One of the things I miss most about my former gig as LA Kids editor for DailyCandy was finding and meeting interesting local small business owners. (Sadly, the local kids editions have since closed.) Having the title basically gave me an excuse for being a busy body and a reason to ask a million questions. I was always inspired by the stories of people taking a leap of faith to pursue their passions whether big or small. For better or worse, my job became like an annoying tic: if I saw something I liked I had to find out more. Who is making these? Where do they live? Do you they like pistachio ice cream? As they say, old habits, so when I spotted these Liebe hair ties/bracelets at Poppy Store, I was compelled to follow the trail to Pacific Palisades. Turns out the lady behind these charming, handmade accessories is Suzanne Schneider. She’s Canadian, not German as one would assume, being that “liebe” is German for love. When her son was born, she took time off from work as a teacher and started sewing during nap time. As the modern fairy-tale goes, she fell in love with creating colorful, happy designs (can you blame her?), immediately sold out her goods at a few local boutiques, and opened an Etsy store. And lived happily ever after. I don’t know about you, but makes me want to buy them even more.
clockwise l-r; LIEBE FAIRY TALE PRINCESS HAIR TIE, $5.00, Etsy; LIEBE RED RIDING HOOD HAIR TIE, $5.00, Etsy; LIEBE OWL HAIR TIE, $5.00, Etsy; LIEBE ROSE HAIR BRACELET/HAIR TIE, $5.00, Liebe.
