Talking Shop: Grace Ellay in Silverlake

One of my favorite boutiques in Los Angeles is Grace Ellay.  Located in the heart of the Silverlake neighborhood (known for being a hip, young, and eclectic area) lies this little gem.  Walking my dog one evening I stumbled into the shop and immediately was warmly greeted by shopkeeper and owner Ramey Arnold.  The shop itself is a feast for the eyes, filled with fabulous fashions, jewelery and art. 

Since that first encounter, I have been back on numerous occasions and have always been delighted with Ramey's expertise and enthusiasm for the products she carries.  I always manage to leave having bought a couple of soon to become favorite items of clothing.  Now a regular customer, I was curious to learn more about her background and lovely shop, Grace Ellay.  Here are snippets from a recent conversation:

Me:  "Where does the name of the store come from?"

Ramey:  "I had a band for years and my stage name was Reelgrace.  So Grace has always been a part of my life.  My great-grandmother was Grace and we were raised on a nursery rhyme, "Mondays child is fair in face and Tuesdays child is full of grace."  I brainstormed the name forever.  Ellay, I wanted it to have Elle-the feminine and a play on L.A."

Me:  "What brought you to fashion?  What brought you to owning your own boutique?"

Ramey:  Honestly I have wanted to do this now coming up on 11 years. I started brainstorming about running my own place and let it go through a million different ideas in my head.  It has been a very interesting journey.  I wanted a place that was reflective of like-minded people.    Where people with a similar vibration could come and get together. That was really the underlying thing the whole time. I also realized once I got the shop opened it wasn't my shop as much as the shop is an entity and I was its keeper. I became very aware of listening to it and it become its own thing.  I tried to pay attention to it in that sort of way. "

Me:  "That is really organic."

Ramey:  "It also keeps it from being too much about my ego.  I'm just the keeper, project manager of the store."

Me:  "And clothes are so fun"

Ramey:  "I have a crush on pretty much everything in here.  I geek out on everything."

I also learned that Ramey was originally from the south (primarily Arkansas) and that she comes from a very artistic family.   She moved to Los Angeles about 20 years ago when her mother, Lynda Arnold--an artist and tailor, took a job managing the workroom for her Uncle Nolan Miller, whose couture house is in Beverly Hills.  Nolan Miller was one of the first designers whose costume work featured on television (notably the long-running series Dynasty) greatly influenced the fashion of everyday people.  It's no wonder she has an instinct for great design, it's in her blood.

Grace Ellay
1615 Silverlake Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323)664-0568

-Adelle

FIDM Knitwear Design Student

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