Daily Bulletin 3/15/02 Mother, daughter team open upscale yarn shop By DIANA SHOLLEY Staff Writer What started out as an activity to pass the time on a long Metrolink commute has turned into a business opportunity for Gina Brown. Feb. 9, after countless hours crocheting hats, scarves and afghans on the 90-minute ride, Brown and her mother, Savella Brown, opened Bourgee (pronounced Boo-jhee) Boutique, an upscale yarn store in downtown Upland. The idea for the venture started to take form last year while Gina Brown rode the rail from her Pomona home to her job in Hollywood. During the trip Brown would crochet. It relaxed her and filled the long, stagnant hours. Many of her fellow riders commented on her creations and several offered to buy them. At the time, Brown worked as a production supervisor for various television shows at Oxygen Network and co-workers were also impressed with Brownâs designs and interested in owning a Brown original. Brownâs first love lies in the production end of the entertainment field. She has a bachelorâs degree in broadcast journalism with an emphasis on television production and a masterâs degree in leadership and management, both from the University of La Verne. However, she could not ignore the popularity and intrigue people had in her outerwear. Brown told her mother about all the positive feedback she was receiving for a pastime she learned when she was 8. Together, the two women decided to become a mother/daughter entrepreneur team and open the posh boutique. Brown said that she and Savella, an experienced knitter, believe there is a demand for a place that specializes in hard-to-find yarns. They also believe there would be public interest in learning how to knit and crochet and plan to hold classes in the old-time art form."I am looking forward to working with my daughter," Savella Brown said. "We are very bonded to one another." Savella described her daughter as a go-getter who has many talents and an inner zest for life. The store stocks yarns spun from silk, mohair wool and other unique materials. It also stocks avant-garde color blends and distinctive styles of yarns from such quality manufacturers as Adriafil, Filati, Unique Kolors, Encore and Berroco. Prices for skeins, the unit in which yarn is sold, run between $4 and $15. Bourgee also sells bamboo knitting needles and wooden crochet hooks. Bourgee Boutique is at 134 North 2nd Ave., Suite L, in the downtown Upland indoor mall. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Sundays and Mondays. Classes are now being formed. For days, times and cost call Bourgee at (909) 982-2300. Diana Sholley can be reached by e-mail at d_sholley@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-8542. CONTACT: Dana Sarbeck 213-361-8166 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE HAUTE CROCHET LA Designer Gina Hutchinson Brown Puts a New Hook on an Old Tradition With fashion's return to romance using intricate patterns and materials - an art has re-emerged that once was the style of the day - crochet. However, the latest designs aren't like grandma used to make, crochet has emerged as a runway accessory using super plush, high-end materials. The hottest designs are from the hands of Southern California designer Gina Hutchinson Brown, whose pieces have made fans out of celebrity clientele including Halle Berry and Drew Barrymore. The newest collection by Brown consists of her signature scarves, shawls and four new poncho designs (accessorized by fringe, beads and leather). Predominant hues include cozy caramels, wintry whites, warm reds and more. Styles are created with combinations of ribbon yarns, textured yarns, novelty yarns and various metallic eyelash yarns. "The must-have design this fall is definitely the pullover poncho," explains Brown. "It will be made out of a special boucle yarn and will have some interesting accoutrements hanging from the body of the garment." Since beginning her designs in 1999, Brown's pieces have become popular in her native Southern California - available at the upscale Henri Bendel, in New York, Tres Jolie, in Beverly Hills, and at Moselle in Santa Monica, Marie's in Dana Point and Tobi Blatt in San Diego. For more information on hand-crocheted designs by Gina Hutchinson Brown, contact Toll free Tel: 1 (866) RUBOOGHEE or visit the web at www.rubooghee.com.