allie + deb

Hello world, allie + deb here. We’ve been dreaming big and developing our brand for the better half of a year and while we’re still in the creative stages, we thought it’d be productive to tell our story as we write it. Starting a business is tedious, but we’re having fun in these beginning stages of creating our dream boutique; evolving our logo, designing our style guide, collaborating with vendors and shopping for products before we officially launch your new favorite online boutique…drum roll please…allie + deb! 

So far we’ve been a little hesitant to start blogging about the process because we want our materials to make sense. But we’ve come to realize that worrying about making sense is preventing us from lifting this blog off the ground. So we’ve decided to dive right in and answer the basics: who, what, where, when, why and how? Seems like a good place to start, right? Then some more pieces will fall into place (don’t worry, we do have a strong business plan… so just go with us on this, k?). 

Who: We’re allie + deb, hello! I’m Allie and I’m a 26 yo. San Franciscan, brand marketer, aspiring photographer, music enthusiast and lover of all things wine, cheese & chocolate. Deb’s my mom, she would kill me if I revealed her best kept secret, so let’s just say people think we’re sisters (she loves that). Deb lives just outside of LA with her best friend/husband (my super step-dad) and our two dogs, Marlie & Sammy. She’s the queen of online marketing, a serious shopaholic, an unparalleled party host and lover of all things that come in pretty packaging.   

We come from a big Jewish, Italian family. In other words, we’re just the right amount of crazy, a whole lotta fun, and boy, do we love to eat. Most of our greatest memories include as many friends that we can fit around a table, freshly corked bottles of vino and starting our meals with mange! (Italian for eat!)

From the day I was born, we’ve been inseparable (really, I don’t know what she ever did without me). Although we live on opposite sides of the state, we rarely do anything without consulting in the other or calling each other immediately when “you’re never gonna believe what JUST happened” happened. It’s hard sometimes to live so far a part, so we’ve found ways to work together to make our separate lives have a lot in common.   

Deb and I, well… we work like professionals, fight like sisters and laugh like best friends. We’ve worked together for five years now, marketing our family business – Organize.com that my step-dad founded back in 1998. We love what we do because we get to combine our two loves in life: family and a happy home. And yes, we’re compulsively organized! But what’s next when everything is in it’s place, down to the last label for a spice you don’t even know how to pronounce? The fun stuff! 

Decorating our homes is like a hobby to us. We’re always coming up with ideas and trying new concepts to make our homes look like what you see in catalogs. They’re pretty (and we like pretty). But we hate always having to schlep around town to different stores and paying shipping charges all over the internet just to find (for example) the white rococo wall mirror that would look oh-so-chic against the black patent textured wallpaper in the dining room. So finally, we decided to start our own boutique where we could offer our ideas and the products we love all in one place.

So there you have it! The run down of who we are (although I guarantee we’ll continue to elaborate on this topic for years to come). Next post, I’ll answer the “what” in more detail…  

xo/allie + deb