Flirty Pom-Pom Tops Ring Up Sales at Happy Six

Sophie Chea’s 2-month-old store in West Los Angeles, Happy Six, targets shoppers looking for youthful, feminine looks such as fruity-print dresses and screen-print T-shirts.

Chea also designs the line Happy Six, whose one-shoulder red cotton tops with blue pom-poms are consistently checking at the store. She’s had to reorder the black-top version with cherry-colored pom-poms, which have already sold out. Shoppers are pairing the $38 fitted shirt with jeans or black slacks for dressier occasions, Chea said.

The 900-square-foot store also carries clothing by Newbreed Girl and Lucy Love. Other top buys are Newbreed raglan and short-sleeve T-shirts with glitter-heat transfers, according to Chea.

“They look very Japanese, very anime, so people think they’re imported from Hong Kong or Japan,” she said.

Located on Sawtelle Boulevard within a three-block zone of boba tea joints, sushi restaurants and karaoke bars, the store caters to the petite Asian customer and counts as patrons many students attending the nearby University of California, Los Angeles. Because of the specialized clientele, Chea carries her clothes only up to a size 9. She can also place special orders to accommodate customer size requests.

Chea, who has been a freelance designer for Donna Karan, Victoria’s Secret and Gap, said the boutique is off to a strong start, with sales progressing “way better than expected.”

Perhaps she can attribute the auspicious beginning to the store’s name. Chea recites the romantic story about the six-month anniversary she and her boyfriend spent in Costa Rica. There, on an empty beach, her boyfriend spotted a piece of driftwood on which he carved the words “Happy Six” in honor of their time together.

“We’re together four years later, and I found that piece of driftwood and thought it was a perfect name,” she said. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller