Touring Women-Owned Businesses in a Fleet of Chevy Vehicles

I recently joined a team of a dozen Los Angeles-area women bloggers to participate in the Best of LA Women-Owned Businesses Tour, sponsored by Chevrolet. Together, we had a chance to experience five 2010 Chevrolet vehicles -- a Camaro, Malibu, Avalanche, and two Equinox crossovers - while we were chauffeured to four gal-owned shops to find inspiration and learn what it takes for women-owned businesses to succeed in Los Angeles.

The day-long "Best of" Tour partnered with CraveLA, who helped select the four stores started and run by dynamic entrepreneurial women. CRAVE connects urban gals to the sassiest, gutsiest, most inspiring people they need to know in town. We met at the Pacific Design Center in Beverly Hills, and my carmates were Soy Fashionista, and Thoughts of a Mommyy; during the course of the day, we took turns in each of the vehicles, chatted and learned about each other's blogs, and tweeted about the cars and our experiences in each of these fabulous women-owned businesses.

Our first stop, driving in the Chevrolet Avalanche, was Calleen Cordero Boutique, a Beverly-Boulevard shop that features footwear, handbags, belts, and accessories designed by Calleen and lovingly handcrafted in her own factory. I fell in love with a gorgeous pair of leather sandals embellished with hand-placed decorations, as well as an incredibly sexy pair of studded pumps. (Alas, both pair of shoes were out of my budget, but I can still dream, can't I?)

The Avalanche is a crossover truck that offers amazing versatility thanks to a distinctive fold-down midgate that separates the cabin from the bed and allows the convenience of a sport/utility vehicle, as well as the heavy-duty function of a pickup truck.

We arrived at our next stop in an Equinox Crossover: Studio Beautymix at Fred Segal Santa Monica for the style-savvy, cosmetically obsessed and luxury-minded women. Founded by Robin Coe-Hutshing and her sister Jennifer Coe-Bakewell as a small beauty counter at Fred Segal in Santa Monica in 1984, the store now offers unparalleled brand selection in an innovative retail environment. Studio Beautymix offers a broad assortment of prestige, impossible-to-find, au courant and niche brand cosmetics, fragrance, and personal care items all under one roof. While there, I purchased a selection from the Memoire Liquide fragrance line, and an incredibly indulgent Soft Corp body lotion.

Chevy's Equinox small crossover offers seating for five and abundant cargo space: It fits perfectly in my garage, allows me to haul my kids and their stuff, all with car-like handling and fuel economy.

Next we arrived Drybar, the first salon of its kind in Los Angeles specializing in only blowouts, chauffeured in the Chevrolet Malibu. Offering no cuts and no colors -- only a wash and style - Drybar's goal is to focus on that one thing and be the best at it. With that in mind, Drybar offers a menu of blowdry styles at a single price in a comfy environment.

As for the Malibu, a couple of years ago, Chevy completely revamped its staid and slightly boring Malibu into a roomy family sedan that combines sporty styling and great fuel economy. Promising 33 mpg on the highway, the Malibu promises better mileage than the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, and -- thanks to its lovely interior detailing comfortable and quiet ride -- looks and feels like a luxury sedan without having to pay a luxury price.

Our final stop was amazing Valerie Confections in the fabulous Chevrolet Camaro. Offering 100% hand-made confections made from the finest quality organic ingredients, Valerie Gordon crafts traditional chocolates, confections and petit four with a sophisticated palate in mind. We sampled an assortment of Valerie's incredible delights with sighs of deep pleasure at their subtle and delicious flavors, and I indulged in a jar of homemade strawberry jam. Yum!

I've been a fan of the Camaro since my first test drive last year, It doesn't matter if you're a mom or a motorhead, the classic ponycar evokes an emotional response in a way that no other car does. No, it's not a practical family car: the back seat is nearly fictional, and the trunk opening is so small that you'd never get a stroller in there, but the car is still amazing. It offers an ideal combination of retro heritage, modern technology and high performance, while also being well-priced among its competitors.

You can watch a short video highlighting each stop on our tour here.

The tour was the second in a series of "Chevy Best Of" tours that give locals in inside look at their city's offerings while experiencing the style, innovation and comfort of new Chevy vehicles. The first was a Best of LA Cupcake tour (so sorry I missed that one!) that visited the best cupcake shops in the Los Angeles area. Our tour was followed by a tour in San Francisco that highlighted the city's spectacular street food! The goal of each of these "Best of" Tours is to allow online influencers who consumers read and trust to fully experience some of the best products from Chevy's line-up in fun and practical ways. I hope to be able to experience additional "Best Of" Tours in the future and will share them with you here at AskPatty!

By Brandy Schaffels
AskPatty.com Editor