Lily Kantor of Serena & Lily at The Co-Co
My super fun neighbor just renovated her entire house floor to ceiling, and I have the worst case of house envy ever. The house is like walking into a Serena and Lily store, with the requisite white couches, navy pillows and beautiful natural rugs. There is something so fresh and serene about the décor at Serena and Lily that evokes a perfect summer night with a glass of rose and no mosquitos. To have this décor all year round is something to be desired and my neighbor has executed it exquisitely.
The Co-Co-hosted Lily Kanter, one of the founders of Serena and Lily for a social impact panel last month. I loved hearing Lily’s story of how she started out at a CPA , transitioned to Microsoft and then further left the corporate world to open a store selling baby linens (Mill Valley CA is one of a hand full of towns in the US where a store that sells baby linens will prosper!). On the day Lily was delivering her 1st child, Serena stopped in the baby linen store to show Lily, who she had not yet met, the fabrics she had designed. Serena was told that it may be a while before Lily could reach out given, she just had a baby. Lily actually called Serena the very next day with her day-old baby in a papoose attached to her chest. That is dedication and ambition! The day after my first child was born I still in the hospital in the fetal position trying to figure out how I was going to care for my nugget. Work was the last thing on my mind. This meeting was the beginning of the collaboration that became Serena and Lily.
They thought big and moved from baby linens, to adult linens to furniture to a lifestyle brand. Serena was the creative and Lily was the business mind. A great partnership! Here at the Co-Co there are 5 partners, all with different strengths and talents. It is a balance of creatives, techies, analysts, number crunchers and hand holders. We support and inspire each other daily. I am hoping when you walk into The Co-Co to get work done it has a welcoming vibe. You can even sit on one of our couches. (Even if they are not from Serena and Lily!)