Heather G
Heather G
The New Mart
Suite 1106
(213) 896-0417
heathergkern@gmail.com
After 10 years in the fashion industry working for other showrooms and sharing spaces, Heather Johnstone was ready for a larger showroom of her own.
“With the economy coming up, my lines needed a bigger presence,” Johnstone said.
Johnstone recently opened the Heather G showroom in suite 1106 of The New Mart, moving up a few floors from suite 503, which she shared with David Kahn.
Before that, she had a smaller room in the California Market Center for three years and worked as a sales manager for Johnny Was, Anna Paul and Nothing to Wear.
“I love the free range of being independent and that my survival is based on the efforts I put in,” she said. “And I love working with manufacturers to help them distribute their products to buyers.”
As much as Johnstone loved sharing with Kahn, she needed more room and was excited to have a space she could decorate as her own, she said.
The new space is 1,400 square feet, in comparison with the 1,200-square-foot showroom she shared with Kahn and her 1,000-square-foot showroom in the CMC.
Johnstone said she designed her new showroom to feel “homey and inviting” to buyers.
“We’re not high-pressure salespeople,” she said. “We represent casual lifestyle brands.”
She said she likes to provide catered lunches for her buyers, so she designed the space with a comfortable lounge section in the front of the room. With brightly colored pillows and a sofa for relaxing, Johnstone said she hopes to create a warm feel for the space and “a friendly shopping atmosphere.”
“The 11th floor is full of hip, fashion-forward and industry-leading brands. The floor was a perfect fit for my brands,” she said.
Johnstone focuses on ready-to-wear lifestyle clothing, and she only carries brands made in the United States.
Green Dragon and Pink Lotus are two of the lines she sells, both of which are organic active-lifestyle brands. She also carries Out of Ashes, an up-and-coming fashion-forward line; Claeson, a line of contemporary knits; Signorelli and Love This Life, which produce graphic t-shirts, hoodies and pants; and Relais, which produces novelty sweaters. Merchandise ranges from $16 to $88 wholesale for the different lines.—Deidre Crawford
