Inside The Quest: Hayley Starr's Venice Concept Boutique

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Grid View

Expand

• Hayley Starr

"Venice is the best place in the world," says fiery-coiffed artist/designer Hayley Starr. "But I think Abbot Kinney is cheating a little bit; the street was always meant to be void of retail chains and solely dedicated to small businesses. Now that that's changing, here on Lincoln we're trying to keep Venice grounded in its artistic integrity." Starr's quest to enrich her community has inspired the debut of LA's new capsule of creativity: The Quest by Hayley Starr.

Entering the airy 1,200-square-foot boutique/studio is like walking into Starr's mind. Art, clothing and even furniture is categorized in a very specific order—green, yellow, orange, red, purple, blue—which is a nod to Starr's obsession with rainbows, as evident on her colorful homepage. The space is essentially an extension of the store she owned in WeHo from 2004 to 2008. "I've been looking for a new location for years and wanted it to be perfect," Starr explains. "Thank god I waited because I've finally found a true home base."

On the fashion front, racks feature the designer's Infinite Collection garments that can be worn over 100 ways. There are also Astral stretch fabric dresses that are one size fits all and cut to order, tees that honor her love of power animals, handpicked vintage gems and even organic baby clothing by NicoNico. A jewelry display showcases Starr's charm necklaces, as well as art by local talents like All for the Mountain (whose studio is next door), Sophie Monet, Campbell Collections and Jordana Silver.

Art on the wall will rotate and the current exhibit is a collection from 2005—Starr's first stab at charcoal painting. Besides her own work, once a month she'll be showcasing a different artist. Starr's also spearheading the launch of First Saturdays, Lincoln's art-inclined version of First Fridays on Abbot Kinney. "There's a resurgence of cool happening on Lincoln," says Starr. "All these new stores and galleries are popping up, so we want to celebrate that." First Saturdays is set to debut December 1st.

In addition to retail and art showcases, Starr also plans to host supperclubs to highlight up-and-coming chefs and is even planning classes for children that will include astrology, yoga, art empowerment, toy workshops and more. Speaking of kids, The Quest also features a collection of for-sale children's affirmation books created by Starr. There's nothing she can't do.

The Quest is open by appointment only Monday through Wednesday, and open to the public Thursday through Saturday from 10am-6pm.
· Hayley Starr [Official Site]