Four days. Two very full duffle bags. One unforgettable customer moment. A whole lot of vintage treasures. And a dream-come-true TV appearance.
Also? My first trip away from my kids this year. Huge, giant, heartfelt shoutout to my brother and our amazing nanny, Gabby, for helping make it happen. Leaving the kids is never easy, but having people you trust in your corner makes all the difference.
And boy, did I make those four days count.
I started the adventure with a little top-secret mission: touring potential new real estate spots for Flea Style and Heirloom Haul. I'm keeping the location under wraps for now, but here's your hint: it would be a brand-new state for both brands.
I took an early flight and hit the ground running, touring for six straight hours and seeing about a dozen possibilities—from mid-century modern spaces to popular shopping centers to a seriously cool hotel. I'm still digging into all the details, but if something sticks, we could be opening store number 11 in a very fun new state. Stay tuned, y'all.
From there, I flew straight to Orange County. I grabbed my rental car, cranked up some old-school Eagles, rolled down the windows and headed for my Laguna Beach cottage. That night, I had dinner at one of my favorite spots in town, Broadway. The skirt steak is a MUST, and the espresso martini? Excellent.
The next morning, I was at the Laguna Beach store right when the doors opened, arms overflowing with product and window vinyls and ready to jump in with the team.
But the Flea Style gods had a different plan.
Waiting at the door was Stephanie, a longtime follower and fan who was visiting with her husband to celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary. His gift to his gorgeous bride and the mother of five boys? A Flea Style hat.
You better believe I dropped everything. Literally.
Once we got inside, Stephanie chose a blush Landry short-brim (shop similar) and pulled out a little cardboard box filled with family treasures: her grandmother's rhinestone necklace, a floral brooch and ivory round stud earrings from her father.
For the next hour, we laughed, cried and created the most incredible one-of-a-kind hat. We layered on fabric bands, vintage lace from one of my recent flea market hauls and, perhaps my favorite detail, five tiny gemstone charms—one for each of her boys.
Every single piece had meaning. Every detail told a story. And Stephanie's maximalist style made the whole thing ridiculously fun. It’s honestly one of my favorite hats I've ever made.
And moments like that are exactly why I started Flea Style. Not just to sell vintage things or make pretty hats, but to help people turn the things they already love—the heirlooms, memories, funky little treasures and family stories—into something they can actually wear and carry with them.
After that, I met my parents for Mexican food and a margarita at my favorite childhood spot, Moreno's. Then I visited friends who are more like family and toured their beautiful new home. I nearly squealed when I walked in and saw How to Style a Hat sitting right at the top of their coffee-table book stack. What an honor.
Then came Old Orange, my childhood stomping grounds and, honestly, one of the places that shaped me, Flea Style and Heirloom Haul.
This is the oldest antiques district west of the Mississippi, and every time I'm there, it fills my cup in a way that's hard to explain. It brings back childhood memories, but also memories of those scrappy early days of building these companies when I used its four streets as inspiration for my every business move.
And, of course, I found some treasures: vintage brooches for the hat bars and an old iron planter fixture for Laguna Beach that turned out to be perfect for displaying hatbands.
The next morning, I was on the road at 8 a.m. for the Long Beach Antiques Show—my favorite flea market in the world. Don't get me wrong, I love Round Top. I love the Paris Flea. But Long Beach just has a way of hitting the jackpot for me.
I scored brooches, vintage matchbooks, belt buckles, bolo ties, more Levi's cutoff denim shorts and the most amazing silver chain belts that we're going to reimagine into western hatbands. Just wait until y'all see these pieces. They'll be hitting the hat bars next week and throughout fall, and I’m so excited to see them live on and in style.
I wrapped the day back at the Laguna store installing window vinyls, helping merchandise new arrivals and, most importantly, loading up fixtures, books and hats for a TV segment on KTLA (watch here).
Yes, y'all. Flea Style got a five-and-a-half-minute segment on KTLA—LA's biggest television show!
So, on my final day, I woke up at 5 a.m., threw myself together, packed my bags and hit the 405 for Los Angeles. Two hours later, I rolled into Warner Bros. Studios with a rental car packed to the gills with hat bar magic.
The KTLA crew and producers were so kind. The green room was everything you imagine: photo booth, delicious bagels, hair and makeup at your command. And the segment was natural, fun and full of everything I love about Flea Style.
