One morning my close friend and I did a long bike ride and stopped in a quaint district in Glendale to have coffee and a pastry. Across the street we spotted an adorable boutique—Audrey K. There was a rack outside with dresses on sale. My friend, Catherine, flipped over the designs and rushed into the store for a closer look. I followed, still a little winded from our bike ride. I noticed the clothes had a very old Hollywood look to them, yet they weren’t vintage at all. They were fresh new designs by local talent. And everything was priced affordably. While I was browsing, Catherine tried on and purchased several outfits. I got bold and tried one on, too. And I loved the way it looked and felt. The sales staff was attentive, but not pushy in the least. It was a wonderful shopping experience. Since that first visit, my riding partner and I have purchased many outfits from that store (which continues to stock beautiful, unique, vintage-inspired clothing at a reasonable price). What looks couture is actually affordable. Now that is what’s so special about Audrey K Boutique!
“The store has been a passion of mine. I’ve been in retail my entire life and I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to focus on designers that were local, not mass-produced, or all over in the mall.”—Audrey Robles, Owner of Audrey K Boutique
Audrey Robles is the owner of Audrey K Boutique located in Glendale, California. Uniquely, she is a trained stylist who helps out her clients individually, lending a friendly, caring atmosphere to those who shop at this vintage-inspired boutique. Audrey K has been featured
in several publications, blogs, and the points of interest in “Walking in LA.” She has an extensive celebrity clientele, and her fashions and accessories have been seen on popular television shows. Audrey K is a boutique that fuses vintage and modern and vintage styles in a very fashion-forward, sophisticated, and affordable way. The boutique offers styles that you won’t see anywhere else. How does this boutique accomplish that? By supporting local designers with something unique and are high fashion with an edge.
I love your stuff. It reminds me of vintage even though it’s not. The 30s, 40s, 50s . . . How did you come up with such a niche-specific store?
To be honest with you, I buy the fashions that I like. It turns out that there are a lot of women who like to look this way too. Vintage is a broad term. You have the true “rockabillies.” They live it, they breathe it, they go to the vintage stores to find these styles. I find designers that live locally that recreate these styles. They have stretch bengaline or some type of spandex—friendly fabrics they use today that modern women can wear to work. You can wear these 
dresses and feel beautiful because the styles accommodate a lot of women as far as styles are concerned. It flatters the pear-shaped, tall and lengthy, hour glass figures, short . . . a lot of women can wear these dresses and feel beautiful and feel like they’re contributing to fashion. My concept behind the store is to offer fashion for women in a broad sense. The fashions I offer are also very affordably priced. These are pieces you can pull out of the closet and use season after season.
How do you decide what goes into your store?
When I buy, I’m very particular about the way the fabric feels on the skin, that they’re made well.
You’re also a designer?
The designing aspect is something that has evolved on its own. I have a college degree in fashion merchandising. I see a customer try on something in my store that doesn’t fit. I think to myself, I can tweak that to where it would fit her if it was a little longer, or maybe if it was made in another fabric. So being in the fashion industry, I see things that would meet the customer’s needs that other styles or clothing lines don’t. I find myself wanting to design . . . Audrey K Designs that will be sold exclusively on my website. (New lines were released Spring/Summer 2009.)
You said that 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s retro . . . all those eras had their bad picks as well. I noticed in your shop your stuff seems to be the cream of the crop of those styles. Can you tell me where that keen eye of fashion comes from within you?
The women of my family are fashion icons. My mother was a model for Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. She wore the wigs, makeup, eyelashes . . . and dressed to a tee . . . and so was my nana . . . and so was my great grandmother. You wouldn’t have known that if you saw me in the 80s. I had a mullet and wore bad clothes. I think it’s something I grew into. I 
never wanted to do fashion and sketch when I was 8 years old. That would have made a great Cinderella story. But that really wasn’t how it was for me. I went to the American College for the Applied Arts in Westwood to get my degree. That sparked it for me. I’ve always been in retail. I’ve always worked for big box stores, too, like Macy’s, and window displays at The Gap. But I’ve always known what I like. Regarding picking the cream of the crop, because there are styles in the 50s and 60s and even in the 70s, where I hoped those styles would never come back, there were styles where certain designers nailed. So I tried to find those pieces and put them in the store. Everything in here is a winner. Myfox LA . . . we came in 4th place for Best Hand Bags in Los Angeles. I don’t just go out and fill the store. I am very particular, so we nail it every single time.
Where do you see Audrey K in 5 years?
My husband and I have a focus and a goal that in 5 to 10 years we’ll have several stores by then. We don’t want to grow too fast because when you do that, the jewel of what this store is all about gets muffled in a way. You have to have the right supportive group of people working with you.
To learn more about Audrey K Boutique, visit their website atwww.audreyk.com.
Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples
