Meet Christopher Aram Ohanian | Owner & Founder of Public Estrellas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher Aram Ohanian and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher Aram, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I started by working hard and smartly to be bold in my passion for fashion. I trained myself to establish ambition and drive since I was helping out in our family’s company in Germany and continued to where my life guided me. Besides my mother, father, and brother, I had to isolate myself from everyone else to start building my vision into reality. I changed my mentality to take risks when I decided to have my own company. Owning a business, especially a physical space, has many advantages to stand out and build a tremendous reputation compared to doing it all online. Owning my professional space to the public automatically enhances who I am. Because in this space, I create my own vision, community, and utopia. I took risks to improve my self-confidence so that I became a shield. As a proud Armenian, I know what it takes to survive and continue being a warrior because we have survived to this day despite the atrocities in the past. So, I must be an example for the future and the children. Throughout my journey from a few years ago, I have been endlessly blessed to say that thanks to my capabilities and work ethic, I was able to live in Japan and Armenia to risk trying to work and live abroad for my potential business and future. In two different countries and continents, I experienced lifetime experiences that entirely grew to my absolute self.
Meaning that I discovered so much about myself to express that I am capable of anything. When I returned home, I was finally ready to launch my store, Public Estrellas. I chose the location in Lincoln Heights because it is not a fully developed area yet, and it is in the northeast of Los Angeles. My gut feelings told me this area would bloom in the following years, and I wanted to be the first Armenian entrepreneur in an area that would succeed in Lincoln Heights—taking risks so far as a 29-year-old has been bringing an abundance of joy in the growing pain every day. I must understand what it takes to work and create for myself to gather everyone because I know I am talented and creative in fashion, photography, and music. Manifestation is part of it all, to say that you must go through isolation and zero distraction daily to trust the process. I know I make it work because I am driven and fearless in any circumstance personally and professionally. Since its opening a year ago, Public Estrellas has become a fantastic shop for locals and everyone.
I also host Estrella’s bazaar, where deejays, vendors, artists, bands, and organizations come to perform, serve their service, and sell their products. The store is multipurpose, so many activities can be set up for everyone. My prices are undeniably affordable. I treat all my customers like they are part of the store. Everyone can find themselves through my selections in the store. I want everyone to feel welcome. Another risk I have adapted as I am writing this is imperfection. I never knew how to use that; now I know imperfection is success. I am mastering it every day to finally start building a team and make Public Estrellas the number-one destination for thrifting in Los Angeles and America. A risk-taking attitude must be taught and processed through experience by discovering yourself. Once it is mastered, you become unstoppable. I do not know what comfort is when we are all born with a purpose and value; otherwise, you will always do the objectives for other businesses while regretting what you could have done for yourself. We all have a purpose. Use it for longevity.

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.
I am very proud and excited about where I and Public Estrellas continue striving for. Every day is a challenge, and maintaining it has become second nature. From attaining my bachelor’s in Apparel Merchandising and Marketing at Cal State University of Northridge to working for Savers, REMAGINE, and 2ndStreet, I obtained an abundance of experiences in daily operations, whether picking up donations, uploading my selected clothes and accessories online, buying clothes off from resellers for the store, especially luxury bags, and being an assistant store manager made me have a grip to build my dream. I survived one year in business. It was not straightforward; I was taking it a day at a time. I also had to change my habits and lifestyle to prioritize what actions I needed to take more to solidify my store. It still requires a lot of sacrifice because it takes almost everything out of your personal being and time to make the store successful. I exceeded challenges by learning to be imperfect and prioritize the mornings. The lesson I am still learning is completing tasks before the store opens, four hours before 11 am. Everything is achieved more in the mornings than in the evenings in retail. I want to show the world how everyone is gifted at something that has to be used according to what you are passionate about. And if you do not have the passion, you must find that first. And surround yourself with winners, especially those who are already successful. Building a brand takes time, but sticking to your entrepreneurship journey will accelerate. Stay consistent, and take great care of yourself, too.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my family and friends visited Lincoln Heights, I would make them grab a coffee from B24 first. They make phenomenal coffee and have delicious pastries, too. Another addition to the food menu is The Heights, where they will enjoy salad, sandwiches, and pizzas. During the hot summers, I recommend that they swim at the Lincoln Park Pool, a substantial public pool that is kept very clean. Afterward, they must go to the Moroccan bar and restaurant Zizou for relief. They have a fantastic atmosphere with delicious drinks and food, and weekly deejays come to spin until midnight!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
If it were not for the continued help from my father, mother, and brother, I would not be here so far today. It means beyond this world to have an incredible family like mine. Thanks to them, I have become unstoppable through their love and support every day. I also want to share a huge thank you to the Birthright Armenia organization for making me indeed find myself. The organization stands for self-discovery through your motherland. Without the opportunities as a volunteer in Armenia, I would not have fully utilized my talents in fashion and photojournalism.

Website: www.publicestrellas.com (Under Maintenance)

Instagram: @publicestrellas (Link: https://www.instagram.com/publicestrellas/?hl=en)

Facebook: Public Estrellas

Yelp: Public Estrellas https://www.yelp.com/biz/public-estrellas-los-angeles

Other: TikTok: @publicestrellas (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@publicestrellas)

Google Maps: Public Estrellas