BUSINESS
THOUGHTFUL AND CONTEMPORARY Urbanic Paper Boutique offers a curated selection of creative gifts STORY BY NICOLE BORGENICHT | PHOTO BY SAM DRYFUS
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udrey Woollen’s magical store, Urbanic Paper Boutique at Free Market Playa Vista, is in fashion but not trend driven. “Urbanic is a blend of natural, cotton paper, warm earthy colors and textures, mixed with style and a twist of inspiration from urban lifestyle,” Woollen says. “It is urban mixed with organic.” The boutique carries a curated selection of beautiful and unique cards, stationery, wrapping paper, party supplies, desk accessories and small gifts. Its best sellers are signature candles, greeting cards, stationery, notebooks and pens. Woollen doesn’t base her business on trends though. She buys items with themes and designs that are popular across industries such as art, design and fashion, but not simply for the sake of being on trend. Urbanic changes with each season, but what doesn’t change is the character of the shop. “The brand is aesthetic, street and stylish,” Woollen says. “There are softer colors of a female undertone, a lot of muted colors and color stories for each season. There are also seasonal and holiday gift boxes.” After Woollen received her bachelor’s degree in journalism, public relations, and advertising from Temple University in Philadelphia, the New York fashion industry swept her up as a designer sales rep. Working in New York, Woollen represented high-end contemporary individual designers showing their new lines and collections, setting up trade shows, traveling and selling. “I learned the wholesale side of retail all over the country,” Woollen says. In 1998 she began working in downtown Los Angeles, selling in showrooms and at market, many of the designers she’d represented in NY. Eventually Woollen went freelance, working all trade shows and servicing boutiques. “It was fun and exciting, lacking sentiment,” Woollen says. “My ah-hah (Continued on page 24) 22 22 PLAYA PLAYA VISTA VISTA DIRECT DIRECT || DECEMBER DECEMBER 2021 2021
Audrey Woollen, who has a background in design and retail, is the founder of Urbanic Paper Boutique at Free Market Playa Vista.
