Creating Space & Community — In My Solitude LA

In My Solitude LA, Founder, Evolyn Brooks touring the raw Artist Residency space at west elm Santa Monica

The vision for our residency space at west elm Santa Monica was built around the idea of building community. The open floor plan offered ripe opportunities to create engagement through events and DIY activities. This was the first day we saw the new store and it was pretty breathtaking to know that we would be the first small business to set up shop.

Hanging the logo was a big deal on this particular day. We were staking our claim in new territory and preparing for great adventures on the patio.

… and since the patio wasn’t quite ready, all of the adventures were in our imagination until the store was officially open.

We were all smiles on this day despite the learning curve and long hours associated with running a retail space. The west elm team offered their amazing merchandising expertise and marketing support throughout our entire stay.

We brought our dream of hosting yoga on the patio every weekend to life and quickly built a following in the community.

Candle Making and Cocktails on Sunday morning was absolutely the best! We connected with so many great women and partnered with dozens of brands during our residency. It’s hard to believe that we produced 44 events in our space over a four month period, but it’s true!

Read The LA Times Article About Our Residency

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