INFRA Blogs

In this episode of Common Roots, we’re chatting with Ariell Ilunga, Founder and Owner of Carla’s Fresh Market in Los Angeles, CA. Having just recently opened a little over a year ago, Carla’s is a new face in the Highland Park neighborhood. Nevertheless, Carla’s is already making an impact when it comes to creating an elevated shopping experience for their customers.

Ariell got her start as a fashion publicist, but dissatisfaction with her work led her down a different life path. “I’m a person who derives much of my identity from my work. So, going from being very sure of what I wanted in the fashion industry to this decade-long gap of feeling very lost… it was a challenge,” she says. Ariell says that staying curious and open to the possibilities led her to be the successful entrepreneur she is today. “If you stay open, if you stay curious, if you stay tenacious and driven, you’ll get wherever you’re going. Even if you don’t know where that is yet,” she says.

Her journey in natural foods began when she became involved with a local farmer’s market. “I showed up at a farmer’s market that I had been a customer of and had this light bulb moment of like, I’m not working right now, why don’t I just work here?” she says. “That became the stepping stone to this entrepreneurial journey, where I asked myself, how do I replicate this experience but make it available 7 days a week?”

Ariell named Carla’s Fresh Market after her late friend from college, Carla. “She was always a very good friend and supporter all my life. She passed away right before the COVID lockdown… I was grieving the loss of my friend and balancing being a full-time mom,” she says, “Carla served as inspiration to not give up on my dream and get back to work. She keeps me going every day.”

Ariell’s thoughtfulness and intentionality have shaped every facet of her business, from creating unique shopping experiences down to the sommelier-selected wines. “The first thing you experience when you walk into Carla’s is its beauty. And that’s really what sets it apart from any neighborhood store… So much thought and care went into how it looks,” she says, “and that was intentional because I, like everyone else, dread grocery shopping. We worked hard to create a warm, inviting space that felt worthy of the beautiful products we stock,” she says.

Carla’s Fresh Market carries a wide variety of local organic produce, small regional brands, and larger clean labels. Ariell says she’s excited to dive deeper into the natural foods space, especially during such an exciting and pioneering time in natural foods. “It’s really cool to meet other entrepreneurs who are trying to make delicious and sustainable products,” she says. 

She also says that small independent businesses play a vital role in the movement for a more sustainable food system. “More now than ever, I would urge people to support your local businesses… Put your dollars into the world that you want to see exist,” she says.

Listen to the full episode here.