Monica Navarro on Creating Stores Where Everyone Belongs
Spaces built for the community, by the community
Monica Navarro is seasoned shop owner. In the past decade she has opened successful stores and changed the game of what it means to be a retailer in LA. Surviving the tough retail climate, not to mention the pandemic, is no small feat and Navarro has done it gracefully laser focused on serving the community. “My goal has always been to have stores that anybody, no matter what economic background or where you're from, can walk into and feel comfortable in.”
Navarro has opened four uniquely interesting stores in Los Angeles and Joshua Tree. Wine and Eggs is the quintessential bodega Angelenos always needed. Dreams, a concept store that takes customers on a surrealist journey filled with clothes, wellness products, and homewares. Wine and Rock Shop is an otherworldly natural wine store in Joshua Tree ensuring you can find the perfect bottle to pair with the sea of stars out in the desert. Her fourth store, Individual Medley, ushered in the bohemian chic vibe with clothing, home goods, and vintage clothes, closed in 2021. Each store is well curated with a distinct point of view that is welcoming, warm, and unlike anything else you can find. Nothing is too fussy or precious and closely aligns with Navarro’s whole vibe - instantly disarming, humble, and effortlessly cool.
Raised in Paso Robles, Navarro started her retail journey in high school, working at a local clothing boutique in order to afford buying the things she wanted. "I fell in love with it. I fell in love with buying, curation, and people... My true passion lies in connecting with people and talking to them," Navarro recalls. She continued to work in customer-facing roles in retail and restaurants throughout college, eventually graduating with a marketing degree. When she and her newly-wed husband decided to open their first store, Individual Medley, Navarro invested everything into it. "Every dollar earned was reinvested back into the business, allowing it to grow from the ground up. Everything was made with love, and we did the best we could with a very limited budget." Gradually, their hard work paid off, earning features in Goop, The New York Times, and more.
One of Navarro’s superpowers is championing emerging brands. Individual Medley was the first store to stock Canyon Coffee, an LA-based coffee roaster that is now carried in hundreds of stores worldwide. Canyon Coffee's owners, Ally Walsh and Casey Wojtalewicz, were regulars at the store and introduced Navarro to their coffee (they still have a framed email of their first order from Navarro) . Gloria Noto, a makeup artist and frequent customer at Individual Medley, later founded Noto, a clean makeup line, that is on the shelves at Dreams. The list truly goes on and on. As does Navarro’s deep love and gratitude for her team. From her operations director and wine buyer to the full staff at Dreams who helped host a Sidewalk sale with their own enviable vintage clothes alongside local makers and owners, Navarro is quick to share a win big or small of every person on her team.
It felt trite to ask Navarro about how she fosters community in her stores since every item sold, every employee, every architectural detail, and every customer are so deeply interwoven in what she has built. "I'm so fortunate," Navarro says when reflecting on her work. "I'm incredibly lucky to be part of the story." Dear readers, take my word, she is the story.
Thank you so much to Monica for sharing her story and insights with me. Am truly grateful for the time. Can’t wait to stop by the next venture, a natural wine bar from small makers in Joshua Tree.