We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Roderick Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Roderick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an idea is worth a thousand tries… At least in my case.

The Shop Los Angeles is a story of constant re-birth, however its inception began once I graduated high school. I was dead set on creating a brand inspired by the city of LA, Hip-Hop, and Hypebeast Culture. With about $500 in savings and a laptop, I ordered about 100 Champion blanks from a re-sale website and sent my graphics to a local printer and within a few weeks I had my first collection. Over those next few weeks, I was planning a photoshoot with my cousin & friends, promoting everything via Facebook, and selling whatever inventory I had out of the trunk of my car. About a month later I was all sold out… it was a feeling I will never forget.

Riding off that high, the following years were comprised of roadblocks, reality checks, and a lot of expensive learning lessons. In hindsight my Mid-20’s served as a transitional period both personally and business wise. My vision for what I wanted The Shop to be had become blurred and uncertain. It felt as if I was outgrowing my original plan for the business, but I was determined to have it mature with me, rather than let it die as an old idea.

After years of remaining idle, the renaissance of The Shop began. I watched as my parents garage overflowed with boxes of product from our overseas suppliers, I communicated globally with our branding team to perfect the website and logo, and took chances reaching out to talented photographers we had always wanted to work with. In a year we had resurrected a wandering brand into an essentials focused business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m proud to say that I grew up in the industry I work in today. My mother built her own furniture business, and my father was a production manager in the garment industry, so a lot of my time spent with them was always around factories, or various customers. Working alongside them at a young age taught me valuable lessons in hard work and resilience, which have nurtured my passion and spirit for running the business today.

The Shop is a clothing brand built around a very simple motto: “Not For Everyone, Definitely For You.” We create exclusive garments intended to display your uniqueness and individuality. Our focus when starting the brand was to offer quality products at a fair price to consumers, and that remains our focus even as we continue to grow and expand. Since honing in on our foundation of creating quality essentials, we’ve found new and exciting ways to diversify our product offering with a plethora of fits, wash techniques, and fabrics. Our newest collection, which incorporates all of these new elements, is slated to release in the coming weeks. In a time when consumers have an overwhelming amount of options, The Shop stands alone as the best choice.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

In an extremely competitive e-commerce market staying accessible to potential customers via word of mouth, trunk shows, or collaborative events like ‘Unique Markets’ have been essential in our business growth. For The Shop feeling is everything, and we see a strong positive reaction when customers interact with our product in real time.

After initial introductions our customers join our community via newsletters, or follows on Instagram to stay up to date on our latest arrivals to the site, re-purchase their core favorites, and shop any seasonal deals we offer to exclusive customers.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Filled with wisdom, tragedy, and unbelievable victories the Bible has been a resource I’ve leaned on throughout this journey. It’s helped to shed light on what’s truly important in life and helped me focus on how to best serve others rather than myself. It’s also given me the opportunity to be introspective and honest about areas I can improve within the business to be the best it can possibly be.

Contact Info:

• Website: theshoplosangeles.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshoplosangeles/