Soto Boutique Comes to Brentwood Village

An owner of one of the latest womens' boutiques in Brentwood said when they came to the community, marking its first location on the Westside, the store needed to be a cozy homebase for its clientele.

"So when they walk in, they feel inside their own closet," said Jodi Pearlman, co-owner of Soto Boutique, which opened last October in Brentwood Village at 11724 Barrington Court.

Pearlman and her best friend and co-owner Pamela Sutton opened the first Soto, which stands for "South on Topanga," on Topanga Canyon Road in Woodland Hills in 2006. Its stylish items at quality prices allowed Soto to establish itself quickly in the Valley as a boutique for girls' and womens' clothing, Pearlman said.

"People are drawn to the Brentwood store," Pearlman said. "They say I have different things."

Clients are usually shocked at the prices when being used to paying for name brands. Pearlman said they have high-end clothing and accessories but know their clients "don't like embellishments," and prefer simple and tailored.

Pearlman noted Soto's suede leggings, animal prints and leather products are alway popular.

"We have the best scarves in the city," she said, noting slightly oversized sweaters are big right now. "Everyone comments on our soft fabrics."

Soto's attentive staff separates them from other boutiques in L.A. County, Pearlman added.

"It's old school," she said, adding they have 50 employees between their seven stores in L.A. She said many share shifts and are flexible with each other's schedules, adding a UCLA student called recently to come back.

"There's a lot of loyalty, for sure," Pearlman said, adding about their comments for customers. "It's very genuine and very honest."

Word of mouth has been the strongest avenue for Soto's exposure in Brentwood, Pearlman added, saying she's gotten a lot of new customers and plans to focus more on the Brentwood store in early 2013. She also said they plan to redo Soto's website this month.

For more information on Soto, click here.

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