Meet Emily White | Creator & Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily White and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I always had this thought or feeling that I would grow up to “have my own business”. I would tell people this when they asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I actually did not know what kind of business, that part changed almost weekly until I graduated college and took a job in New Mexico. It was there when I realized how much I took my home for granted. I missed the cactus, the mountains, the weather so much that once I moved back I knew I wanted to have a business that celebrated the Sonoran Desert. I still didn’t know exactly how I wanted to do this. One day I was on Instagram and discovered resale shops and thought that I would be great at that. I went for it. I resold found items from thrift stores, estate sales and even junk yards that reminded me of the desert. La Vida. Taprut took off from here. Of course it has evolved a lot over the years. During the Covid shut down my brother taught me wood working and now we offer handcrafted wooden goods for your kitchen & home along with the vintage finds. Even though the shop has seen many rebrandings and additions, the main roots and inspiration remains the same, the Sonoran Desert.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When people ask what I do for a living I usually go with the most simple explanation, “I am a woodworker and I resell vintage home goods”. But in reality, what I do is so much more but no one really wants to stand there and process the long explanation. So the readers here are actually getting the true in depth answer! I source vintage finds with a selective eye. I look for pieces that remind me of the desert; from neutral colors & rugged textures to classic silhouettes & things that strikes an emotion. I curate collections that have a very special style that makes my heart swoon. On the other side of the business we have our handcrafted wooden pieces that I design and make along side with my brother. This addition to the brand happened during Covid when the thrift shops were closed for an unknown amount of time. I had no way of keeping my shop “happening” with out offering new goods. For some time before I had wanted to offer cutting boards & cheese boards but didn’t really have the time to figure it out. With the free time the Covid shutdown allowed me, I had my brother teach me everything he knew about woodworking. We started out making cutting boards and little serving paddles. They were selling out so fast we decided to make it permanent staple in the shop. It is now a huge part of the brand. We now make not only cutting boards & cheese board but have extended in to vases, candle holders and kitchen gadgets. Combing my curated vintage collections with the handcrafted wood pieces has been an absolute game changer for the brand. I have really leaned into the kitchen and dining experience in peoples homes. It is the most exciting thing when I can style a table with sourced plates, glassware and bowls along with my handmade serving board and candle holders to create and inspire anyone willing to check it out on the gram.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My head is flooding with places to eat and drink, I don’t know where to start. I guess we will start with breakfast and with a place that holds a special place in my heart. I grew up going to Franks for breakfast on mornings my mom didn’t feel like cooking. It’s one of those hole-in-the-wall type of places where it’s cheap, fast, and delicious. I still go there now from time to time with my mom or friends and the staff recognizes me from years of going. They have literally watched me grow up. So yes, Franks is an absolute must for breakfast one of the mornings. Prep & Pastry, The Cup, Blue Willow (such a special place) & Coffee Times for coffee & delicious smoothies to-go would all be the AM plan. From there the plan would be to either do a nature walk or light shopping. If nature is the goal for that day, a drive to my favorite “Cactus Loop” would be at the top of my list. It is a loop that you can drive with tons of trials and parking. The trails are all easy and dog friendly. There are tons of stunning saguaros and mountain scenes. You will find yourself stopping to take photos continuously. Very “gram” friendly area.
Other outdoor adventures that may end up on the “itinerary” would be Mt Lemmon for a picnic, Tohono Chul (great cocktails), and Gates Pass with a pizza at sunset.
If shopping is the goal and it happens to be the second weekend of the month we are hitting the Gather Market. It is this amazing 4 day vintage market that happens once a month. It is full of vintage finds sourced from all over the US and they style every single inch of there huge warehouse space. It is so inspiring and hard to leave without an item or two for your home. There are other home decor shops along this strip. And a couple restaurants to grab a small lunch. Any other day the Annex, Mercado and several local antique malls would be stops for sure. Oh! And the Sunday morning Heirloom farmers market for shopping and food!
It isn’t a true trip to Tucson if you don’t eat at Eegees for at least one lunch. It is a true Tucson staple. Other lunch places that would be on the list are Maricos Chihuahua for ceviche tostadas, El Guero Canelo for sonoran dogs, and Boca Tacos for their weekly salsas and delicious tacos. After Bocas, we might as well cruise the avenue and check out some of the other shops in the area.
Dinner and cocktails go hand-in-hand for me. BKs is a go-to for more sonoran hot dogs along with their award wining michilada. For a different but so yummy take on Mexican, El Charro is a personal fave. I always order the Horny Cucumber margarita but mix it up with the food. Miss Saigon is always on rotation with my friends so I know that would be one of the nights dinner plans. We will be placing several orders of the crispy fried tofu rolls and extra peanut sauce while trying an Asian beer. If we really want to treat ourselves, I would add Feast as one of our dinner destinations. They change their menu monthly to represent in season items and have their own sommelier to help you select the perfect wine from their *book* of wines. Tito & Pep as well as Floras would most likely be on the itinerary for one of the other nights. Both have amazing menus and great cocktails.
Tucson is full of restaurants that would feed you meals that you will never forget. You come for the cactus and get your photos but you leave with a new culinary experience that you will talk about for years to come when people ask about your visit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
They say it takes a village to raise a baby. Well, La Vida. Taprut is my baby. And yes, it took a small village to make it to where it is now. My parents, my husband, my brother, my best friends, my ex-boss, an old co-worker and every single follower, customer and friend who has supported me. They are all the only reason I can do what I love every day. Thank you, Mom & Dad, Phil, Byron, Ashley, Jazelle, Rebecca, Lisa, Amber & all of you.

Website: www.lavidataprut.com

Instagram: @lavidataprut

Tiktok: @lavida_taprut