Meet Nandi Owolo | Founder and CEO of Junk Journal Club

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

Hi Nandi, how does your business help the community?

I have had so many people tell me that Junk Journal Club is their safe space. If you open my DMs on Instagram, there are messages such as “I found the Discord in December last year, and honestly, it changed my life. I found amazing penpals and connected with a hobby I thoroughly enjoy.” Another reads “Thank you for setting the foundation for so many of us to be crafty and make friends at our own pace.” These are the kinds of comments I tend to hear, whether online or in person at our events.

We also strive to work with local artists and get them paid via Junk Journal Club, which has been a really fun initiative with our artist series events.

I’ll also add that right now, there’s so much overwhelming noise in the world, and I firmly believe Junk Journal Club is a place where one can unplug and find some reprieve. Outside of some people taking the occasional video or photo, you really don’t see a lot of phones out at our events. When you join us, it’s almost a practice in mindfulness and being present. And that’s all in addition to it being a place where one finds community, in and of itself.

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.

All of the best business ideas come as they usually do — when you’re nursing a broken foot for 8 weeks, unable to drive, and stuck at home! That’s when I came up with the idea for Junk Journal Club. For years and years, I had been attending tons of community groups and hobby meetups. I sort of became the person known in my friend group for finding all the cool things to do in LA. So, I thought, what if I start my own meetup?

It’s truly been such a journey of unexpected moments. I was laid off from my entertainment exec job back in May, which meant having more time to focus on Junk Journal Club. In these past few months of giving it my all, I’ve signed my first brand deal, booked some dream collaborations, and I mean, the LA Times just covered our 1-year anniversary party. I could have never imagined getting such a major write-up when I first started this whole thing.

When I think about what has contributed to the success of the brand, I immediately think of this post I came across earlier this year. It says, “Make it exist first. You can make it look good later.” That stuck with me immediately. I’ve since shared that post with so many friends because it’s now become my new motto. When we first started out, Junk Journal Club’s branding was honestly ugly as hell, and I was flying by the seat of my pants when it came to hosting the events. But guess what, at least I made Junk Journal Club exist. And then we jump to now, we have a new and improved logo, our brand direction is something I am incredibly proud of, and I have a set formula for our events. It just took some time! If I got hung up on perfecting everything, certain projects and ideas would never see the light of day. I’ve been able to move quite fast with Junk Journal Club because of this figure it out as I go mentality that doesn’t get hung up on perfection.

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?

I would take them to all of my favorite community groups, like Silver Lake Reading Club or Silver Lake Jams. We would most likely be spending a ton of time playing pinball at Walt’s or Revenge Of in Eagle Rock. While over there, why not catch a movie at Vidiots! I also have a lot of love for Benny Boy Brewing, and chances are they’d have something really fun on their calendar that week. I mean chicken shit bingo and live band karaoke? They really know how to program a good time over there!

Next, I live in Echo Park and have so much love for my neighborhood, so we would definitely be doing laps at the lake and then walking to Triple Beam for pizza and ice cream at Fluffy McClouds. In the past, I’ve taken out-of-town friends line dancing at Desert 5 Spot aka the only reason you’ll ever spot me hanging out in the heart of Hollywood.

Lastly, LA’s best not-so-hidden gem is Tea at Shiloh, and I think it’s a must for out-of-towners because there’s truly no place like it. I’ve traveled a lot and have yet to find a place as special and cozy as Tea at Shiloh.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Arine Dekermenjian of DJ Cries A Lot. She’s such a talented watercolor artist who has come to quite a few of our events. This past August, for our 1-year anniversary, she approached me and said she’d like to help bring something to life for me in honor of Junk Journal Club’s first birthday. I sent her my notes app of running ideas, and she ended up illustrating Junk Journal Club’s first-ever mascot, our crocodile named Ephemera. And she didn’t stop there. She also made a custom sticker sheet for our anniversary party and handcrafted a felt Junk Journal Club banner for us. It was a total fairy godmother moment. It actually made me so emotional that someone who willing to help out in that way. She insisted on doing all of that for free, so I did try to pay her back by featuring her as an artist as our last event, and she completely blew that out of the water of course!

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

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@junkjournalclubhq