Meet the Owner

We are a female-owned business in the heart of Alameda. Pilar was born in England and lived in Ghana and Iran before moving to the US. She received her BA from UC Berkeley and began her retail career at Nordstrom before moving to New York and working as a buyer at Cartier. She continued her career in California at Tiffany & Co. and Bloomingdale’s.

It didn’t take long for her to realize that her true passion was to start a small business. In 2009, she moved to Alameda and fulfilled her dream of opening her own shop—named Lilac after her kids, Leila and Isaac. Lilacs are also her favorite flower, symbolizing renewal, rebirth, and the promise of new beginnings, often associated with the carefree and lighthearted nature of youth.