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 "NIR" PERFECTION
This stylish sir runs his business with love and a commitment to community
Company: Just One LA
Owner: Nir Zilberman
Established: Fall 2007
Contact: 7978 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA; 323.848.8088; justonela.com
Type: Fashion lounge & salon
INSTINCT: Just to make sure—your name’s pronounced “near,” right?
NIR ZILBERMAN: Yes, it is.
Oh good. I was afraid I’d mispronounce it and you’d hate me for it.
Oh no, I love you already, honey. [Laughs]
What was it that made you move to the States to work in fashion?
Well, as a kid I always wanted to come to the United States because I’m from Israel; I’m from a country that has soldiers, terrorists and wars. As a kid I used to collect American flags and I would always say, “Mom, when I get older I’m going to America.” When I turned 17, I moved to the States and I’ve loved it since then. I love every moment of it.
Were you completely hooked on fashion from the beginning?
When I was 11, I knew I was going to be a hairdresser. So, professionally, I’m also a stylist. I was very successful. I opened my first salon when I was 21, and about three years ago I sold all my salons to a big corporation. I decided to keep one of them, and that became Just One L.A.
Was there something you did with it that was entirely unique?
I decided to make it more New York, more SoHo. What’s missing from other stores is culture. You usually walk in, buy stuff and you go. You don’t find culture—I think it’s so important, because style and clothes are so much a part of people’s image. So when I designed my store, it was about culture.
By more “New York,” are you talking more boutique-ish? More charming?
I mean it has a mezzanine, it’s all very heavy steel, very dark walls…but it’s all environmental. I’m very into the environment—since 1987. Everything I use is environmentally friendly; it’s not tested on animals. But when I think of New York, I think of fun, excitement. I don’t see SoHo as very clean, white walls. People ask me all the time, “Why don’t you have a store in San Francisco?” or “Why don’t you have a store in New York?” because it really feels out of place in L.A.
So why “Just One L.A.”?
The main reason was that to me, there’s no other place like Los Angeles. We’re a salon with an almost two thousand-square-feet boutique. It’s so different than any other store around here. Another reason is that I’m so into the global environment and the community. When I decided to do Just One L.A., I didn’t see other stores put so much energy into the community. And what’s helped me be so successful is, since 1987, I’ve been doing fundraising for the gay and straight communities. The last reason is, when the customer walks into my store, he or she is the only one there. When you walk into my store, you’re the only king, the only queen.
What else is the customer experience like?
The first sixty seconds you’re in my store, you’re greeted and someone offers you coffee, tea or fresh juice. We don’t wait for you to shop and then ask you. When you walk in, I show you I love you, and that you don’t have to spend money for me to love you. We love you just for walking in. If I give you the best experience, most likely you’re not going to leave without buying stuff. We don’t “sell” in my boutique. I think this is one of those important things that I should tell you—in my store we don’t sell, people buy. People go home not feeling that I’ve sold them anything. They feel like, “Wow, I bought this, nobody pushed me to get it.”
So, it’s all about the customer service.
For two and half years I was working for Estée Lauder and I was actually the Global Educator for customer service. For all the stores in New York, Canada and London, I would actually train their teams how to treat people when they walked into the door. I always tell people to just imagine that every person who walks into your store is your grandma or grandpa—then you will be successful. If you can think of everyone as someone’s mother, or someone’s father—guess what?—you’ve just created a culture of loving people without even knowing them.
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Instinct Online 
written by Masoud on January 03, 2008
Nir the owner of Just One LA is one of the kindest beings one can ever meet. His energy and love of people is amazing.
written by Bart Stevens on January 09, 2008
Nir is beautiful INSIDE and OUT and so GENEROUS. He always makes me feel good when I am in his store and I love his honesty and gorgeous attitude! He's definitely NIR PERFECTION!!!