LIVING HERE
A Shop Within a Shop
BLUEBIRD MERCANTILE FOUNDER AMII SCHENK TALKS ABOUT BUILDING COMMUNITY , HOT SELLERS AND CREATING A SPACE THAT ’ S " A LITTLE OF THIS , A LITTLE OF THAT .” BY ASHLEY BREEDING
Amii Schenk
Bluebird Mercantile is curated the same way its founder , Amii Schenk , says a beautiful home or wardrobe should be : “ with well-made pieces that are a mix of new and vintage .”
The 1,600-square-foot store , which opened last December in the former Vertigo Home space in Laguna Beach , is a shop-within-a-shop that features around 11 different vendors ( or “ partners ”) and consigners from Orange County to Yucca Valley and beyond . Inspired by similar concepts she visited in Palm Springs , Schenk , a Laguna Beach resident and mother of two , says she loves the idea of being able to browse “ a little of this , a little of that ” in one place . Here , you ’ ll find everything from handcrafted clothing , furniture and ceramics to novelty gifts and garden items .
A background in retail — Schenk also opened both Little Bohemian boutiques and the Neighborhood Laguna hat store , though she has since sold all three — and an affinity for travel helped her realize the vision for what she says customers have likened to a miniature American Rag Cie or Fred Segal . “ My managers , Nika Shalala and Carol Gonzalez , are also an integral part of building our [ brand ],” she says . “ The three of us have very different tastes , so we ’ ve had fun bringing those together .” Here , Schenk takes us on a brief tour of the new shop .
Some of the hot sellers are … Rachiel Macalistaire ’ s vintage clothing , which changes themes every month , is flying off the rack . Takuya ’ s hand-dyed bandana balloon pants are a big hit . Super Ready ’ s unisex army pants and cadette pants — he rips open the side seam and puts in a red piping — are selling like crazy . … People are also obsessed with the vintage Levi ’ s he curates in all the best colorways . Mary McDonald ’ s colorful ceramics [ from Double M Pottery ]. Karen Capuciati ’ s ethnicinfluenced pottery . Towne Palm Springs ’ elevated
menswear . We convinced Vertigo Home , now otherwise exclusively online , to have a wall here . … The candles and
Izipizi reading glasses are super popular . We also potted several plants — ficus , monstera , dracaena — that have sold out , oddly enough .
The art for sale includes … Jim Olarte , a local macrame craftsman , created some of these gorgeous hanging installations — like the front window display — for us . Other pieces , like the macramewrapped driftwood mounted on the wall above the bar , are [ also ] for sale . We also have photographs and paintings for sale from Mex Direct , which offers rare imports from Oaxaca and Guadalajara . One of our favorite items from them is custom-painted tiles .
Community events we envision for the Mercantile include … Coming up , we ’ re hosting a trunk show for A Friend Made , which sources vintage Levi ’ s you can custom design with ikat fabrics . It was started by [ Lagunans ] Matthew and Amy Corin . We also carry their Denim Dungaree collection for kids , which is under their other label , A Friend Found . A big vintage market and Champagne sip-and-shop events are also underway .
Some of my favorite Laguna Beach spots are ... The bar at Nicks , Cress St . beach with my dog , walking the Bluebird Canyon loop listening to a podcast , shopping at Mercado .
When I ' m not at the store you can find me ... at Artime Barro creating ceramics .
Learn about new items and engagements at … Instagram at @ bluebirdmercantileLB .
66 SUMMER 2024 | LATITUDE33MAGAZINE . COM