BellJar carries beautiful wearables and home goods by designers such as Demietria Chappo, Laurel Hill, BKB Ceramics and Young in the Mountains; along with a great representation of LA folks: Rob Doran, Dream Collective, Corey Lynn Calter, Kristen Elspeth, HighLow Jewelry, A Question of Eagles, Mt. Washington Pottery, Naked Eye Beauty, La Tierra Sagrada, Knotwork LA and more.

Sasha and I just discovered that we used to run in the same circles in San Francisco years ago. (I swear I have a photo of her in the background at The Orbit Room) It wasn't until both of us were here in Los Angeles, that we realized this and got to know each other. Along with some sweet peeks of the shop, Sasha shared family photos, stories of her upbringing and a bit of life now in LA.

What do you look for when deciding what goes into your shop? Do you choose differently for SF than LA? 

Well it's hard. Just because I love something doesn’t always mean it will sell. LA style is much different than SF style. I tend to be drawn to more shapeless, simple cotton dresses and tops right now. But in SF, there doesn’t seem to be a huge demand for this trend. I try to stay true to my vision, while still thinking about what my customer will enjoy and connect to. Style is constantly evolving, so how I buy evolves with it. I’m happy to say the things that I really love seem to be doing well at the LA location. So, it's exciting to bring brands that I may not have been able to sell in SF, to the new location.

I’m also excited to be doing vintage in both LA and SF now! Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a vintage girl at heart and have been since I was a kid. It’s been so much fun adding this element back into the store.

Home and jewelry is much easier and way more fun for me. These items are not seasonal and I can invest in things that are a bit more risky and outside of the box. Plus, home décor is my first love. With that, I can carry all handmade, all small runs and very special pieces. I love that! 

photos of BellJar LA taken by Andrew Piccone 

I was born into a collective called Nord Ranch in the Sierra Mountains. My family were – and are to this day – true blue liberal, nature loving hippies. My Dad was a father Yode type: tall and strong, with a big long beard and tons of charisma. Growing up with hippies was complicated. There were a lot of great lessons there, but it was a different time of experimentation and expansion. It wasn’t necessarily a great place to be as a kid.

Did you rebel from that when you were growing up? And if so, how have you embraced those roots now as an adult?

I definitely rebelled against my parents. I was a punk rock kid; I was angry; I was dark. But, the older I get, the more I embrace all the positive things I learned as a kid. The hippies had it right: they started this movement. It's up to us to perfect it and continue on with the true message: the message of love – self love, love for the earth and love for all the creatures that inhabit it. A connection to the divine. This was my takeaway, and I’m absolutely blessed to have been exposed to it my whole life.

But, with all that said, I’m also really happy to live in a time where there is a collective movement towards these values that doesn’t include the experimentation of the 60’s – at least not as large of a focus.

You and I both went to the same art school in San Francisco. And for a while you did design work, yes?

I went for fine art and illustration; and was doing design work for years. I was an art director at Levi's in the early 2000’s. I also did work for the SF opera, the Ballet and the Symphony. My best work was for them (such great clients) and I had the opportunity to design some beautiful amazing poster art for them. Such a blessing.

I still paint in my own time; I need to have a show. It's weird, I’m very personal about my own art. I don’t put it out there too much . . . But when I think abut being an old lady, I see myself living in the country with a bunch of pit bulls and painting all day in a big red barn.

How did the original San Francisco BellJar Shop start?

I was working in corporate retail; I was married; I had a nice house a nice car; and yet I was drowning in misery. It just wasn’t me. I thought that stability and a “normal” life would make me happy and secure, but it just went against everything that was important inside of me. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was having a spiritual bottom. My husband and I split, and it was really difficult for me. I felt quite lost and heartbroken . . . and I knew it was an opportunity to make some huge life changes. A week after he left, I quite my job and started planning BellJar. It was half self-preservation – needing to stay busy – and half cosmic intervention – forcing me into a new path.

I always wanted to have a space that was beautiful and filled with all the things I loved. I can’t imagine anything else I was better suited to do. I’m a collector. I always have been. I grew up going to the Marin flea market with my mom. Our house was always filled with treasures. When I was a kid, my mom moved us to Marin so she could work at an art glass collective called Swallowtail Studios. It was a big barn outside of Petaluma with glass blowers, potters, stained glass makers and etched glassers. It was in my blood and in my soul to do BellJar. I can’t imagine doing anything else at this point.

What drew you to Los Angeles?

I came to LA to just get away. It's been such a great experience for me. I’ve been here for 4 years and have had the space to do some much needed self-work and healing. LA will always be, to me, the place where I found my heart and reconnected to my soul. Sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone to grow. I still go to SF often, but for now LA is my home.

I know you love to just take off, and go off on solo trips. Where do you go?

Well, anywhere. But I tend to go back to the Sierras a lot . . . and Marin. I guess because they are the two places I feel most connected to. I go back and get grounded. I miss the forest so much being down here in LA. So I’m always looking for places that remind me of home. Idyllwild and Ojai have been two of my go to’s for quick recharge; and of course the desert. My Grandma lives in the Mojave. I’m lucky to have family in such cool places.

And where would you absolutely love to go that you haven't gone to yet?

Greece. I have always said, "Once I go to Greece I can die a happy woman." Greece has been calling me since I was a kid.

You've had some pretty rad BellJar Babes pass through. Could you tell me about some and what they've contributed to the shop?

All I want to do is be surrounded by rad babes. I’ve had some amazing ladies either work at BellJar, or have shows here, and/or have their product on my shelves. [Some of shows have been featured on The Radder]

The super talented Kylea Borges worked as my visual merchandiser for years; and she has had quite a few shows as well. Kylea is always a huge influence on me. She is such a trendsetter with such a great visual eye; and she is also just a really strong lady that I look up to.

Hannah Stouffer, April Rose, Tehya Shea, Claire Hummel, Amy Jo Diaz, Aleksandra Zee, Martina Thornhill, Emily Katz, Heidi Anderson and Alexis Mackenzie are just a few of the amazing women who have, in one way or another, been involved in or stocked at BellJar.

Being drawn into the Women’s Arts and Crafts Movement has been very healing for me. It’s made me stronger and more self-reliant. Although my parents are hippies, they were also people who grew up in the 40’s and 50’s. I had some complicated ideas about what it meant to be an independent woman and what role men played in my life. Being surrounded by so many kick-ass ladies has brought me into my own and helped me stand on my own two feet in a way that I never knew was possible: Kylea taught me how to use a hand drill! Claire has taught me so much about being fierce and hardworking, but still soft and girly! April has brought rainbows into my life. Tehya is my Sierra sister. Hannah is so hard working and prolific. Emily is such a free spirit. Aleksandra is like a little sister. . . There is just so much I can say about each of these ladies. My store and my life wouldn’t be what it is without them. We are all following our own path and do not allow society confine us by social norms. I’m so thankful to be involved with all of them.

Man, such a good question and so essential. I’ve been working so hard this last month, that I have not been doing enough self-care; and I need to get tapped back in. But when I’m being kind to myself, when I’m taking care of my soul, I do a bunch of things. Mediation is the most important part of my routine. I try to do 20 minutes of silent meditation every morning. I also do prayer . . . a ton of prayer. I love to just get connected into the universe and put my intentions out there; and I find it key to not ask for too much personal stuff. Mostly I ask for willingness to stay connected, and I pray for other people, or I pray to be relieved from self-obsession. It gives me so much relief when I do those two things consistently.

And yes, Tapping. Tapping has been really important to my evolution. I tend to be a pessimist when left to my own devices. Tapping really helps me stay grounded in the positive and helps with things like self-esteem and stress management. After sharing tapping with some women at the last Spirit Weavers, I started recording videos to share with other women. I’m no expert but I really love this technique and want to share it with other women. It also keeps me motivated in my practice; so it’s a win-win.

You can watch a few of Sasha's tapping videos here.

I've had so many great artist hang in BellJar SF!! Kevin Taylor, John Casey, April Rose, Hannah Stouffer, Jessica Niello, Michael McConnell, Lisa Congdon, Jason Vivona, Kimi Buzzeli – just to name a few! I definitely plan to have shows in LA, too.

Starting October 6th, I will be having weekly Tuesday night meditations at the shop. This will be open to all women; and then the last Tuesday of the month, men will be welcome as well. I may also do some tapping and will definitely be hosting trunk shows, pop-ups and art openings.

Thank you Sasha! May much happiness, love and prosperity pass through the doors of BellJar LA! xo

BellJar Shop