We recently connected with Judith Goldstein and have shared our conversation below.

Judith, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?

I always say that I learned from every great boss and I also learned from the bosses I watched that didn’t do things right. I think in every situation with my formers employers the difference between a great leader and a bad one, was based on how they treated their staff, what kind of example they set, and the attitude they came into work with. The bosses I had that showed gratitude for their team, made sure to make them feel appreciated and those that led their team with strength and compassion were the ones that had the most success in their business. I learned through them that the environment you create truly effects every aspect of the business. I feel that the level of employees satisfaction at work correlates with the long term success of any institution, therefore it’s integral for me to try my best to provide a positive and supportive atmosphere to my team. It’s something that I try to be mindful of and do to the best that I can.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Judith Goldstein, but most people call me Juju. I came to Los Angeles when I was four with my family after we escaped from Iran, but I lived many places around the world in my adult life and came back here about 6 years ago. my career started in food after I graduated college. I did just about anything someone could do in the food industry and when I was 31 I went to grad school in Italy to study Food Culture and Communications at the Gastronomic University. It was there that I started to explore the psychoactive effects of food on our bodies, and through this exploration, I really began to learn about the effects of plants that enter the bloodstream. This I guess you can say obsession led me to wanting to open a space that carried exclusively plant based self care products. By a stroke of faith, the opportunity came to me and I opened Luca in 2020.

Luca is a non toxic and low waste self care store. We carry a wide range and mostly local products for your everyday life, from deodorant, to detergent, to body soap to toothpaste. But it’s also so much more than that, it’s a creative space with fun second hand home goods products, and a variety of chockies , it’s as I like to say “my pee wees playhouse.”

At it’s core Luca is a space where we really do the homework to find the cleanest and most effective plant based products on the market, but we also really try to find solutions that are equitable and affordable as possible because we want everyone to have access to products that will not harm them and their families. For us, equitability is very important. We truly strive to make everyone in our neighborhood feel welcome. I always tell my staff, ” if someone spends $1000 or if they spend $1, they all get treated with the same respect. For me, Luca is about building community and providing a space that brings joy and peace into people’s lives and to be able to do that and support so many small, local producers that are making beautiful products with their love, that is what is rewarding to me.

I would say that the best part about owning a business is that you get to choose who you want to support and I really do my homework to find producers that are true and doing their work because it’s their passion. Many of the companies we work with are female owned, immigrant owned, and owned by those who have traditionally been marginalized because they don’t have the access or the network to powerful or rich people. Being able to give those people a platform, I think that’s what makes having a business something that makes me the most proud and happy.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I would say that we were able to build a reputation by being knowledgable about our products. People can sense authenticity and I think they can really tell when someone has done their homework or not. We never took shortcuts or try to do things the easy way, it was always important for me and the people I hired to be well versed on our products. It’s something we took very seriously. We also make sure that we try every product because we want to know if they work and how they make us feel. The due diligence I think really built a reputation for us as well informed in our field.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

There is no better marketing than word of mouth, therefore I would say that it’s so important to provide your customers with a great experience and create a space that people want to share with the people around them.One of the most successful tangible strategies we have used is adding a 10% on your next purchase card in every single gift that we wrap. Sometimes we can take things like that for granted, but I don’t think people should underestimate the power that their existing customer base has to spread the word. Our best customers, the most loyal ones, are the best ambassadors for our store, therefore developing those relationships and consistently showing your appreciation are crucial for organic and sustainable growth. I definitely don’t think that it’s something people should ignore when growing their clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: ourluca.com
• Instagram: livelu.ca
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71042600/admin/feed/posts/

Image Credits
1st image Paul Mesnager @paulmesnager 2nd image Tracy Levy @traylev