Billie Lopez
Owner
ReForm School
Los Angeles, CA

Billie Lopez opened her art, craft, and design shop ReForm School in 2005 along with longtime friend Tootie Maldonado. Though the women started out by renting a small corner inside a friend's shop in Echo Park, the store has since blossomed into a neighborhood institution and is now housed in its own space in the Sunset Junction area of Silver Lake.

ReForm School seeks to merge contemporary craft with sustainable design, with a definite focus on one-of-a-kind wares. Lopez feels that supporting the creative endeavors of independent artists is one of the best things about owning a shop. ReForm School's unique "Student of the Month" program has seen them collaborating with creators such as Julia Rothman, Amy Ruppel and Alyson Fox to produce limited edition, exclusive artwork just for the shop.

In early 2009 ReForm School teamed up with local craft author Jenny Ryan to open their new Home Ec. Department, which offers a varied roster of hands-on DIY classes as well as hard-to-find supplies. Now their customers can shop handmade while learning to create it, too.

A talented multi-tasker, Lopez nutures not only a growing business, but also three young daughters with her husband Adan.