Inside Lany Space:
An Interview with Founder Edie for Voyage LA
At Lany Space, we're all about innovation, creativity, and making beautiful, functional spaces accessible to everyone. That's why we're excited to share an exclusive interview with Edie Yang, our founder, originally featured in Voyage LA. In this in-depth conversation, Edie reflects on her entrepreneurial journey—from her background at Alibaba to building LanySpace into a thriving brand.
You can read the original interview on Voyage LA here.
Below, enjoy the full interview as we dive deeper into Edie's story and the inspiration behind Lany Space.
Image from the interview with Edie Yang featured in VoyageLA
Hi Edie, thanks for joining us today. We'd love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I immigrated to the United States at the age of eighteen, bringing with me a wealth of experiences from my life in China. Growing up in the 90s, I witnessed the rapid development of e-commerce, which fascinated me from a young age. The convenience it brought to consumers, offering more choices at lower prices, and the way it empowered small businesses to start with minimal costs, deeply influenced my career aspirations.
After graduating, I joined Alibaba, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the world, to pursue a career in marketing. During my time there, I noticed a significant disparity between the shopping experiences in China and the United States. In China, products that were incredibly affordable could sell at much higher prices in the U.S., and Chinese consumers enjoyed a broader range of options. This realization inspired me to leverage my bilingual skills and multicultural background to bridge this gap and start a business that could benefit from the differences between these two markets.
My journey began with a personal passion—interior design. I observed that many young professionals, like myself, were interested in staging their homes beautifully but often struggled to find aesthetically pleasing furniture within their budget, especially when it came to rugs. Rugs, I realized, are not just decorative pieces but functional elements that can transform a space. However, the options available in the market were often traditional in style and prohibitively expensive.
Seeing this problem, I knew I had to act. I reached out to my best friend Vanessa, who lived in New York. She shared with me her challenges of moving five times in three years, each time having to leave behind rugs that were either too bulky or didn't fit in her new space. We both saw an opportunity to create a brand that offered stylish, affordable rugs that catered to modern tastes and lifestyles.
Photo: Edie and her co-founder Vanessa during the early days of Lany Space.
Starting a brand from scratch was a daunting task, especially since neither of us had prior experience in this field. But we were determined to make it work. After two years of hard work and perseverance, we've not only seen our brand grow, but we've also grown immensely as entrepreneurs. It's been an exciting journey, and there's nothing more rewarding than seeing our vision come to life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you've learned along the way. Looking back would you say it's been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It certainly hasn't been a smooth road for us. I believe every startup faces its own unique set of challenges, and ours was no exception—especially since Vanessa and I had little experience in the beginning. There was nothing smooth about the early days, from designing a simple website banner to setting up an email extension. We didn't receive any venture capital funding, which meant every penny spent came directly from our own pockets. My background is in marketing, and Vanessa's in human resources, but we found ourselves wearing many hats—playing the roles of designer, accountant, manufacturer, and logistics manager all at once.
Some of our struggles have been quite tangible. Last year, we faced a major setback when the transportation company we were working with, a company that had been in business for over a decade, suddenly collapsed without warning. Our products were detained by their warehouses as collateral for unpaid wages owed by the transport company. To retrieve our inventory, we had to cover these unpaid wages, which resulted in additional costs and significant delays. We called this ordeal a "natural and man-made disaster." While the financial loss wasn't astronomical, it was still a blow to our operations and morale.
Beyond these tangible setbacks, the more challenging struggles have been psychological. Three months after we launched the business, Vanessa became pregnant with her first child. It was a test for both of us—not just in balancing personal life and work but also in supporting each other through such significant life changes. This year, I also became pregnant and am expecting a baby girl this winter. Running a business is never easy, especially a women-founded business where both founders are experiencing pregnancy within the first two years. Despite these challenges, I'm grateful that we've always had each other's backs, providing unwavering support and understanding through every unexpected twist and turn.
Photo: Vanessa, one of the co-founders of Lany Space, with her baby
As you know, we're big fans of Lany Space. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a rug brand named Lany Space. Our business is centered around designing and providing affordable rugs that seamlessly blend functionality with aesthetic appeal. We understand the unique needs of young professionals living in urban settings, which is why our rugs are designed to be machine washable, pet-friendly, and lightweight—perfect for anyone who frequently moves or lives in smaller spaces.
What sets us apart is our dedication to understanding our customers' needs through meticulous research. We're not just selling rugs; we aim to bring a modern, city-inspired vibe to our customers' homes. Our rugs are more than just decor—they're a way for young people to add color, creativity, and personal style to their living spaces without breaking the bank. We believe that a simple rug can be the first step in transforming a home, showing how powerful imagination can be in creating beautiful, functional living environments.
We're incredibly proud of our brand's ability to offer high-quality, stylish rugs that resonate with the lifestyle and tastes of today's young professionals.
We invite your readers to explore our story further and see how we can help them transform their spaces by visiting our website: https://www.lanyspace.com
Photo: Edie and Vanessa, two years into building Lany Space together.
Let's talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Our brand's identity is closely tied to the spirit of the cities that inspire us, particularly Los Angeles and New York. In fact, our brand name, “Lany,” is a blend of these two iconic cities, paying homage to the dynamic energy and creativity they embody. Having lived in Los Angeles for over a decade, I've become deeply enamored with the city's sense of freedom and its vibrant, artistic environment.
What I love most about Los Angeles is the vast array of opportunities it offers to young professionals like us. Here, it feels like you can be anything you want to be—whether that's an actor, entrepreneur, tech innovator, or any other role. Los Angeles truly has everything you need; you just have to be willing to pursue it.
However, like many large cities, Los Angeles has its challenges. One of the biggest drawbacks is the rising cost of living, which has only been exacerbated by inflation, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. It's concerning to see this become a potential barrier for people who love the city but are finding it increasingly difficult to afford. This challenge is also a driving force behind our mission at Lany Space—to offer young people more options to maintain a balanced and high-quality lifestyle without breaking the bank.