Nestled within the Wisteria trees in Fremont, you'll find one of our favorite locally owned boutiques, Les Amis. Owner Becky Buford opened her shop in 1996 and is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary this year! The space she created is cozy, inviting and feels like the home of a personal friend. We are drawn to the selection of designers and how thoughtfully each piece is displayed. We want to linger and see everything. Becky has since expanded her presence in Fremont with two neighboring shops, Essenza and Liten. We spent an afternoon chatting with our friend, Emily Childress, about the boutique and the ladies who make up the Les Amis family.
"Les Amis has been here for 20 years and the fabric of the space is really personal. The Wisteria trees outside the store came from Becky's home when we first opened. Our assortment has changed over time and become a little more modern, while still carrying a few brands we’ve had since we opened. When making selections for the store, Becky puts a huge focus on quality, cut and fabric. Each brand has a story we can share and our client feels they are contributing to someone else’s story by buying them. Some of our favorite designers right now are from Japan, but we are very conscience of designers who are mostly from the US. We look at the full picture, like where they are produced and made. There is a nice balance of entry level lines and then brands like Giada Forte, Rachel Comey, Pomandere and Gary Graham that are higher end and make really special pieces, cut to order. We like to make a considered effort to have a nice assortment of pieces that are approachable to everyone."
"It really is like a family for us here! Katie is my best friend and Andrea, Evie and Tiffany all bring something very different to the shop. We each have such a strong sense of our own personal style and have worked in this market for so long, it creates a nice balance. Between the five of us we have over a hundred years of Seattle retail experience, which is so nutty to say. We love it, we love being together and our friendships go beyond working together which is special. Les Amis is a true boutique experience because we can just hang out with our customers. We know about their families and what they have in their closet. For each of us, we have a really good thing going and I feel lucky every time I go to work."
3420 Evanston Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103-8663