I should quickly preface this ENORMOUSLY long post by telling you all that we will be having some sort of celebration of our 10 year anniversary soon- probably in September, so stay tuned for more details about that.  In the meantime, if you have an hour to kill… happy reading!

10 years.  T.e.n. years.  How is that possible?  How did 10 years go by?????

On August 9th, 2001, Lola & Emily opened it’s doors on St. Laurent.  God, I remember that time like it was yesterday.  The excitement leading up to opening, with friends and family coming by at all hours to help however they could to get us open.  When it was all set and we were ready to open the doors the next day, at 11pm on August 8th, 2001, I remember sitting with my Mom and crying (sobbing, actually) because I wasn’t sure if the store was as amazing as I wanted it to be.  Sheer exhaustion and exhiliration and anxiety were behind that, because I never could have known back then just how MONUMENTAL Lola & Emily would be in my life. I’m getting teary just thinking about all of those times. 

I contemplated trying to condense this to a list of my top 10 Lola & Emily moments over the years, but that would be impossible.  Firstly because there are simply TOO many memories and moments to keep it to 10, and secondly because you all know I can’t do anything that involves writing in a “condensed” form.  So feel free to skim through this, or skip it entirely, but for me, this is too good a chance to appreciate and really document some of the moments that have meant the most to me throughout the years… moments that have been hysterical, amazing, horrible, scary, enlightening, heart warming, terrible, painful, happy… 

You know, they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, which is lucky for you, because I did find some old momentos that should help cut down on my blathering…  A couple of things to remember, though, if you do bother to read this:

a) any pics that I did find had to be scanned on a printer/scanner that IS OLDER THAN Lola & Emily… so my photography skills can NOT be blamed for the poor quality here… well, at least not in every instance.

b) not everyone will understand all of the references here, but that’s ok… all you need to know is that if I am mentioning it, someone who was instrumental in Lola & Emily was involved, and that it is a memory that I will always cherish.  

c) this ‘preamble’ is already longer than most people’s LONGEST posts… ugh… What is wrong with me???

   

Our first and pretty much only advertising campaign (featuring one of my best friends, Greg, Harry the ‘dep’ guy and Sara J, my rock star friend…), which appeared in The Mirror and Hour and Voir in the month leading up to our opening… trying to get a buzz started about Lola & Emily.  Steph (my sister… you should all know that by now…) worked for a company in Toronto called X Corporation that did all of our ‘marketing’ stuff FOR FREE because they were interested in the idea of the store, and, well, they loved Steph… who doesn’t?? I mean, she really did all of the first marketing things for us, tirelessly and selflessly.  And free of charge.  Which I suppose explains the fact that when she comes to Lola & Emily now, she is always looking for the ‘free’ section of the store… lesson learned… Nothing in life is “FREE”.

 

The front of Lola & Emily when I rented the space and the front after… I’m mad at myself for not taking any pics of the interior when I got the keys because you would not believe it… it was a half gutted empty space with no gyprock walls, no real floor… nothing.  What a transformation.  What a nightmare.  My first experience with contractors and the constant disappointment that comes with delays, errors, quotes for work that are always at least 25% lower than they said… ahhh.  Fun times.

 

India.  So many incredible/horrific memories from trips there over the years.  India has played a significant role in Lola & Emily… it was on a trip there back in 1999 that I originally came up with the idea for the store, and really started thinking it was possible.  Sally and my first trip over there in 2001 (or 2000?) to buy our first contained of furniture… also Sally’s first time in India.  Amazing… from start to finish.  With the standard hell drives, awe inspiring scenery, incredible people, delicious/terrible food, awkward meetings, and hysterical moments.  I remember receiving that first container, unpacking it at the store… my Mom’s handwriting is still on some stickers for items that eventually became part of our display stuff… the sheer volume of items… the dust.  A few containers later, Sal and I went on another trip over there.  This time for LnE designing and furniture.  My completely legit ‘allergy’ to Delhi, the most uncomfortable business lunch EVER in the history of the world, the beauty of Goa and the unfortunate return to Delhi… Sal, I can honestly say that I could not have made it through that trip without you.  It was unforgettable.

 

Early ‘LnE’ and our famous headless shots.  I think Sal started making one-of-a-kind LnE pieces back in 2002, so LnE was a significant part of our history.  The stress, the fun, the beauty and the satisfaction that came along with each LnE line and season is something that I will never forget.  There are days that I wish we still had that part of Lola & Emily, and there are days when I realize that it was a whole other world and industry and it would take a whole new business plan to do it successfully.  That doesn’t take away from the fact that I am happy that we did it.  It showcased Sally’s talent in a different way and hopefully allowed our customers to see a further extension of Lola & Emily.  Coming up with the ideas for a season was often excrutiating… but the photo shoots and the laughs we had along the way were priceless. 

 

Coterie + ABC Carpets = NYC.  Alternatively, planes + trains + automobiles = NYC.  Sal and Amanda, I apologize for making you try every possible combination of transportation to get there, plus every type of accomodation.  But, man, did we have some  moments on our buying trips.  From our first drinks to our last (and ALL in between) New York was and is always a highlight of the season for us.  It has become less about the actual ‘buying’, as after many years, seasons don’t really look THAT different anymore.  But our little New York circuit is something that brings me a lot of joy and comfort, in a strange way.  The restaurants, bars, shops, manicures, appointments, showrooms, shows, run-ins (you know who I’m talking about)… I look forward to each new trip and remember all of the moments, good and bad, that we have shared there.

The wall of outfits… a staple at Lola & Emily.  It’s the place where everyone gets their chance to put up their fave looks or items… sometimes not MY faves, but, hey… that’s life!  This pic may not represent the best ‘wall’ ever, but it is so poignant for me because of that jacket… THAT jacket.  The one in the middle.  The $850 Earl leather jacket, that remains the single most expensive item of clothing that we have ever had at Lola & Emily.  I’d love to tell you that we sold both sizes that we had.  Unfortunately, they were both stolen.  At the same time.  This picture serves as a constant reminder of items we have lost over the years to theft… the pile of Earl jeans, the one-off pieces, and even after we got the metal tags, the discovery of a ripped label and tag shoved behind the mirror in the changing room… even the theft of the metal tag remover!! The utter feeling of hopelessness and anger that accompanies each new discovery of a missing item.  It’s personal and each time it happens, I am hurt by it… Probably should get over it, but I can’t.  So, yes… that jacket…

Construction on St. Laurent.  2 years of hell.  Enough said.

 

The flood.  Or should I say, the biggest flood, and the only one we documented.  Each time something like this happened, I was surprised by my complete and utter inability to deal in the moment.  Sally and Amanda literally took over as I shut down.  My Father’s reassuring chuckle of “Well, that’s what insurance is for” never really manged to help qwell the sheer panic that I was feeling.  And although he was right, in those finite moments, without Sally and Amanda I would have gone down with the ship.  Or I suppose I would have just gotten really, really wet and dirty, and probably lost a lot more merchandise, as technically none of our ‘floods’ was catastrophic enough for me to ‘go down with the ship’… but at the time, they were monumental.  As was the infamous squirrel invasion of 2007.  That squirrel and I would be sharing an office right now if it weren’t for Sal and Amanda.

 

The blog.  My handwritten version of the first post, and the infamous ‘crushing Amanda’ pic… who knew that the decision to switch from our heavy, slow, rarely updated website to the simple, ever-changing blog would be so huge for Lola & Emily.  I think that it is the perfect encapsulation of everything that Lola & Emily has always been for me… which is the personality behind it.  Obviously, we are a boutique and our goal is to sell… but I have always pictured Lola & Emily as something more than that.  A collective of people that I love and respect, a place where customers can feel comfortable because they know that the people behind it are… well… hopefully people that they would like.  We were never trying to change the face of fashion here at Lola & Emily.  We were always just trying to make the shopping experience more personal and fun and sometimes inspiring (often through Sally’s creative touches), and I feel like the blog has made it easier to really highlight the personality of the store.  Well, at least I hope so.  For me, it has added a whole new dimension to my job, and I enjoy it more than I can express.  It fulfills my need to yammer on, rant, recount anecdotes, praise people and ideas that I think are amazing, show you pics of my family and friends who are dear to me, and finally highlight the clothes and items that I love in the store.  It’s an instant connection to customers and I am thankful for that.

 

Street Sale… ahhhhhhh.  Street Sale.  Twice a Summer for 10 years.  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.  It is physically exhausting, mentally stressful and emotionally draining, but it never fails to provide me with at least one moment of sheer love and appreciation for the people that I work with.  The above pics are of Jill and Amanda, circa 2005.  The impromptu dance number that probably happened around 8pm on Saturday night, during a quiet moment, after many bottles of wine had been consumed… the perfect release of energy and laughter for everyone.  It’s moments like these that seriously make me love this place.  Of course, I imagine this moment was followed by another of frustration and annoyance when a customer tried to haggle over the already ridiculously reduced price of an item that they found in a bin… but those instances are also part of the Street Sale experience.  Thinking back on our first Street Sales, when Sal and I would physically lug out actual units that we use in the store… and try and create a real Lola & Emily environment outside… it only took us 3 or 4 years to realize that noone cared about the Lola & Emily experience during Street Sale.  They just wanted sales.  And bins… people love a good bin to rummage through.  Here’s to hoping that we will one day realize our dream of the ‘wrestling’ ring of sale merch… $100 for 10 seconds in the ring… you grab what you can and possibly fight with someone else at the same time.  It’s a new concept, but one Sal, Amanda and I have always thought might work quite well.

 

The Girls.  I would never be able to write about the last 10 years without talking about the ladies of Lola & Emily. 

 

Aileen, Jasmine, Emilie, Catherine, Jill, Malin, Zyanna, Katye, Allyson, Lisa, Lisa, LOLO, Annie, Katie, Holly, Tate, Monique, Andrea, Emma, Raegan, Pammy, Nicolette, Ilya, Sarah, Katie, Katie, Mieka, Emma, Emilie, Maddie… I’m sure that I am probably missing a few, and I apologize for that… More ‘Katies’ than you can shake a stick over the years here at Lola & Emily!!

 

My God, things would have been boring here without you all….

 

Lola & Emily Westmount… a much better documented transformation than the first time around!  The space as it was probably back in 1995, the gutted interior…

 

Two weeks before opening and a week after we opened… it all came together much more quickly than the first one, and yet it has been no less of a learning curve than the original.  A different neighbourhood, a different clientele, a different look and feel… but at the end of the day, hopefully the same old Lola & Emily.  It’s been almost 18 months since we opened the Westmount store and here’s to making it to TEN over there!!

 

Sally…. dear Sally.  The above pics are admittedly a bit wonky as they are old polaroids scanned through an ancient scanner… so bear with me.  These images are SO important to me for a number of different reasons.  The first, because Sally is with Zoe when she was just a puppy.  She was only 3 months old when I got her, and is now almost 10… so she has literally grown up at Lola & Emily, and Sally was her surrogate Mom.  She was a HUGE part of Zoe’s life, and similarly, she has been a HUGE part of Lola & Emily… Also in this pic, in the background, you can see a TV.  When we first opened, Lola & Emily certainly had more of an apartment feel… looking through old pics I am reminded of how much the store has changed over the years, and while sometimes it is necessary for business reasons, I miss the more ‘homey’ feel of the store from back then.  The TV was just one of the touches around the store that added to the feeling of being in ‘Lola and Emily’s apartment’, but it also will always remind me of the days after 9-11, when we huddled around the TV watching, in horror and shock, what was going on… While this was obviously a hideous and frightening time, I remember the feeling of comfort that I had as friends and family stopped by throughout that first day, sat down on the sofa, and watched history in the making… I don’t know if that’s an appropriate thing to connect with this photo, but it’s the truth.

The second photo has a similarly emotional feeling for me.  First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room… holy sh*t Sal was skinny!! This was right after we opened, and Sal was TINY.  Stress and over-work were to blame, and it was not the first or last time that there have been weight losses and gains here at Lola & Emily… more gains, in my case, but whatevs.  Secondly, the kitchen table.  Ahhh.  The kitchen at Lola & Emily.  Characterized by my sister’s 50s table, this piece of furniture moved around the store defining the ‘kitchen’ area of the apartment.  It was the site of many a ‘board’ meeting, many a drink, many a late night conversation.  It was the meeting place for Greg and Jason to discuss AT LENGTH the Lola & Emily mixed CD they were going to make… I swear to God they must have had 3 or 4 meetings about that… each meeting lasting at least an hour.  But how amazing is that?  They would just stop by and take up residence at the store while customers shopped around them.  As much as there were moments of sheer frustration associated with the revolving door of friends who would basically spend hours hanging in the shop (did nobody have a job back then??? Seriously?  Oh, wait… no.  They didn’t actually…), it was also something that really made the ‘homey’ feel of Lola & Emily legit.  And I thank all of them for being here over the years.

Back to Sal, specifically… this is us during a Street Sale… you can see the wine bottle in the background (blech… Mateus…).  It epitomizes how much I love Sal.  There are too many reasons to list, and you know what they are.  I am so thankful that you were with me at the beginning… we had our ups and downs, no question, and I miss your creative genius almost every day here at Lola & Emily, but I know that the 7 + years you spent here are as much imprinted on you as you are on Lola & Emily, and I know that you will always be a part of it.  You may not be the Creative Director anymore, but I like to think of you as our current Creative Consultant.  Who doesn’t get paid.  Which is not THAT different… either in title or money.

 

Amanda.  Where do I begin?  You started out as a part-time employee, and 9 years later, you are my partner.  You have lived much of the Lola & Emily experience along with me, and there are days when I wonder how in God’s name, after everything you have seen here, you decided you wanted to actually OWN part of it.  Ahahaha!!! These pics are also more symbolic to me than they might appear… the first because this was from one of our famous LnE photoshoots, where Amanda was always our go-to model, and often the one who kept things moving along, and the good humour flowing when things were getting tiring and frustrating.  The second because, well, let’s face it, it’s an adorable picture of Amanda and Noel, the fish that Sally claims I murdered… I didn’t.  I don’t think.  But this was a shot that you sent me when I was in London on vacation at some point.  It reminds me of all those times when I took off and you kept things together.  It makes me think of how much you have supported the store, but also how much you have supported (and encouraged) my need to develop some sort of life OUTSIDE the store.

There is not much that I can say to you other than that I am so happy that I work with you.  You are not only my partner and colleague, but you are one of my dearest friend and you have been a huge, influential part of Lola & Emily for me.  The above pic is also so fitting as it appears that I am 3x the size of you… or at least my hand is.  What’s up with that?

And so, there you have it.  TEN years.  A quarter of my life has been devoted to Lola & Emily.  I’m sure that you must all know that this post has taken me all day to write, and so hopefully you will forgive the lack of colourful names and italics and possible spelling errors.  I’m sorry if it’s a bit (ahahahahaha) long, but I feel like I owe it to everyone who has been such a huge part of this to pass on some of the amazing memories that I have of everyone and everything, some happy, some tough, but all completely meaningful and worth it.  It’s been a struggle sometimes, but I’m proud to say that we made it this far and I sincerely thank all of our customers for helping to make Lola & Emily what it is… without you, none of these incredible moments would have happened.  Also a special shout out to my peeps… my family… without your support and love, none of this would have been possible.

xo

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Marnie, Tuesdays with Marnie by Marnie