By Meghan Walsh
In December 2018, friends Tamar Brecher and Robin McCann opened Luster gift boutique in the Van Aken Market Hall with the mission of localizing unique gifts
“We started to talk about how every time we travel to other places, other cities, we would see cool things and cool stores, pieces that we wouldn’t find in Cleveland, and so we felt like there was a need for a new gift boutique,” McCann says. “We felt like the Van Aken District was a perfect home for us.”
Luster’s merchandise is what sets it apart, she says.
“We really do try to shop for things that are different, that you don’t see around,” she says. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously, we really just like to have fun. So, when we see things that either make us smile or make us laugh or just seem sort of off-beat, we like to include them in the store.”
Brecher and McCann met at the Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School when their children attended school there. Brecher’s family attends Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike, and McCann’s family attends The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood, McCann says.
“We have a unique bond, Tamar and I, in that we met volunteering at kids’ day school and we found that we worked well together, and that’s sort of what started our friendship and our working relationship,” McCann says.
Luster likes to give back to the Jewish community as much as it can, McCann adds.
“We’ve done collaborations with (the Jewish) Federation (of Cleveland), with Park Synagogue, with Temple-Tifereth and with Mandel Jewish Day School, and we feel really proud about that,” McCann says
Luster is at 3441 Tuttle Road in Shaker Heights.