21 Aug What Inspires The Vendors at Melrose Trading Post
What Inspires The Vendors at Melrose Trading Post
by LACDAC Intern Tory Tensen
Karpet Workshop
First, I spoke with Johnny from Karpet Workshop who creates unique rugs… ranging from rugs that look like your favorite superhero or animated character to ones that are designed to resemble cartons of oat milk. Johnny told me he had lots of ideas for rugs he wanted to create before beginning his business. He had seen a similar concept online and thought to himself that he could do that too, and that he felt he had more to bring to the table. Social media played a part in inspiring Johnny, but his own originality is what took him far.
Praisey LA
Eve and Rudy from Praisey LA had a completely different take on my question of “what inspires your business.” Eve and Rudy are a beautiful couple and their strong sense of family and faith is what motivates them in life. They told me that God and their own kids, who are 1 month and 1 year, are their biggest inspiration and help inspire them to work hard on their artwork every day.
Freddy Tyler Paul
Freddy Tyler Paul’s brand stands out to me because of it’s unique use of graphics and fonts. Freddy explained to me that his art style is inspired by both tattoos and vintage work. His clothes boast interesting retro campaigns with funny and catchy slogans. His prides himself on the quality of his pieces and credits a lot of his beginning inspiration to artists that have came before him.
Louis LIV
Louis from Louis LIV GR8R LA had a business that caught my eye because it provides such a strong sense of community. Louis sells different art pieces, rugs, flower vases, and more that have different iconic streets of Los Angeles on them or different pieces of the LA County map. As someone who has recently moved to the area, I love seeing LA natives being proud of their heritage and community – it is incredibly heartwarming. Louis told me he choose different areas in the county or street names that hold special memories of his and that he sells at Melrose because he loves to engage with people and hear their stories from those locations as well.
Hood Finch
David Finch of Hoodfinch is another incredibly talented artist in the market who sells prints and shirts with his work on them. David’s inspiration for selling at Melrose Trading Post comes from wanting to allow his audience to see and connect with his work in person – he finds that MTP is the perfect place for him to offer that in person shopping experience.
Heartless Studios
Jannica, owner of Heartless Studios, is inspired by musicians. Jannica sells prints representing some of the biggest names in the music industry randing from the current scene to many years back. She says she loves to make art for musicians and she felt that there was a lack of support from one type of artist to another in the world. She strives to make something that people love and that maybe one day will inspire them to create art of their own.
It was very eye opening getting to speak will all these talented creators last Sunday at Melrose Trading Post, and hearing all the different reasons why they started their businesses and why they choose to sell at MTP. Next time you’re at the market, I encourage you to ask some of the vendors in booths near you what inspires them, as I’m sure it’ll lead to great conversation and connections. As always, we are honored to be the hub of so many talented individuals each week and we look forward to seeing you all again on Sunday!