7910 Ivanhoe Avenue | 858-352-6398 | beboutiquesd.com
by Robby Robinson
Lisa Harrison opened her absolutely adorable ladies’ clothing boutique in La Jolla, April 2021. The talented and entrepreneurial Ms. Harrison chose 7910 Ivanhoe Avenue as the new home for Be Boutique.
Ms. Harrison was raised in Los Angeles, graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and landed a job right out of the gate at I. Magnin, San Francisco.
Good start – yes? She went on to work at Nordstrom (fab), Saks (oooh), and then – the one and only Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills – and even better – Neiman Marcus Couture. Gee, I wonder if she encountered any movie stars?! She did! However, Lisa is too polite to share any good gooey gossip star stories, but there were hints of a little something around Jamie Lee Curtis-nope -my lips are sealed.
The rockin’ retail resume continues as Ms. Harrison went on to work in various buying offices and became a personal shopper. She leaped into the wholesale gift industry selling to everything from hotels to museum shops – aren’t they just the best?! After 14 years in the gift industry with Anne McGilvray & Co., Lisa retired to marry and raise her foster daughter. Fast forward 9 years. No longer married, Lisa and a friend opened a consignment shop on Solana Beach’s Cedros Avenue and sold upscale designer dresses once worn – or even never worn. She hunted around thrift and consignment stores for her treasures. Her favorite find – a simple black Oscar de la Renta sheath that she purchased for $30 at the Helen Woodward Thrift shop.
Her next stop – Little Italy, where she opened Bubbles Too Boutique with a partner. A year later in 2016, Be Boutique was born. All was humming along in her contemporary ladies’ clothing and gift boutique when – boom- Covid emerged. Twelve months later, stars lined up -a lease came available, and Lisa was able to move Be Boutique to 7910 Ivanhoe. Now she’s back in her hood – at last – and close to her elderly mom who needs much TLC. Fun Fact – Lisa’s first retail job was in La Jolla at Wagener European Fashions. The Wagener’s daughter, Andrea is now Lisa’s social media manager and merchandiser at Be Boutique. Yay for serendipity, circles of life, and happy endings!
Retail, clothing, and gorgeous taste are in Lisa’s DNA. Her grandfather was a dress manufacturer and retailer in New York and Lisa’s grandmother was his designer. Clothing genes (and jeans) flowed down to her dapper dad and Grace Kelly look-alike mom. Lisa likes her father’s style to that of Cary Grant. He had impeccable taste and finished off his look with chic black eyeglasses. Handsome.
Be Boutique is chock full of casual and wearable contemporary clothing and beautiful accessories. All of the inventory can be seen from the doorway entrance – uncomplicated! The jewelry is all made by local designers. Cheerful tops, jackets, and dresses decorate the store.
Lisa is excited about her favorite denim line – Liverpool. “I love Liverpool jeans because they are so comfortable”, states Lisa. “They move with me as they have a bit of spandex in them for added stretch. And they have so many awesome styles -gliders, skinny, cropped, frayed, flared, slim and straight. There’s a style of jeans for everyone. I just love this company – they are a dream to work with and I’m thrilled to be a Liverpool Destination Store.” And what fashion advice does tastefully dressed Lisa give to her homegrown boyfriend from Leucadia when they go on a dinner date – “Honey, please no flip flops or vintage T-shirts tonight!”
How about a few facts regarding denim that might just knock your white Adidas off?
Seriously- I’m hiding behind my sunglasses as I tell you the best way to care for your denim. It comes from denim experts on YouTube, Google, Instagram, and grandmothers. Wash your jeans – and NOT too often – with Woolite on the cold cycle. Spot clean the stains or dirt but seriously preserve them by minimizing the washing machine runs. Hang dry or fluff dry.
The average woman owns 7 pairs of jeans. The average man owns 6.
The most popular shades of denim are dark indigo, light wash blue, grey, and black.
I’m saving the best for last. Here are the most expensive jeans ever sold. Hold on!
- Guess jeans – $400
- Earnest Sewn Custom Fit – $1000
- Dolce & Gabbana – $1200
- Roberto Cavalli – $1200
- Gucci Jeans – $3100
- APO Jeans – $4000
- Escada Custom Made Jeans – $10,000. (You may request Swarovski crystals)
- Levi Strauss & Co. 501- $60,000. (Sold at auction and were from the 1880s)
- Dussault Apparel Trashed Denim – $250,000. (Contain diamonds, rubies, and rose gold).
- Secret Circus – $1.3 million. (Unique diamond-designed pockets). Soooo, one could buy a couple of houses – or – buy a pair of Secret Circus jeans. I’ll get back to you on that.
Come and visit Lisa and her little dog, Daisy at the shop. Be Boutique has so much more to offer than clothing and accessories. Lisa is as knowledgeable as it gets about fashion, fit, and, just, all-around facts of life.
