By Judy Goddess

Potted plants and a rack of colorful shirts welcome visitors to TRY Studio, a new Sunset District store crammed with vintage goods. Once inside, visitors are greeted with carefully selected clothing, jewelry and gift items as far as the eye can see.

TRY Studio is owned and staffed by twins Ari and Poy Ariyapakdee, originally from Thailand. Most days of the week – except for Wednesdays when they are closed – one of the twins can be found behind the counter. Their goods come from estate sales, other secondhand stores and some items even come from the market in Ban Phi, their small farming village in Northeast Thailand.

“It’s good for our village, and we love introducing our customers to our country,” Poy said. The next time the sisters visit their family in Thailand, they plan to return with more purses and baskets.

Sunday Streets introduced the Ariyapakdee twins to the Sunset. They had exhibited their vintage selections at other markets in Oakland and Walnut Creek, but the reception they received at the Inner Sunset market was special.

“Our booth was very successful, and the people were so friendly. We felt it would be a good place to open a store,” Ari said.

After exploring the neighborhood, they found an empty store front at 1148 Irving St. – close enough, they hoped, to the shopping mecca at Ninth Avenue and Irving Street.

“We know retail is difficult with people buying online,” Poy said. “We opened after the pandemic. People called us crazy, but we had to try. We didn’t want to regret not trying.”

Ari added, “We named it TRY Studio because we’re trying to succeed.”

Initially, they bought clothes that met their own tastes.

“Subdued colors, browns and grays,” Poy explained.

When their customers asked for prints and more colorful clothes, they expanded their palette. The sisters are still learning from their customers as they take on new challenges.

Ari, who supports herself working for an East Bay real estate firm as a stager, has begun designing purses for the shop. Poy, who supplements her income by waiting tables in Japantown, makes jewelry.

Many customers have become regulars. Cat-lover Leigh McLellan, a Sunset resident like many of their regulars, loves the enamel cat pin she bought in the store. She said she is still kicking herself for not buying a “really special” decorative cat plate that was sold the next day when she returned. McLellan stops at the store even when she is not in the buying mood.

“I like the place,” McLellan said. “It just feels like the people who own it love what they do. They really care.”

TRY Studio is not the sisters’ first retail venture. Growing up in Thailand and watching their mother single-handedly support their family of six, they decided they needed to contribute financially to the family. When the twins were in elementary school, they bought candy in bulk, repackaged it and sold it to their classmates. In high school, they filled large bags with lipstick, eye shadow and other cosmetics which they sold after school.

It was only after they left home for college that they opened their first box store, TRY Story Shop.

While the store was moderately successful, the young women were ready for a new venture.

When Ari was accepted in a three-month work/travel program in Louisiana, they moved to the United States. Assigned to the housekeeping and banquet crew at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge, they quickly mastered the work. Speaking English, however, was more difficult. Although they had studied English in Thailand, their teachers had all been Thai speakers.

“At first, although we could understand most of what was said, we could only say ‘yes,’ ‘no’ and ‘OK,’” Ari said. They soon learned the language.

From Louisiana it was straight to San Francisco, where the weather and people won them over. Jobs and pop-ups around the Bay Area sustained them until March of 2024 when they opened TRY Studio. As the sisters complete their first year on Irving, they note that although growth has been slow, they are optimistic things will take off in the next year.

“It’s more love than profit at this point,” Ari said. “(Our customers) are really friendly. They stop by to say hello, ask how we’re doing. They give us things, like a piece of fruit or flowers.”

Poy added, “We’re lucky. We’re doing what we want. We’re serving the community and meeting wonderful people. We’re gaining some valuable experience.”

Of course, they hope that eventually they can stop working two jobs, but for now, “it’s all good as long as we try,” Poy said.

TRY Studio, at 1148 Irving St., is open 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. On Thursday they are open 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. They are closed on Wednesdays. Learn more at trystudioshop.com.