All in a Day's Work

On Labor Day, we celebrate workers and the union movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But we're also celebrating the workers of today. So here at Patch, we talked briefly with a small slice of the working population in the neighborhood, including several retail workers.

A recent graduate, Emily Wilson is a newcomer to Los Angeles from Florida looking to build her acting career. In the meantime, she's working at the Jane boutique at 13038 San Vicente Blvd.

"I'm just a sales representative," she said. "It's helping customers pick out outfits, updating them on what's new."

The best part of Wilson's job?

"I really enjoy fashion and seeing what's new and how the styles and trends develop," Wilson said. "I find it really interesting."

The not-so-fun part?

"It can be slow at times because we rely on foot traffic," Wilson said.

We also spoke wtih Shiva Afzali, who did not want to be photographed. Still, she was happy to talk about the three years she has worked at the Edelweiss Chocolates store at Brentwood Country Mart.

The best part of her job is working with the children who come in, she said.

"Sometimes they're bothering me, but I totally love kids," she said.

It does get a bit frustrating when customers can't make up their minds, said Afzali, who immigrated here four years ago from Iran. But she doesn't mind much and is glad to be working.