About us

Where do the sounds of Parade come from?

Petra Skaberne and Valentina Vovk, owners of the lifestyle store Parada, have been friends since their early teens. Both are art historians, but their lives took them in different directions after their studies. Petra worked as a gallerist for many years, while Valentina has recently been mainly involved in interior design and journalistic work for Ambiente TV.

Even as high school students, they dreamed of their own shop or gallery, where they would sell beautiful objects and works of art. Their love for art and literature connected them, which is also why they both decided to study art history.

Now that they are both in their mature years, they have decided to join forces and make their youthful dreams come true. Of course, it did not go smoothly, as the renovation of the space on the Mestni trg in Ljubljana was full of complications and various difficulties. From the decision to the realization, so much time has passed that the Parada store has already received a new "working" name, Next Season, in discussions with those close to them. Not infrequently, on a particularly unpleasant day, the doubt crept into their minds that they might, after all, look for some other location to implement their idea.

However, after careful consideration, they always landed on the originally chosen location. The house has a strong emotional charge for one of the owners, as she spent the first years of her life here. In addition, in this house, her grandparents already had a textile shop many years ago, so the stubbornness and insistence on the original plan somehow made sense and eventually paid off.

One half of the Parade tandem is inspired by color, while the other has a more subdued take on aesthetics. If at the very beginning this raised concerns about how they would reconcile their sometimes diametrically opposed views on aesthetics, it later turned out to be an advantage. Namely, they restrain each other so that they don't go to their extremes, but above all, they are connected by a very similar view of life (philosophy of life).

A little wisdom has already accumulated over the years, they say with a laugh, adding that these are primarily life experiences. These dictate to them that it is necessary to get out of the merry-go-round of the fast pace of life, slow it down for a moment or two and enjoy small things and moments. This is exactly what they want to offer their customers at Parada. The parade should not only be a store, but a place where you will find inspiration, warmth and many beautiful objects from domestic and foreign designers. You will not necessarily just shop in Parada, you will come there for a relaxing event, a book discussion or a fine musical evening. Petra and Valentina are full of ideas and energy, so they are sure that their Parade will soon enchant you too.