As we welcome this new moon energy, it felt like the right moment to share another one of our musings with you.
many of you have told us how much you’ve been enjoying these letters..so yay!
this time, we wanted to get a little more personal and tell the story of how our traveling shoppe, Alkemie Road, came to life.
for most of our careers, ash and i have lived and breathed jewelry design. we’ve been in the wholesale world for 18 years with our line, Alkemie Jewelry, but our story together stretches back even further. In fact, we first met at a tradeshow in New York City nearly 23 years ago this coming May—a moment that set us on the path we’ve been walking ever since.
About ten years ago, while staying in New York, I woke in the middle of the night with a dream: we needed to create a shop. Not just any shop, but something mobile, something alive, something unlike anything we had ever envisioned before. I shook Ashley awake and said, “Honey, we need to make a shop.” We stayed up talking until the sun rose, imagining all the possibilities and feeling that spark of inspiration that only comes when a vision is meant to be born.
The journey to bring that dream into reality wasn’t simple,but the universe aligned..💫
We met the perfect local Topanga builder, Chuck Breshears—a true Renaissance man. Chuck is a magical visionary with a gift for bringing dreams into form, and together, step by step, we brought Alkemie Road to life.
At its heart are two eight-foot stained glass church windows we discovered broken, yet beautiful. We knew instantly they belonged in the shoppe. With the artistry of Larry from Dragonfly Stained Glass in Canoga Park, they were lovingly restored and transformed into breathtaking sliding glass doors. Every piece of glass in our shop carries his craftsmanship.
We also collaborated with Mario, a maestro local woodworker, who hand-carved our barn owl door,the spirit guide of our shoppe. The owl welcomes everyone who enters, carrying wisdom, protection, and mystery in every handcarved feather.
True to our values, we built the shoppe almost entirely from repurposed and salvaged materials. Our display cases were once beverage boxes. Our beams are from a repurposed redwood water tank from the 1960s. The outside of the shoppe is clad in Douglas fir salvaged from a 1920s building in downtown LA. Some of our cabinets are even key cabinets and old typeset cases, reborn into a new purpose. Every material has a history, every surface carries a story, and together they give Alkemie Road its soul.
Today, Alkemie Road is not a store—it’s our sacred space. Inside, you’ll find our full Alkemie Jewelry collection alongside vintage treasures from our travels, curated wellness and organic beauty products, sacred smokes, and curiosities we’ve gathered with love. Every corner is filled with intention, designed to be a place where people can feel inspired and connected.
We don’t have a website for Alkemie Road because this space is about connection. We want to meet you face-to-face, share stories, and help you find the perfect piece that resonates with your journey. Still, you can always discover our jewelry line online at https://www.alkemiejewelry.com, or better yet, come visit us in the canyon. Nothing compares to experiencing the magic of Alkemie Road in person.
As we move through these final days of October and look toward November—the month of gratitude and reflection—we wanted to share this story as a reminder that dreams often take shape when we stay open, trust the process, and follow the quiet call of inspiration….
We’re endlessly grateful for this community and for everyone who has supported our journey. Here’s to new beginnings, open hearts, and the beauty of what’s yet to come.
With love & endless gratitude,
Dara & Ashley
✌🏼 ❤️
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