Lilify + Life

During this tricky time, we send out our most sincere wishes of wellness, courage, adaptability, patience and grace. As of 5pm today, March 16th, Lilify + Bright Coffee will temporarily close our doors to reopen as soon as possible.

We are deeply grateful to be a part of this giving, caring community and can not wait to serve you soon.

www.lilify.com is open for online shopping and shipping. Please do not hesitate to email us if we can be of any assistance.

staystrong ♥️

In my hometown in Alaska, there is a brick and mortar artisan shop. As a little girl, I was enamored with the beautiful goods and was especially captivated by the signature gift-wrapping. For special occasions and birthdays, I was always delighted to see that wrapping waiting for me.

In high school, I started working at that same shop. I went to college in New York City yet I returned home every break to resume my position behind the register.

As I traveled the world and worked abroad, I continued to fall deeper in love with and developed an even greater respect for the charm and distinction of an artisan shop.

In 2012, after a grueling two-year renovation of a dilapidated, uninspired building with beautiful bones, we opened Lilify. It is humbling and a huge honor to have been in business for 8 years.

I, and our gracious Lilify team, love watching someone fall in love with our shop. We are also so thrilled that Lilify love can be experienced in our online shop.

I thank you for loving boutique retail and supporting the artists, makers and movers that make up Lilify.

We love love. We love the tiniest displays and littlest moments of love. We love the largest, loudest expressions and enthusiastic moments of love. And, we love all the love in between.

In February, we love being a small part of your love.

We have the most lovely, lively, loyal, loving cards. Handmade by independent makers in a variety of mediums, our card collection is humorous and heartwarming.

And, we really love that the talented Kristina Kada is coming back. Kristina Kada of Satomi Studio is a jewelry designer whose work is chic yet organic, simultaneously on trend yet classic. Kristina lives and works bicontinental, between California and Indonesia, so it is a real treat to host her while she is stateside to explore her newest work!

We hope to see you on Saturday and, most importantly, we wish you a Valentine's full of every version and vision of love.

Saturday, February 8th, 12 - 4.

January offers retreat and a celebration of calm. The holidays are joyful, abundant and ultimately a lot to absorb. The new year, the chilly weather and the California rain gratefully provide an ambience that allows a reset back to routine. 

In my garden, the moisture and heavy precipitation keep the plants both satiated and saturated. Dark mornings and darker evenings make for a few moonlit moments where I notice secret little signs of spring. The lily of the valley are already in bloom, the hellebores are thriving and I am starting to see shoots of narcissus and freesia; always the first to announce the tandem of brisk weather and the changing of the seasons.

In our shop, the beginning of a year is also a time of growth. Our team refocuses and begins the process of creating designs to welcome later in the year. Product development is detailed and gradual. It is always exciting to see our ideas and inspirations slowly unfold.

I wish you all the most beautiful bits of winter – a time of year that is a little slower and a little more serene. 

Turmeric + Lemongrass

Collaborating with lovely soap maker Connie Mardon, we intended to create a soap that was uplifting with a touch of spice. Our Turmeric + Lemongrass is anti-inflammatory and gingery, is enlivened by botanical grassiness and is handmade in Monterey.

Redwood + Juniper

Working with talented local candle maker Emmaline Molloy, we sought to create a candle that was earthy, with a touch of sap, and had the vibrancy characteristic of California woods after the rain. Our Redwood + Juniper has a bright, forest base balanced with a cedar calm and is made of all natural soy wax.

There is parity to what I am listening to and the season; when in harmony the music and the mood will be enhanced. January is always a welcome time of stillness and the albums I choose are reflective of that aura.

Born as the side project of several groups, Drug Cabin is a six-piece band out of Los Angeles. They wrote and recorded 22 songs simultaneously released on two albums, Yard Work and Wiggle Room, in 2015. Recorded to analog 8-track, the album feels warm while the vocals and pedal steel cut through at a higher register to create a sense of calm.

For me, the album highlights are the tracks “Baywatch” and “California” which capture that mellow melody best.

Sit back and enjoy these chill tunes during this chilly time of year.

Jewelry is so special - it not only adds sparkle, it truly tells a story.

The stunning jewelry that we feature at Lilify is all handmade by talented independent designers and emphasizes an organic refinement informed by the restraint of clean lines and the understated elegance of folk culture.

We love when our jewelry is gifted to a special someone to add that perfect sparkle, or purchased as an act of self love, and being a part of your story.

With a wet welcome to December, we invite you to join us as we GATHER to escape the rain and gale and celebrate the holidays!

This Saturday, we welcome Pastry Chef Yulanda Santos of Aubergine, Katie Blandin of Pearl Hour and the Ben Herod Jazz Trio.

Pastry Chef Yulanda Santos of the Michelin award winning Aubergine restaurant, will showcase and sell her most beloved holiday treats AND…

Katie Blandin of our neighboring cocktail bar, Pearl Hour, will pour handcrafted seasonal libations AND…

The Ben Herod Jazz Trio will perform!!!

We hope you can join us for a cozy, charming afternoon filled with local talent and seasonal delight! 

Saturday, December 7th, 1 - 3.  

We are thrilled, honored, humbled and extremely grateful to be a small business.

On November 30^th we invite you to join us for Small Business Saturday as we welcome local designer Shanti Rackley of Tejido.

Shanti will join us in the shop, from 12-4, with her full selection of textiles hand knit, hand woven and hand embroidered by artisans in Peru and Mexico. 

We are also beyond delighted to announce the launch of Lilify x Tejido. Handmade with fine fibers, our knit collection introduces a trio of pieces that are simultaneously luxurious and cozy.

We hope that you can join us, meet Shanti, and celebrate the small businesses that keep our community inspired, relevant and unique.

Saturday, November 30th, 12 - 4.

We are beyond delighted to announce, in collaboration with local designer Shanti Rackley, the launch of Lilify x Tejido. Handmade with fine fibers, our knit collection introduces a trio of pieces that are simultaneously luxurious and cozy.

Designed in Monterey and hand knit by artisans in the Peruvian Highlands, this collection is part of a special fair trade cooperative employing mothers in rural villages.  These women are able to work from home so they don’t have to leave their village and can watch their children as they work. 

We invite you explore our exquisite, heirloom pieces.

With the cooling temperatures and a chill in the air, we are delighted to release our WOOL collection. These silhouettes are our most popular layering pieces and they are ever so elevated by the elegance of the material.

The lightweight wool, unlined, offers a drape to the garments that is both cozy and classic. These pieces, like all of our signature apparel, are designed in house and hand sewn in Monterey.

We are beyond thrilled to introduce our Lilify line in lightweight wool.

I recently heard someone say that getting dressed is putting on your costume for the day. I couldn’t have agreed more. And, my absolute go-to costume is my apron.

Our Etta, crossover, open size, linen apron is created using a universally beloved pattern. Apron addicts love this piece, as it has no ties or buttons and big pockets.

Etta lovers in the shop continually requested a version that could also suit a man. So, we extended the straps, lowered the pockets, made the garment longer and added a waist tie. The Elliott is a unisex, utilitarian apron perfect for those desiring more coverage.

We also received many inquiries about whether our apron was suitable to wear out. Hence, we created a duster version with all the most beloved bits! Our Willa features large pockets and similar symmetry to the Etta. It is a stunning layering piece, and we have found that it is favored by teachers and makers.

The Etta, Elliott and Willa are all hand sewn in Monterey.

I hope you get the opportunity to add one of these practical yet very pretty pieces to your personal costume collection.