My L.A. Fashion celebrating six years of chic

Whether in the market for designer jeans, a trendy pair of boots, a rhinestone-adorned tank top or a soft, colorful blouse, My L.A. Fashion owner Cami Hunt has customers covered.

In the heart of downtown, My L.A. Fashion is celebrating six years in Monroe with a customer appreciation event 7-9 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at 110 E. Main St., next door to Main Street Books. The celebration will include refreshments and a gift certificate giveaway every half hour. Each guest will receive a chocolate complete with a surprise discount, valid for the night of the event.

My L.A. Fashion features women's apparel, including shoes, jeans, dresses and tops, plus a complete selection of accessories ranging from jewelry to sunglasses to purses and scarves. Hunt also carries men's apparel, including fashion jeans, shoes and shirts.

To Hunt, it's all about customer satisfaction.

"I'm here to make people feel better about themselves,GÇ¥ Hunt said. "I'm here to make them feel happy. I think clothing is a joy, in my opinion.GÇ¥

My L.A. Fashion is owned by Hunt and her husband, Rusty, a longtime firefighter with Monroe's Fire District No. 3. The two will celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary this year, and are parents to three daughters; Nichole, 26, Natalie, 24, and Britney, 19. Hunt was a bus driver with the Monroe School District for 13 years, but always dreamed of owning her own clothing store. She wanted to set her own hours, be her own boss and perhaps create a legacy for their girls.

She talked about it with her husband frequently, and finally one day he said, "let's do it.GÇ¥

Hunt had some background in fashion, and expanded her experience while working at places like the Bon Marche and Fashion Conspiracy, which was located inside the Everett Mall. She is passionate about style and loves experimenting with different looks, which has served her well as an entrepreneur. When she was scouting out locations for her store, she walked into the empty space on East Main Street and instantly knew where everything would go.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing. When she went to the bank to apply for a loan, she was told it wasn't a good time to start a new business. Not ready to give up, she had to get resourceful and began saving money from her job as a bus driver, using it to purchase merchandise. Knowing she had the support of her husband who encouraged her to follow her dream, she decided to go with her gut and follow her instincts.

"Something in my heart said, "open the store, do it, I think you're going to be OK,' GÇ¥ Hunt said.

Initially, Rusty and Cami hoped that opening a clothing boutique in Monroe would serve to keep their daughters off the highway. Being involved in the fire service in the Sky Valley, Rusty and Cami are only too aware of the hazards of U.S. 2 and S.R. 522.

"It didn't work,GÇ¥ Hunt said. "It was the moms shopping here, not the kids ' the kids like to go to the mall. But I thought it was a good idea at the time.GÇ¥-á -á

Hunt named the store My L.A. Fashion because of the joy she and her family experienced every year during family vacations to places like Disneyland, Los Angeles and San Francisco. She loved the festive feel of the chic California boutiques they would visit while on vacation, as they always had such an amazing time when they went.

Those family shopping adventures were part of what inspired her to open the store, Hunt said.

"I said, "I want to bring that into Monroe,' and that's when Rusty said "Do it,' GÇ¥ Hunt said.

The first three years were pretty successful, she said, and now she is looking forward to a season of growth. She decided to postpone her five-year anniversary celebration because of last summer's downtown construction, and is ready to move forward. Hunt makes an effort to continually offer affordable, new merchandise to keep the store interesting, and is excited to increase her customer base. She strives to keep her pricing realistic, and is hopeful that Main Street will once again start to bustle.

She has found owning a business to be rewarding, and loves the looks of elation on her customers' faces when they try on something fun that they might not have ordinarily selected to wear.

Her biggest goal is that her customers leave happy; whether they buy anything or not. -á -á

My L.A. Fashion has established a core base of customers over the years that come from places like Seattle, Arlington, Issaquah and Federal Way to shop. Hunt said she's been the saving grace for guests arriving in Monroe to visit a family member at the correctional complex, who get turned away because their clothing doesn't adhere to the strict prison dress code.

Hunt said she loves to witness the surprise on a new customer's face as they explore the store for the first time.

"I hear it all the time ' the amazing people that come and say, "you have a gold mine here, I can just see it,' GÇ¥ Hunt said. "It's a little hidden treasure.GÇ¥

Manager Bobbi Atchison has worked at the store for three years, and is greatly valued by Hunt, who refers to her as her partner and "right hand.GÇ¥

"Cami is awesome,GÇ¥ Atchison said. "She genuinely cares about her customers. It's not about the money for her; it's the passion, it's the drive. This is genuinely her baby.GÇ¥

In order to boost visibility of the store and promote their merchandise, Hunt and Atchison create the "Outfit of the Day,GÇ¥ which they broadcast on various social media outlets. The outfit of the day will typically feature an entire ensemble, including clothing, footwear and accessories.

While the clothes at My L.A. Fashion don't necessarily fall into one particular category, the store has found a bit of a niche among performers. Hunt boasts an esteemed list of clientele, as many well-known musicians have come to enjoy shopping at her store. Atchison, the lead singer of a band called Latigo Lace, first stumbled across the store when she was looking for an outfit to wear on stage.

"The whole reason I started working here was I started coming here for stage wear,GÇ¥ Atchison said. "This was my go-to for every gig, and everything that I started wearing on stage that I got here, I still have and I still wear to this day. Those are my staples; those are always in my wardrobe bag.GÇ¥-á

Steve Lynch, famed guitarist of the 1980s band Autograph, shops at My L.A. Fashion when he's in town, plus numerous local musicians, including Brenda Kashmir, formerly with the Heart tribute band Heartless and now with Barracuda, Ted Walker of Lost Dogma and Pamela Moore of Queensr++che fame. Moore, who lives in Seattle, earned widespread recognition as the voice of Sister Mary on the concept album "Operation: Mindcrime.GÇ¥

Moore said she loves shopping at My L.A. Fashion.

"Cami is awesome,GÇ¥ Moore said.

For more information about My L.A. Fashion or to see the outfit of the day, visit www.facebook.com/MYLAFASHION.-á