Meet Helena Lau | Founder & CEO, Le Bar Marché

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

Hi Helena, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Le Bar Marché was founded in 2019 inspired by my affection for India’s beautiful craft, history and the stunning exotic gardens of Rajasthan. The initial intention for Le Bar was to be a carefully curated collection of obsessions from my travels. It was a passion project conjured up on an afternoon of meandering through Jodhpur markets with my friend in search of a good bottle of wine (no where to be found), hence the name was born.

Since then, my love of living harmoniously with nature at Casa La Femme, beekeeping, regenerative urban farming and thoughtful design has evolved Le Bar Marché to a workshop of creating beautiful sustainable products to nourish the home and soul.

What should our readers know about your business?
My most proud achievement is probably my bees and raw honey. Never did I imagine in my wildest dreams I would become a backyard beekeeper! I wonder what my previous self as an executive director in the Fashion Industry in NYC would have said if I told her this is her future. The first time I got stung was not fun. The time I got mass stung was even less fun. But the first time I tasted honey harvested from my beehive will go down in history as one of my most favorite and memorable moments in life. I now relish in being an apiarist and learning every day how to use natural practices to become a better beekeeper. Being able to share my honey with everyone is truly beyond gratifying to me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A few of my favorite places to visit:

– Lake Hollywood Park – my yoga teacher showed me this beautiful park near the Hollywood Reservoir. We would do our yoga sessions there in the wonderfully fresh morning air. It is dog friendly and also a lovely place for a sunset picnic with the Hollywood sign as the background. Definitely try yoga with Hannah Vincent at the park, Insta: @hashtaghannahv.

– Beverly Hills Hotel – a favorite is weekend brunch or an afternoon drink at the Polo Lounge. The outdoor restaurant inside the hotel is so enchanting, with impeccable service and a must-visit place on anyone’s list.

– Santa Monica Flea Market – I love a good Sunday flea market, and Santa Monica is my personal favorite. It reminds me of the antique markets I used to visit in Paris, with lots of charming furniture, home goods, clothing, jewelry and accessories. It’s also dog friendly and perfect for a Sunday morning stroll before brunch.

– Ojai Olive Oil – For a fun weekend drive outside of the city, I would recommend visiting the farm at Ojai Olive Oil. You can enjoy the beautiful scenic drive there, where they offer wonderful tastings of their oils and vinegars. And I could never resist any opportunity to visit a farm!

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?
I want to dedicate this to my mum, Vivian Luk. My first and still, the most important mentor in my life, she taught and gave me my green thumb. Learning about soil enrichment and regenerative gardening, harvesting food from our own cultivations felt so rewarding and instilled in me the affinity to appreciate and live symbiotically with mother nature. I cherish her vast knowledge of Chinese herbs and medicinal plants and making home remedies with natural ingredients from the garden. She was also my first teacher in everything arts and crafts, sewing, knitting, painting, creating. All of which culminated in Le Bar Marché.

Website: www.lebarmarche.com

Instagram: @lebarmarche

Facebook: @lebarmarche

Other: email: info@lebarmarche.com