One of the most Instagrammable walls in Los Angeles is on the corner of Melrose and Laurel Ave, on the side of Cisco Home’s storefront. The text reads, “MADE IN LA” in big, bold letters with Cisco’s logo on the top right corner.
Five years ago, Small Green Door conceptualized and installed the now famous wall for our good friend and client, Cisco Pinedo.
At the time, our main goal was to increase foot traffic to Cisco’s store. We wanted to boost their presence on the busy block, giving them a way to stand out in the brand name abyss of Melrose’s shopping district.
We wanted a simple, meaningful design-- something that encapsulates Cisco, his family, and his brand. Since all of their furniture is sourced from and made in the LA area, and the family-owned and operated business has three different locations across the city, it made sense for us to highlight the roots Cisco Home has here.
Once the design was set, it was time to start the installation process.
The biggest challenge we faced was figuring out how to actually get our design on the side of Cisco’s store. The wall had an anti-graffiti coating layered over it and it would’ve been impossible to paint directly on it. Instead we used an old-school graffitti technique, a Xerox ink transfer, to put the mural up.
Immediately after we finished, people started coming up to the wall to take a look and snap a picture. We noticed an influx of MADE IN LA hashtags, photos, and blog posts flooding social media, but thought the traffic may slow down after a couple weeks.
We were wrong. The posts and hashtags kept coming, and soon bigger outlets were featuring the MADE IN LA wall in their stories and headlines. To date, there have been over 10,000 tags and posts of the wall on Instagram alone!
This sustained response inspired us to work with Cisco on a new endeavor: a MADE IN LA clothing line. You can now stop by Cisco’s store on Melrose and pick up a MADE IN LA t-shirt or raw denim jacket, with a few more pieces soon to come. In true Cisco fashion, every article of clothing is sustainably handmade, so you know you’ll be getting a quality item that’s not only MADE IN LA, it’s made to last.
