Six degrees of separation is real. In this case, it was three. My dear friend, Oleema, has a friend, Sarah, who has a friend named Lindsay Parton. Sarah said the two of us had to meet and I’m so glad she did. Lindsay is a cool cat. Understated and very stylish, she has one of the most well curated and tasteful stores at Lido called Alchemy Works and another location in LA. She’s a new mom of a baby boy that makes my Instagram feed very happy and is married to a likewise cool cat, founder of Apolis, Raan. She’s making that “have it all” life look good. Get to know why it was easy to see the art of being female shining bright through Lindsay Parton ::
What does the art of being female mean to you?
The gracefulness of holding all parts of life in balance – motherhood , entrepreneurship, and family. This day and age the tightrope walk is tough to maintain the actual balance of it all and not just the appearance. For me as a business owner, and in partnership with my husband, the constant need to create beauty in this world through our shop and the curation is a challenge. I feel that the art of being female isn’t just about trying to do it all because I can but to do what I can well and be willing to delegate to others alongside me.
You own Alchemy Works – one of the most well curated stores – Tell us about AW…
Raan and I started Alchemy Works in 2013 (of which the name was inspired by the idea of “alchemy” being the process of turning something into gold and also using California as a lens for curating our products and aesthetic of the Golden State.
The two stores (downtown LA arts district and Newport Beach at Lido Marina Village) act both as a curated retail space and gallery / events space. We collect items, both found and new, which gives a global feel to the space through large format surf prints to stone Balinese heads to a gorgeous fine jewelry line designed by two sisters from Mexico City.
What are a few special things about each location – Lido + LA – do you have a preference?
Ah this is like picking your favorite child! Not fair but here are my thoughts …
Our Los Angeles store came first and with the high ceilings and warehouse feel, it give us a flexibility to host numerous events and pop ups along with showcasing a vintage car in the middle. The diversity of guests coming through range widely and it allows us to try new products and collections with great feedback.
Lido has been open for two years and the newly renovated Lido Marina Village is a beautiful home to our second location. Being the only all black house in the row, we played up this to be our version of “nautical” with hand painted, striped floors and a mostly muted palette of textured neutrals, with black and white objects so it feels diverse in a small space. The building used to be a home in the 1940s so we like to envision how it feels now with water front views and a local customer that is excited for the rebirth of this charming village.
Your background and lead up into fashion is an interesting story… tell us about that journey to finding your way to Alchemy Works.
I studied in Santa Barbara and left college with a Communication Studies degree (i thought maybe I could get paid to talk 😉 and soon found myself back in the footsteps of my father working in the financial services offices of Citigroup. I soon became interested and saw a career path in something i was familiar with and became a financial advisor with a female broker who focused mainly on divorcé women and retirees for her clients. Not long after in the market crash of 2009 I was laid off (with a few hundred others the same day) — this was also the week after our honeymoon and wedding!
I searched for my next role in something that people used to compliment me on but came naturally to me – wardrobe styling. Working for a few successful stylists in LA I learned a lot quickly and it was a very fun few years styling many of the Hollywood notables.
Raan and I had been wanting to begin our own creative outlet and a space became available in the Arts District next to our already opened Apolis shop and the rest … is history. We opened the store by moving our living room of collected furniture and objects into the space and started selling!
You work with your husband and you have the sweetest family. How did you two meet and how long have you been together?
We met through a mutual friend in Santa Barbara during college … it took a minute for me to fall in love with the surfer kid but he soon won me over with his wit, charm and warm smile. We have been together for 14 years (almost 9 of that married) but it gets better each day—especially as we create and innovate together.
What are some of your favorite things about working with your husband?
We are opposite in what we do in the business (he is a visionary and creative while I am the business and execution side of the wild ideas). This has helped us stay in our lanes but also learn from each other as it amplifies the reach and ideas we can make happen. His willingness to open our space for things that I don’t always agree with notoriously turn out for the better so a slow lesson in trusting him on that is part of our journey too.
You are a new mom, congratulations on making the cutest baby I’ve ever seen. Tell us about him!
Maasden Parton just turned 1yr old and we celebrated with an extra large (totally unnecessary) Luau for him 😉 he is always smiling and brings us more joy than we could ever imagine. It was a long journey of infertility for us and the road seemed long and dark but once there it is a part of our story we wouldn’t trade for anything—especially our chunky baby!
What is your favorite part about motherhood?
So. Many. Things. I find joy in the smallest of moments and connecting a laugh or locking eyes with my Maasden. I hope to never forget and cherish those moments forever. . I see myself growing and being more intentional about what I put my energy into now that I have a son, so my passions are shifting – but all for the better! You realize there is only so much time to give and now I want to focus on raising him well and to see the world as we see it. I think in this newfound strength of a mother you understand how much your capacity can grow so I am excited to see how I can further my work, passions, and family as a gifted result.
How difficult or easy do you find it to navigate having a newborn and running your own business?
You realize you can expand your capacity but more isn’t always better. I have eliminated some things (which simply can’t get done) and also ask for more space and time for things which I want to do but need room to do it after hours. A great nanny is super helpful and having family close by is also essential and a blessing to raising a family in LA.
Do you have any advice, tips or tricks for other moms who are currently trying to run their own business while also caring for a newborn/starting a family?
I was so used to doing it all and then some … and now have realized that I need to slow down, delegate and enjoy each moment – as stressful as it may seem- and the fleeting time with my little guy. This lesson has expanded into my marriage and work/life balance also as we run our own retail businesses so there isn’t an “off” switch. It’s important to realize how one decision creates a ripple in other areas of my life now. Oh and ask for lots of grace from those around you as you figure it out ( no instruction manual included !) and find your tribe to connect and bounce ideas / help and creativity off of.
Your husband’s family owns and operates much of what we know and love at Lido. How cool is it to be part of a family with great taste? 🙂 Tell us about your plans to expand Alchemy Works with your father-in-law’s properties…
Haha it’s fun and always a good time with our family!
We are looking at expanding Alchemy Works this coming year to a few more locations in a larger format retail marketplace, adding food and beverage too! Stay tuned 🙂
You seem to have a very cool network of women surrounding you; Clare Vivier, Garance Dore, Heidi Merrick… to name a few. This speaks highly of you. Who are some of your favorite friends and why?
Besides the dream team of women you mentioned above whom I love and respect them all so much… I would say the ones I am drawn to are those in my same life place or just ahead of me. Sarah Dubbledam (owner of @darling) is one of those people. We connect immediately on boss lady duties and honest business owner struggles and raising boys. It’s a fabulous thing …
How important is it to surround yourself with women who are supportive, creative, interesting, successful…. Fill in the blanks.
I think it’s crucial. We are all going through so many things that are similar but hard to get face time to really relate and connect on life and business. I have a few good women’s groups in LA (two of them being WE and HeyMama) which provide a good network of intentional connection but more than that a few close boss lady friends are my priority and I treasure time with them to really be honest about the good , bad and humor of doing this crazy life.
What are your favorite qualities in a friend?
Honest, faithful, funny and beautiful spirit from the inside out
How would you describe your personal style?
I would describe it as individual, confident and creative – but also a fun necessary means to the end daily to surprise and excite as a voice for my mood.
How would you describe the style of the store? Who is the Alchemy Works woman?
It’s global, relatable and a little unpredictable with lines sourced from around the world. I love that one element to an outfit to surprise and delight – hope we bring that to the customers we serve daily.
The Alchemy Works woman is strong, well traveled and curious… she knows who she is and what she likes but also is open to learning more and willing to try something because we are passionate about sharing it with her.
Which brands are your favorites right now for you and also for the store?
Personally I am loving a few of my newly acquired vintage pieces (a plaid Dior blazer, a silk Prada jumpsuit and a Cartier tank watch) that are in my daily rotation lately. These are scores so i must get the good use out of them 🙂
For the shop my favorites this summer are Lizzie Fortunato jewelry, Ozma clothing and silk scarves , Janessa Leone LIDO HAT shop and Freda Salvador shoes!
You really shine a light on brands when they are new and take a chance to get them started… some of them are our favorites – like Minnow Swim. Tell us about that process:
This is a joy for us. We want to be a platform to share our network and stores to highlight those that are following their own passions. Minnow is a perfect example of a good friend who is successful in finding a niche market of kids swimwear that is classy and cute. We usually are willing to take a risk on things we love —some more obscure than others but all given equal space to share their brand and for us to learn from them as well.
How do you keep your finger on the pulse of finding unheard of new talent?
Ugh it’s a challenge for sure. Many brands are discovered through social media now for sure but I am always open to this incoming submissions also but it’s so hard to sort through it all. We are hoping to become more of a platform to launch new undiscovered or lightly represented brands as their West coast or US launching pad. A few good ones coming up so stay tuned …
What is your criteria for making it into the store as a brand…?
We usually start with something (object, clothing, handbag) that is beautifully and thoughtfully designed – often the process of how it’s made or where it’s made will be a deeper story that we focus on for our customers.
What is your relationship to Warby Parker? It’s really cool that you have a store in store shopping experience with them at Alchemy Works… they are also another favorite brand of ours. Very cool idea.
Five years ago when we were opening Alchemy, our friend Neil Blumenthal was deep in building Warby Parker. They were opening showrooms inside of retail stores so we secured it for the Arts District and the rest is history. It has been a successful partnership in both locations and we hope it will continue for years to come!
Your husband created a very popular market bag that most of us have- tell us about Apolis.
Apolis (which means “global citizenl”) was founded in 2008 by my husband and his brother Shea – on the simple idea that all people are created equal and they can create beautiful things given the right resources and a global marketplace. The brand , mainly rooted in men’s apparel, has expanded to the infamous market bag which is now carried and customized for hotels, markets , stores and restaurants globally. This project is special for us as we started with 6 women in Bangladesh making the bags and now have over 200 in a 4 story clean factory producing them to keep up with demand.
Why do you think fashion is important for women?
It’s a canvas for personal expression and a window to their inner soul…
How important do you think the way we take care of ourselves and present ourselves to the world is?
Very! I am learning more about self care and it is crucial. This helps us to be more grounded to those around us and we can’t help others in family or business if we ourselves are running on empty. More Mama facials here I come 🙂
