one taking on Thanksgiving planning this year—congratulations! You’re deciding the menu, arranging the guest and potluck list, wrangling the table decor, slowly curling into a mild-panic-attack ball on the kitchen floor—no sweat! We want to help with all the nitty-gritty tasks that come with this special Turkey day.

Enter for a chance to win all of our holiday helpers below by following us on Twitter, @knockknock, and RT’ing one of our three Knock Knock giveaway Tweets throughout the week! You have until 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Nov. 8 to enter. Make sure to read our Official Rules.

1. Things to Do Around the House Pad

Get shit tidy before guests come through the door!

2. Let’s Eat Notepad Set: What To Eat Pad and All Out Of Pad (Red)

The pad duo that will make pre-holiday grocery shopping less Grinch-y and more cinch-y.

3. To Do Great Big Sticky

Dole out the to-dos to all the kids. (Hope they like trash duty!)

4. What I Love about the Holidays with You Fill in the Love® Journal

Fill out this specialty-themed Fill in the Love® Journal for the festive, winter-loving person in your life. Be sure to fill it out when you’re good and full.

5. Let’s Do This Flask

A yellow (and silver) silver lining for holiday stress: this flask. It’ll be your best friend and confidante throughout the day.

We’re hoping everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving. Please save us some leftovers.

Fortune’s 40 Under 40: A List of List-Makers

Fortune’s “40 Under 40” names the most influential, cream of the crop doers and leaders in business—all under 40 years old. We’re inspired by this year’s list, who are moguls in their respected fields and ranging in honorees as young as 22 years old.

Fortune’s 40 Under 40 cover.

The list touts influential entrepreneurs and corporate officers like Apple Music’s Head of Global Marketing, Bozoma Saint John, and Google’s VP of Virtual Reality, Clay Bavor, while also spotlighting stars like Hamilton founding father Lin-Manuel Miranda and Late Late Show’s host and “Carpool Karaoke” King James Corden. Since a handful of the Knock Knock team are avid theSkimm readers, we were excited to see theSkimm founders Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg on the list too!

Fortune celebrated the honorees at Automattic in San Francisco, whose founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg, made number 20 on the list. We would like to thank Matt for Automattic’s existence, since it’s the parent company of WordPress and without it, you wouldn’t be reading any of this right now.

All VIP attendees and honorees received Knock Knock’s Action Items! Pad, the go-to pad for urgent tasks that need to be completed like, yesterday!

Each VIP honoree received an Action Items! Pad, a paper place for your more important to-dos.

From left to right: MoMo Zhou, Corporate Communications lead at Uber, and Rachel Holt, Head of North American Operations at Uber and Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list honoree, checking out the gift bag.

Keep yourself on track with our Action Items! Pad and maybe one day we’ll be seeing you on Fortune’s list!

We’re thrilled to have partaken in such a noteworthy event. If you have an upcoming event where Knock Knock items could surely add to a fantastic time, contact us at publicity@knockknockstuff.com.

Very Important Flowcharts for Life’s Most Challenging Decisions

Have a bothersome quandary that you need to solve, like, right now? There’s a flowchart for that. A sequel to best-seller Inconsequential Dilemmas: 45 Questions for Life’s Peskier Questions, our new book Consequential Dilemmas: 45 Flowcharts for Life’s Bigger Questions was designed with realistic stumpers in mind. More flowcharts to start your self-reflection:

AM I A CAT LADY?

The one and (sort of) true test to see if you’re a cat lady. If it says you’re not a cat lady and you truthfully swear by felines, we grant you automatic cat-lady status.

Click the flowchart for a closer look.

AM I ANNOYING?

Only your family, best friends, and this flowchart will tell you if you’re aggravating as hell.

Click the flowchart for a closer look.

SHOULD I LIKE THIS PICTURE?

Honestly, if you even have to think about it, don’t like it. Or, do what we do sometimes and accidentally like it, then quickly unlike it before the Facebook deities see.

Click this flowchart for a closer look.

AM I LOVABLE?

If your personality doesn’t come equipped with any of the below characteristics then . . . well, yeah someone will still love you.

Click the flowchart for a closer look.

Want more funny flowcharts? Grab your copy of Consequential Dilemmas or its hilarious prequel, Inconsequential Dilemmas.

These 11 Fans’ Fill-in Posts Made Us LOL (with Joy)

Who says Fill in the Love® journals can’t be both heartfelt and hilarious?

These prompts shared on Instagram make us appreciate how amusing a filled-in journal can be.

1. FOODIE LOVE

“Why? Because I love you EVERYTHING BURRITO.”

2. BABY GOT BACK

“Your butt should be studied by science.”

3. NO BOYS, PLEASE

“I love that we share the same taste in boys.”

4. ELLIE GOULDING WHO?

“Nobody is as awesome as you at being Ellie Goulding, not even Ellie Goulding.”

5. FAVORITE ASS-ETS

“. . . Wait. ASS”

6. BESTIES FOREVER

“You have the best taste in women. You married me.”

7. TRUE LOVE IS SCI-FI

#scifigeeksinlove.

8. MOM KNOWS BEST

“I love how you never beat us (thanks).”

9. THANKS, MOM!

“I still can’t believe you are in good shape.”

10. BIGGIE WOULD BE PROUD

Throw your hands in the air, if you’re a true player.

11. BEAUTY AND THAT DUDE

“Nobody else can eat five dozen eggs like Gaston.”

Share your own Fill in the Love journals with the world. Tag us @knockknock and use #FillintheLove. You might be featured on the Knock Knock blog!

Sun’s Out, Tongues Out Giveaway!

We’re throwing everyone a bone and celebrating National Dog Day this coming Friday, August 26 with a giveaway! In honor of our loyal canine comrades, we are giving away the ultimate dog-lovers prize pack with items for both you and your furry BFF to enjoy for that upcoming “so long, summer” road trip—including stuff from doggie lifestyle site BarkBox! Here’s a peek at the prize:

LICK Puppies by Ty Foster—we are so doggone proud of this adorable sequel!
LICK by Ty Foster
LICK Puppies Notecards
LICK Dogs Notecards
A special BarkBox filled with camping-themed dog toys, like this giant s’more squeaker and fake toilet paper roll. Plus, tasty treats for your pup, like these Apple Crisp Treats.

How to Enter: Use the Rafflecopter form below. There are also nine bonus ways to enter! The giveaway ends Tuesday, September 6, and we’ll be contacting the winner by email on or around September 7. See Official Rules for details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and give your pup a hug for us . . . Why, thank you.

9 #BlogHer16 Moments That We Heart So Hard

The Knock Knock team gravitates toward creativity, inspiration, and free food samples, so we were definitely excited to attend SheKnows Media’s #BlogHer16: Experts Among Us for the first time! With over 3,000 attendees, BlogHer celebrates content creators nationwide, and this year the conference took place in the City of Angeles’ L.A. Live. We shared some of our favorite moments from the conference below.

1. KNOCK KNOCK’S BOOTH

We had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with the many bloggers, entrepreneurs, tastemakers, and brand ambassadors who stopped by our booth. We carried our new tagline, “Say Something More,” throughout our booth’s concept and design. Knock Knock fan-favorite items that say something more unexpected and irreverent were on display, like Calm the F*ck Down: The Only Parenting Technique You’ll Ever Need, Bathroom Guestbook, and 5 Days a Week Paper Mousepad.

Knock Knock’s #BlogHer16 booth, complete with wit.

Our booth was also dolled up with a bright and bold Fill in the Love photo wall, based on the covers of our beloved Fill in the Love® Journals. Bloggers loved snapping photos in front of it—helping us spread the love!

Trish Abbot, SVP of Brand Development (left) and Jill Villareal, Marketing Assistant (right).

The Knock Knock team onsite at BlogHer (from left to right): Melanie Gasmen, Assoc. Digital Marketing Producer, Ryan Bryant, Social Media Manager, Jill, and Janet Kim, Marketing Designer. Missing from this pic: Trish, who is taller than all of us combined.

Our colorful Fill in the Love photo wall, based on the covers of our Fill in the Love journals.

Zoomed-in look. Our designer, Janet, did a kick-ass job.

Melissa of “She Smiles Within” blog.

The Amys—bloggers enjoying some wine!

One of our favorite parts of our BlogHer home base was the Knock Knock sandwich board! Our friends at BLIK helped us craft this maple-wood beauty.

Our amazing sandwich board.

2. SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR KEYNOTE

When Sarah became a mom, her priorities shifted—she moved away from the silver screen and focused more on her family and entrepreneurial endeavors. Along with co-founders and friends Galit Laibow and Gia Russo, Sarah launched Foodstirs last year, a culinary brand that creates non-GMO baking mix kits, accessories, and items that center on family bonding time in the kitchen. A portion of Foodstirs sales goes toward a chosen charity each month, like No Kid Hungry.

In her keynote, Sarah Michelle Gellar chronicled life after “Buffy.” Elisa Camahort Page, Chief Community Officer for SheKnows Media and Co-Founder of BlogHer, moderated.

Sarah chatted about the challenges of starting Foodstirs, despite her fame—including funding. However, we tried a Foodstirs’ Chippy Cookie sample and it was delicious, so we’re on board!

Her husband, fellow actor and chef Freddie Prinze Jr., also attended BlogHer and signed copies of his first cookbook, Back to the Kitchen. And yes, there was a very, very, Comic-con-esque long line for this.

3. SHERYL CROW KEYNOTE

After being diagnosed with cancer in 2006, Sheryl really focused on healthy, organic, chemical-free eating and cooking for herself and her two sons. She also shared how breast cancer made her realize the importance of not only self-care, but mentally putting her needs first. She quoted The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, which helped shape a framework for her life while battling cancer, alongside using meditation as a regiment. Regarding her music career, Sheryl’s no longer touring (she has never stopped touring since her first album that released in 1985), but she’s releasing a new album next spring that will feature Stevie Nicks and Keith Richards.

Sheryl raved about our Fill in the Love journal! P.S. Jill was fangirling. She doesn’t deny it.

Sheryl stopped by our booth and thought our What I Love about You Fill in the Love Gift Box was super sweet!

4. MAYIM BIALIK KEYNOTE

Actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik’s keynote focused on the founding of her online community, GrokNation. She started the blog as a platform to promote current issues and inspire the mobilization of individuals. GrokNation topics include feminism, family and parenting, and culture.

Mayim chats with SheKnows president and chief revenue officer, Samantha Skey.

“If just one person shared [a GrokNation] article or commented on an article, then it’s worth it because it helped and affected that one person. That’s really all that matters to me,” she said.

With a Ph.D in neuroscience under her belt, the Big Bang Theory star joked that she was the only person on the show that actually knows what her lines are about. She also shared that she’s working on a children’s book.

5. DANCING PEA

A few aisles away from us on the expo floor, we caught the eye of a giant pea dancing to John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” (altered to “Give Peas a Chance”). Turns out this pea is the mascot for Garden of Life, an organic plant protein powder. You go, dancing pea, you go.

Dancing pea, young and free, only ever green.

Watch a video of the dancing pea.

6. SESSION: CRAFTING YOUR PITCH & CRACKING THE P.R. CODE

Longtime friend of Knock Knock Paula Rizzo of The List Producer and senior health producer at Fox News led this helpful and hilarious panel alongside Lucrecer Braxton, SheKnows Media events programming manager and Hello Friend podcast founder and host, and brand strategist Terri Trespicio. Both Paula and Terri co-founded LightsCameraExpert.co, an online resource that drills down on how to pitch your brand.

Panelists from left to right: Paula Rizzo, Terri Trespicio, and Lucrecer Braxton.

They shared tips on how to pitch stories to the media, focusing on originality and creating content that’s fresh, inventive, but still relevant to the outlet’s audience. A key takeaway is to “niche down” on your story’s angle. They also shared an intriguing story-pitch example for Pokémon Go—did you know that this game is actually helping individuals with mental health issues? We didn’t!

7. DOGGY BREAK (AKA AIR BUD ENTERTAINMENT BOOTH)

The creators of those basketball-playing-dog movies have their own entertainment studios now. We got to meet the star of their latest film, “Pup Star,” “Tiny,” who was all kinds of adorable.

Melanie with “Tiny,” the star Yorkie from Air Bud Entertainment’s new movie, “Pup Star.”

8. SESSION: CONTENT CREATION FOR THE MOBILE AND DIGITAL ATTENTION SPAN

It’s happened—humans now have a shorter attention span than that of goldfish, according to The Telegraph and this BlogHer panel. The session ruminated on the fact that a digital-savvy human has the attention span of 8 seconds in comparison to a goldfish’s 9 seconds. WTF!

The panel consisted of moderator Ashley Parrish, executive producer for TODAY Digital and included speakers Carley Knobloch, a digital lifestyle expert, Lauren Lumsden, director of video programming at Cosmopolitan.com, and Alejandra Ramos, a food and lifestyle expert.

Panelists from left to right: Ashley Parrish, Carley Knobloch, Alejandra Ramos, and Lauren Lumsden.

The panel shared how to get the most out of your articles, videos, and photos in a mobile-heavy world. In short: get right to the point quickly, and have a killer headline and thumbnail image.

9. FREE BABYBEL® CHEESE

As lovers of cheese, we were enamored by Mini Babybel’s different wheels of flavors they gave out like hot cakes (hot “cheese” cakes?)—original, gouda, mozzarella, light cheese, and white cheddar. We would’ve posted a pic, but we ate them all before we had a chance to take one.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth! Want to work together? Send us a message and let’s talk.

Meet Neely Shearer!

Knock Knock’s newest book, In Heroes We Trust: Street Artists and Their Heroes, hit shelves this summer. In Heroes We Trust features the work and inspirations of art’s unsung heroes—street artists from around the world. In Heroes We Trust’s namesake is a boutique, owned and run by the book’s visionary and curator, Neely Shearer. The boutique nestles itself a few steps away from the hustle and bustle of Abbot Kinney (and down the street from Knock Knock’s Venice Beach, California abode).

The In Heroes We Trust Store in Venice decorates its walls with street art, like Isabelle Alford-Lago’s gorilla, and its racks are filled with one-of-a-kind pieces. (Photo from instagram.com/inheroeswetrust_venice)

Neely opened In Heroes We Trust in the midst of wanting to resume her work in the fashion world while mixing in her love for street art. As a longtime habitué of street art, Neely created a “Heroes” theme for her store, inviting street artists to deck her store’s walls with various mediums—wheat paste, spray paint, stencils—into a gallery of work dedicated to heroes and those who continue to inspire them.

The onset of In Heroes We Trust began with a routine Venice dog/Paco walk. “One night I was outside the shop with friends when a neighbor asked if I knew anything about an artwork leaning against the wall in our alley. It had accidentally been left out after one of our art openings, and miraculously hadn’t been taken,” Neely writes in In Heroes We Trust’s preface. “She decided to buy the piece and as we chatted, I explained my ‘Heroes’ project. It turns out my neighbor is Jen Bilik, the CEO of a Venice-based publishing company, and she suggested we do a book based on my concept.”  

Neely’s mind moves like a pinwheel—vigorously circling through the creative ins and outs of her fortes: fashion, art, magazine writing, and entrepreneurship. Venturing across the globe and living abroad throughout the late-‘80s and ‘90s heavily influenced her passion for fashion and street art. She journeyed through Thailand, South Africa, London, and Hawaii, before settling in Shizuoka City, Japan with just $60.00 in her pocket.

This piece by street artist Brains and Noodles sparked the serendipitous meet-up between our head honcho, Jen, and Neely. Jen spotted this piece in an alley right next to Neely’s boutique and had asked Neely if it’s for sale. The rest is “Hero” history. It now hangs out upstairs in Knock Knock’s office. (Photo by Knock Knock)

Her time in Shizuoka City evolved from teaching English full-time to starting a lifestyle magazine, Jezebel magazine, and debuting her first women’s contemporary clothing line, Issho. Her designs found their way onto both American and Japanese press, including the second issue of Nylon, and the racks of stores like Barneys New York and Fred Segal.

Upon moving back to the U.S. in 1999, Neely opened her first store, Xin, in Los Angeles. Xin combined her love for up-and-coming designer clothing with one-of-a-kind accessories and art from around the world. After Xin closed its doors a decade later, Neely broadened her career by becoming a fashion design and marketing and sales consultant for emerging clothing brands, including RSN Boheme by photographer Randee St. Nicholas.

She opened In Heroes We Trust, her second boutique, in 2014 and launched her second clothing line, Parade. In Heroes We Trust honors the underdogs—those who take chances, and individuals who may not consider their work as heroic. We chatted more with Neely on her background with fashion, street art, and how the book transpired.

Knock Knock’s newest book, In Heroes We Trust, features street art from around the world focusing on the notion of heroism. (Photo by Knock Knock)

Q. When were you first exposed to street art?

A. I think just traveling around the world and being exposed to art, culture, and architecture. I love to go down the back alleys and the little dark roads and see what’s down there. I’m kind of a thrill seeker and I like to explore, so during my travels I’ve always been doing that.

Q. You traveled around Asia, Europe, and Africa. Were you discovering street art while you were abroad? What was that like, trying to track down street artists then?

A. In those days there was no Internet/social media, per se, so it was more of a challenge. I would ask the locals if they knew the artists. Usually people didn’t know, but you could always find somebody around who did if you were persistent, just going around knocking on doors. It was more word of mouth in those days. I do miss that . . .

Q. Were people surprised when you asked about specific pieces of street art?

A. A lot of people were, perhaps they just took the art for granted. If it was in their neighborhood they didn’t always really pay attention to it. They were curious why I wanted to know about it—like, “That? What’s so special about it?” It’s like when people tell me about visiting my In Heroes We Trust store, “Oh, I live right round the corner. I pass by all the time, but I’ve never come in.” I think when you’re in your own day-to-day environment, you may not necessarily pay attention to the details in your surroundings.

A top from Neely’s first Issho collection gracing the cover of Nylon’s second issue ever (featuring Julia Styles)! 1999 looked so good. (Photo from instagram.com/inheroeswetrust_venice)

Q. Do you think that in that sense, when you travel, you are a fish out of water, and these different places allow you to see more clearly and notice this type of art?

A. I could say so, yes, for me anyway. When I go somewhere new I am very aware of my surroundings. It’s exciting to look at new things in a new place. It’s also necessary for safety when traveling alone, which I usually do.

Q. Your first clothing line was Issho [pronounced Ee-show]. What was its direction and approach?

A. My first collection in 1999 was based on a 200-year-old piece of kimono fabric I’d found in a Japanese second-hand store. I continued to use original prints and was known for that. My clothes are designed with women in mind who embrace fashion but whose independent spirits don’t allow themselves to take things too seriously. I want women to be able to put their own original spin/character on how they wear one of my dresses. Wear it to a proper brunch with your grandmother with her pearls and then later with a pair of motorcycle boots to a punk show.

Rosario Dawson wearing Issho in Lucky Magazine. (Photo by Neely Shearer)

Issho means “together” in Japanese. It’s always used in Japanese when planning to do something together with someone else. I knew I couldn’t make the clothes by myself—it takes a team of people who all do what they do well, forming a collaboration. It’s also a measurement for sake—1.8 liters is one “issho,” in fact.

Q. How did you decide you wanted to go from fashion design to opening up your first store, Xin on Melrose Ave.?

A. It was always a plan of mine at some point. I was already curating people, events, story ideas, and artists for San Diego underground magazine Revolt In Style and Jezebel magazine (in Japan). I’ve always been doing that in my life. So, it just naturally progressed. I knew when I started designing that I wanted to curate a shop with other designers and artists. I love mixing all the different elements together—people, ideas, art—collaborating. When I come across someone making something really wonderful, I want to share it.

Q. Who were the first street artists you worked with at Xin?

A. The Art of Chase was the first street artist I worked with at Xin. We did several group shows with Kofie, Hit+Run, Sonik Mercury, etc.

Neely’s first clothing line Issho debuted in 1999, at her first boutique Xin, which opened on Melrose Avenue the same year. Xin was named one of “L.A.’s 10 Best Boutiques” by Los Angeles Times in 2004. (Photo by Neely Shearer)

Q. Was there something at the time that felt exciting and special to you about interacting with street artists and their art?

A. I really respect people who are bold and aren’t afraid to do what they believe in doing. Street artists create art in a very severe way. They have a message that they want to put out there even under some consequences. They don’t put parameters on themselves and they don’t see boundaries.

Featured in In Heroes We Trust: “Kahu” from Brooklyn street artist Hula.

Q. Do you think most street artists have a message versus just an aesthetic expression?

A. The art is the message—an expression of the artist. Art sold at a gallery ends up in somebody’s home, in a workplace, or in a hotel. But street art is for the world to see. That’s a pretty big way to share your message—and to be open with yourself and others.

Q. After Xin closed, why did you decide to open your second store, In Heroes We Trust, in Venice?

A. I always spent so much time in Venice. It feels earthy (and a bit gritty) and I love to be by the ocean. I like the vibe—it’s relaxed. There’s a real sense of community and an independence about Venice. A lot of people don’t leave here, which says a lot. It’s their world, but once they let you in, you’re part of the family. It felt like the right match for me at this time in my life, personally and for the business/lifestyle I wanted to create.

A shift floral dress, part of Parade by Neely Shearer, Neely’s second line.

Q. There are businesses, like Gjelina, that have street art on its exterior. Do you feel like that’s more in Venice compared to other Los Angeles neighborhoods?

A. It feels like it’s more accepted in Venice naturally because there’s been a long history of artists living here. “Yeah, you want to do something on my wall? Great!” It’s been a free-spirited place for a long time. I think that street artists are attracted to it because the Abbot Kinney area has been developing into this place to be “seen.” I think that the community welcomes the artists’ messages and embraces them.

Q. Can you talk about the process of making In Heroes We Trust? The people’s reception to it and response to the hero theme?

A. The experience working with the artists has been amazing in so many ways. I’ve learned so much and truly enjoyed this collaboration process. Most artists got the theme, but some artists didn’t see how their work fit into being heroic or that what they do fits with the heroes theme. It was a different way of thinking for them, perhaps because I don’t think they thought of themselves as heroes or that their message was heroic, necessarily.

Neely and street artist Ron English at the In Heroes We Trust book signing party on July 9 at Redbird NYC art gallery in New York.

Q. Did you immediately have a specific list of street artists in mind?

A. I knew I wanted to ask Ron English, Jef Aerosol, and Blek Le Rat to join right off the bat—they are a few artists who created the backbone of modern street art. Ron, for example, immediately understood what this was about. Having them on board set a high standard right away for the book. I wanted to mix the old school with the new school. It was also very important for me to study each artist’s character, what they stood for—I wanted to know more about them personally.

Q. Why support street artists, rather than tattoo artists or printmakers, or other creative makers?

A. Again, it’s the message, their message, and how they present it. I’ve always been enchanted and amused by their work. When I believe in someone and their work, I want to it get out there in the world so that people can get meaning from it. And I could see the trend that was coming—street artists gaining respect and acceptance with the public.

Q. What would you like the book to do? For the world and for the artists?

A. I want it to inspire people to be heroes—first to themselves. It’s really about inspiring yourself to do what you want to do. What is your purpose here? What do you really want to do? I think people look at the street artists and people in the public eye as people who are so far away from them. I’d like the conversation with oneself to be “They did it. And look who’s inspired them. I know this person they’re talking about. They started off somewhere too . . . ” Some of us have more advantages than others, but people with all the resources aren’t necessarily doing what they want to do either. So, we’re all born on the same level: human beings. We, especially in this country anyway, we have possibility. I hope that readers look at these artists and feel they’re inspired by them to live their lives heroically—and from there, to also inspire others. And so the cycle continues . . .

A peek inside In Heroes We Trust. This spread shares work by The London Police, Netherlands street-art duo Chaz Barrissonn and Bob Gibson. (Photo by Knock Knock)

For more info on Neely or her store, check out her In Heroes We Trust site.

Main photo by Guy Webster