Meet Lara Attayi | Lara Attayi and Alonso Tapia

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lara Attayi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lara, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
There are a few main reasons we wanted to open a small, art-focused shop here in Houston. Firstly, we wanted to share our appreciation and love for handmade work and independent brands with our local community. We also wanted to collaborate with and support local, U.S. based, and international artists by carrying their beautiful work at our brick-and-mortar store. We strongly believe in being able to experience an artist’s work in-person and also sharing their work online and on our social media platforms to reach a wider audience. Houston is a large city, and we felt that there was -and still is- room to grow the small shop community. There can never be enough creative spaces and outlets. We wanted to provide an additional space for people to feel at home and inspired.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Alonso and I have backgrounds in business, art, and engineering. Between the both us, we feel like a well rounded pair that has a lot to offer. No great journey is easy. We love a challenge, the unknown, the adventure. We want to live with no regrets. A small shop has always been a dream for us. Through all of the hardships of the pandemic, we found the opportunity to finally open a shop together. With our love for new creations and the warmth of preloved vintage goods, we knew the shop would be a special place for people to come and feel immediately welcomed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As native Houstonians, we are big fans of the city! A perfect day in Houston to us would be grabbing morning coffee at Catalina Coffee and stepping into Reserve Supply Co. next door to see what is new. We also love visiting some of our favorite local shops like Flora Culture, Genara, and Kick Pleat. We normally prefer to grab brunch at Vibrant followed by a wonderful afternoon at the Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel. A stroll down 19th Street in the Heights for some antique shopping is always nice. To end the perfect day, gourmet pizza from Tiny Champions and the best cocktails from Tongue Cut Sparrow are the way to go! If it’s a Friday night and you feel like dancing, Numbers is a neighborhood classic for a good time. Houston has the best food and diversity mixed with wonderful art museums and shopping. If you know the right spots, it can be a wonderful weekend getaway!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our shoutout is designated to all of the creators in the world. All of the makers and artists and creatives who make beautiful and functional work that inspires and brings joy to our daily lives. Life is short and extremely special, and we really wanted to do something that brings us joy and hopefully brings joy to each person that comes through the doors or visits our web shop! We are also very grateful to our family and friends for their continued support and belief in us and our crazy ideas!

Website: https://www.allthefeelsshop.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthefeelsshop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllTheFeelsShop