After eight years in tech and a detour into custom resort wear with her brand Malibu Darby, Darbe Canady followed her instincts, and her wardrobe, into the world of vintage fashion. Today, she runs Sunset Club Vintage, a highly curated, appointment-only shop in San Diego known for its timeless designer pieces and stunning aesthetic.

In this episode, we talk about the highs and lows of manufacturing, how she bootstrapped her way from pop-ups to a brick-and-mortar store, and why trusting your gut might be the best business decision you ever make.

🔍 Topics Covered:

→ What Darbe learned from launching her first brand, Malibu Darby
→ Why vintage is lower-risk and higher-margin than custom apparel
→ The gut feeling that led her to Sunset Club Vintage
→ How she built traction through pop-ups and word of mouth
→ Why investing in a beautiful space can drive organic growth
→ Tips for sourcing and curating vintage inventory
→ How she balances design, operations, and storytelling
→ Advice for aspiring vintage founders

🔗 Episode Links:

→ Sunset Club Vintage: https://www.sunsetclubvintage.com
→ Darbe on Instagram: @malibudarbe
→ Sunset Club Vintage on IG: @sunsetclubvintage

🛠 Opening Soon Resources:

→ Signs and furniture for retail stores: signsandmirrors.com
→ NYC and Houston’s first self-portrait studio: fotolab.studio
→ Follow the pod: @openingsoonpodcast

On this episode of Opening Soon, we sit down with Shobha Tummala, founder of Shobha, one of the most trusted names in hair removal. With six locations across New York City and Washington, D.C., Shobha built a category-defining brand around threading, waxing, laser hair removal, and sugaring—before most people even knew what those services were.

A Harvard Business School grad and former Bain & Procter & Gamble consultant, Shobha walked away from a fast-track corporate career to open a threading salon in the back of a salon in SoHo—armed with just a handwritten letter to Vogue and a bet that New Yorkers were ready for a better beauty experience.

We talk about:
→ How Shobha opened her first salon by renting a chair from another salon
→ The handwritten letter that landed her in Vogue before she had a storefront
→ Why she bootstrapped instead of raising venture capital
→ Her approach to scaling without compromising on quality
→ The systems she built to maintain consistency across six locations
→ How she’s thinking about products vs. services in today’s beauty market
→ What she would’ve done differently (and why she didn’t pay herself for years)
→ Advice for anyone considering opening a brick-and-mortar business in 2025

Episode Specific Links:
→ Shobha Salons – https://www.myshobha.com/
→ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myshobha

Opening Soon Links & Resources
www.openingsoonpodcast.com
→ Signs and furniture for retail stores: https://signsandmirrors.com
→ NYC and Houston’s first self-portrait studio: https://fotolab.studio
→ Follow us on Instagram: @openingsoonpod

In this episode, Alan sits down with Samantha Score, the founder of Bodhe, a beautiful coworking and social club for creatives, professionals, or freelancers based in San Diego, California. Sam shares her inspiring journey of moving cross-country, building community from scratch, and launching not just one, but two thoughtfully designed physical spaces, all while working a full-time job in tech sales.

They cover:

• How a spontaneous move from NYC to San Diego during the pandemic sparked the idea for Bodhe
• The grassroots growth of the SD Network and how it became the foundation for her business
• What it really cost to open her first 275 sq ft location
• Why she didn’t want to tap her existing community to launch Bodhe—and how she built a new one
• The process behind opening a second, 1,400 sq ft space and hiring her first employees
• The reality of juggling tech sales, content creation, and running a business
• Her future plans for expansion—and why she’s leaning toward licensing over franchising

This is a story about boldness, serendipity, and scrappy execution—and a must-listen for anyone thinking about starting a brick-and-mortar space or growing a community-first business.

Episode Specific Links

• Bodhe on Instagram
• Samantha Score on Instagram
• Bodhe design by Wooters Design
• Interior curation by Terra Mar Interiors
• Artwork by Parker Heath

📩 Contact Sam: sam@bodheco.com
📍 Locations: La Jolla, San Diego

Opening Soon Links & Resources
www.openingsoonpodcast.com

• Signs and furniture for retail stores: https://signsandmirrors.com
• NYC and Houston’s first self-portrait studio: https://fotolab.studio
• Follow us on Instagram: @openingsoonpodcast