The walls are scarlet and the cash register sits on a metal structure that looks like it once caged an animal. A chandelier with crystal disks hangs from the ceiling and brings an air of casual chic to the room.
“China [Robinson] has an eye for décor, and putting things together.” said Candance Williams, co-owner of The Red Bag Boutique, located in the shopping complex on Overland and Jefferson Boulevard. She’s sitting in the main room of her store with her business partner, China Robinson, explaining the boutique’s style. “It’s just her collective eye that really brings [the store] together and makes it look really nice.”
More than a year ago, Robinson and Williams met at their church and bonded over a shared passion for fashion. “She was at a crossroads, I was at a crossroads,” Robinson said. “We were both looking for a new venture.”
“One of the reasons that brought us together is that we realized first that we have so [many clothes], and so we were like, do we really need all this?” said Williams, a Culver City resident for14 years.
The boutique celebrated it’s grand opening on May 15 of last year. Since then, the store has seen a myriad of friends and celebrities, ranging from Tyra Banks to ex-NBA star Norma Nixon. Even the local high school students enjoy shopping here.
“It’s not like at Target where you find ten of the same shirt,” Senior Allie Miks said. “A lot of the clothes are unique because there aren’t many of each piece.”
“I raised Chanel here,” Robinson said, speaking of her daughter, famous supermodel Chanel Iman. “We used to live across the street, which is the reason why I came to Culver City to find the store.”
While their jobs require a lot of hard work, including keeping track of trends and searching for best-of-quality clothing pieces, Robinson and Williams manage to mix work and play. “[China’s] passion is the Vintage room, and those are things she’s really passionate about.” Williams said. “I go more modern, art deco.”
The Vintage Room, complete with accessories that sit on an old vanity, relies on vintage-show shopping and personal items. “If you looked at the [vintage] room… A fourth of it comes from Chanel’s closet, a fourth from China’s, a fourth from mine, and then vintage shopping.” Williams said. In fact, garments that Chanel picks out herself bear her signature on the tag.
The learning curve of owning a business has been a challenge, the ladies said.
“Some of the surprises have really just been in perspective,” Williams said. “We really set out thinking we we’re going to do something small, and we ended up with sixteen-hundred square feet. That’s not small. Now we have to shop quite frequently, so now shopping is more like working as opposed to two girls having fun and things of that nature.”
“It’s a big adjustment.” Robinson said. “I was a flight attendant for twenty-six years, I was on the road with Chanel for eight years, so I’ve been out and about and I’ve never been in a closed environment. So it’s kind of crazy for me, I get a little claustrophobic, so it kind of drives me crazy, and I kind of drive her crazy.”
On the other hand, Williams finds the experience a “breath of fresh air.” “There have been a lot of adjustments, but they’ve been all on the positive side. It was corporate America for 25 years to go into owning your own business, I guess I’ll say it’s just a breath of fresh air.”
The Red Bag Boutique is a store that seeks to “bring in a Beverly Hills/Melrose atmosphere, but at affordable prices” and provide a place where “mother and daughter can shop together and have fun.” Robinson said. Main room styles range from $35 to $250, whereas clothing in the vintage room is anywhere from $25 to $500, splurge for a $1500 Balenciaga dress that Chanel wore down the runway.
“We call it we stepped out in faith.” Robinson said. “We’re Christians and we really believe that God put us together, that God brought us here, and, you know, we’re praying that he’s going to help it to thrive and keep it going, because this is where we are.”