Meet Ella D’Souza & Greta Quintini | Founders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ella D’Souza & Greta Quintini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ella & Greta, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After working in the event and production industry for quite a while and producing many events in LA we noticed there was a gap in the market in the rental space. A lot of the options for rental furniture were bland, boring and low quality. We attended many luxury parties and brand events daily in LA and wanted to bring a new look and fresh perspective to that. Having experience in designing and producing custom furniture abroad, we decided to create a line of outdoor pieces that would appeal to the LA marketplace. We also expanded the business to offer home furniture for stagings, photoshoots and parties.

Shalla Creative blends elegance with eco-consciousness, offering a unique selection of sustainably made furniture produced in India, Bali, and Italy. As a small business founded by two high school friends turned business partners, we set out to make a difference in the event space. You can visit our furniture selection and product catalogue at https://shallacreative.com/ or on our Instagram @shallacreative.

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.
Ella D’souza
My career has been nothing short of chaotic and exciting. I have had over 6 jobs in different industries and companies between NYC and LA since graduating college, all of which have given me so much experience and knowledge that I am able to use in being a founder. My experience in working for start ups and small companies gave me the confidence to wear many different hats and be scrappy when need be. At the same time my experience and major corporations showed me structure and processes that are important in the expansion of a company. I like to consider myself problem solver and hard worker. No job is too big or too small to take on. The most important quality I strive to have is be nice to everyone and collaborate with friends and old colleges to help lift each other up.

Greta Quintini
I started my career in NYC, working within influencer marketing agencies. I focused on storytelling through influencer marketing campaigns, putting together strategies for brands across the CPG, fashion and beauty spaces. I worked my way up from being a part time intern, to becoming a Director and leading several portfolios of brands within my agency. When the pandemic broke out I had to quickly learn how to manage over 100 influencers on my own and carry out multiple campaigns, during a time where all the attention was on impactful online marketing, given the crisis we were all living through. My desire to be a strong leader and make an impact drove me to push through the long hours and changes to make sure to be the best marketer I could be. My agency life gave me the tools to be highly organized, strategic and persistent in my work approach, which I have been able to apply well to running my own business and building something from scratch.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Breakfast:
– Aroma Cafe in North Hollywood
– Clark Street Diner in Hollywood
– Cafe Los Feliz
– Patys in Toluca Lake

Lunch:
– Bodega Park In Silverlake
– Playita Mariscos In Silverlake
– Da Carla Ristorante Italiano & Caffe’ In Beverly Hills
– Great White
– Malibu Seafood

Dinner:
– Daichan in Studio city
– Firefly in Studio city
– Antico Nuovo in Larchmont
– Night + Market in West Hollywood

Drinks:
– Nico’s Wines in Atwater Village
– Lolo Wine Bar and Restaurant in East Hollywood
– Melrose Umbrella Co in West Hollywood
– Capri Club in Eagle Rock

Activities:
– Silverlake Flea Market
– ROW DTLA
– The Penmar in Venice
– Universal Studios
– Lake Hollywood Park
– Hike in Griffith Park
– Rollerblade In Venice Beach

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?
One of our mentors is Ella D’Souza’s father Micheal D’Souza who has been in the interior deign and furniture industry for over 30 years. He helped us gain insight and direction when designing and producing our pieces, connecting us to manufacturers around the world to identify the most sustainable materials. He has always been supportive in our journey of being women founders and business owners. He was based in London but has recently moved to Los Angeles to start flipping homes and we have had the pleasure to collaborate in the staging of these.

Website: https://shallacreative.com/

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

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/shalla-creative-north-hollywood

Image Credits
Hannah Cooper
The Luxury Level