Every time I walk into a fantastic shop I wonder, what lucky person owns this place, what inspired them to take the leap and where does their inspiration come from.  This curiosity has inspired our ‘Shop Talk’ features where we interview a shop owner in order to get some insider scoop.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFO
Store Name: Misch
Owner: Lara Osen
Address: 2960 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604.731.1017
URL: www.misch.ca
Email: info@misch.ca

Tell us a bit about the shop.
It’s fresh, modern and fun!

How old is Misch?
I opened in September of 2004.

Why Misch (where did the name come from)? My middle name is Michelle.  My parents have always called me Misch or Mischi.

What were you doing before you started Misch? I was working at my Dad’s insurance brokerage [firm] for 10 years.  What can I say about that career???… loved working with/for my Dad.

What were your inspirations for starting Misch? I traveled a lot in my previous career.  I used to see these fantastic boutiques everywhere I went and thought that was the one thing that Vancouver didn’t really have.  And of course I LOVE CLOTHES.

How do you go about choosing designers? I look for originality and quality and I look for things that I would want to wear.

How do you decide which emerging talent is worth investing in? See above.

What’s hot in Vancouver right now? misch!

Name a fashion item that you own that you can’t live without? My Sartore Black Boots (coming to Misch in January).

Name a fashion related pet peeve? Visible tags on scarves.

Who inspires you? French women.  They are stylish without trying. They wear little makeup, their hair is completely disheveled and they all seem to have the perfect coat, scarf and boots!

What is it like being a business owner? Wonderful!

What was the toughest decision you have had to make related to the shop? Once I decided that I wanted to open a store, the rest was easy.

If money were no object, how would the shop change (other than endless parking and Champaign for every customer)? At some point, I would love to expand the store adding more shoes and some higher priced clothing lines…Derek Lam, Peter Som, etc.

What do you daydream about? About renting a traditional cave house in Santorini with Lucy (my daughter).

To download the full December 2008/January 2009 issue, click here.

January 6th, 2009