Meet Pat Shen | Small Business Owner & Artist

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

Hi Pat, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’ve always been the type to lean into risk, generally a jump-now-think-later kind of person. It hasn’t always served me well, but nine years into my business, I’m realizing how much we have to be willing to take those leaps in order to get anywhere. I left law school after two years, betting on this vision of a creative company that was dreamt up during class and all the minutes in between. I hadn’t picked up a paintbrush since I was 15 and had no formal art training. Opening a curated gift shop on a big street of our small, neighborhood suburb, staying in paper when the whole world is saying digital – these are all decisions that may not be for the faint of heart. I think the hard thing about taking risks for most people is not the possibility of failure, it’s the probability of it. Many of the decisions we make turn out to be wrong ones, many choices don’t open the floodgates. But then, that huge product release, a kindred spirit connection with a customer, we’re brought back to a beautiful spark that remind us to stay committed to the reason why we started in the first place.

What should our readers know about your business?
Our Heiday is a stationery and gift brand that I started from the living room of our downtown LA apartment nine years ago. We create beautiful products to inspire human connection – that perfect card for the occasion or wrapping paper you’ll want to slow down and use to gift someone you love. Our product offerings range from these gifting essentials to products for your desk and art for your walls. As the artist, I paint and hand letter all of our collections. You can find us in small shops throughout the country, select shops internationally, and on our online shop. You’ll also find our agendas at Target in collaboration with Blue Sky, a selection of art prints at Artfully Walls, and seasonal products at Anthropologie. We’re also so excited about our first goods & gifts shop, Sidebloom, which we opened in November of last year in the foothills of La Crescenta.

Because we believe in people first, all of our products are created with hospitality in mind – we’re inviting people in to share stories, share life. Slowing down to write someone or gift thoughtfully are ways to do that. We love hearing that our customers can feel the warmth behind our designs. As the world becomes increasingly fast and digital, it’s our goal to create opportunities for pause, to come back to our relationships and intentionally take time for another. Moments of togetherness are what we’ll carry with us. Sidebloom has been amazing because it’s a space where we can physically offer this ethos and we love seeing how it inspires people to love others well.

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?
LA has always been home and I love our city. We have such vibrant food and culture with access to the mountains and coast. My ideal week long trip would cover a few different neighborhoods, probably starting in downtown – a cup of coffee at Verve, a walk through Grand Central Market, and dinner at Bestia. We’d make time to do Korean bbq in Ktown, street tacos on the eastside, a picnic dinner and concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Will Rogers State Beach in Malibu and a trip to the Getty would be great to do together. Chinese food in the San Gabriel Valley would definitely take up another day. The food scene is always changing and with two little ones, it’s hard to keep up now, but my husband and I would love trying new restaurants during our dating and early married years. Doing a food tour through LA sounds about right.

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 successes are never our own and I wouldn’t be here without the love and support of my husband, Clarence. He is my biggest cheerleader, my most grounding counsel, a wise truth-teller. I also owe so much to my sister, Dot, who was in business with me for 7 years before she transitioned to other callings. Our relationship and what she poured into the company has shaped so much of where we are. And to my parents, who believed we could do anything.

Website: ourheiday.com and sidebloomshop.com

Instagram: @ourheiday @sidebloomshop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ourheiday and https://www.facebook.com/sidebloomshop

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sidebloom-glendale

Image Credits
Hyeyoon Sol