BCBG Opens on Melrose

BCBGMaxAzria has come to Melrose Heights. The Vernon, Calif.–based contemporary manufacturer opened a new store on March 6 at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Laurel Street in Los Angeles.

Like the six other BCBGMaxAzria stores in the Los Angeles area, the new boutique will sell the company’s full collection. However, the Melrose store will experiment with design, said Danny Moizel, the company’s vice president of real estate. If deemed successful, the store’s design will inform renovation efforts for other BCBG stores.

“It has a sparse aesthetic, a gallery feeling,” Moizel said.

Azria separated the 2,700-square-foot store into three rooms to give customers the feeling of going to different destinations.

Currently, the first room displays the full collection, and the second room features accessories, with a focus on footwear and handbags. The third room showcases dresses and ready-to-wear pieces.

The company spent $300,000 to design the store and signed a five-year lease, with an option to renew for five more years, with landlord Commerce Center Investments LLC.

Moizel said he hopes BCBG aficionados from throughout the region will visit the new store but believes the store will primarily serve people who live in the nearby West Hollywood and Beverly Hills–adjacent areas.

“The street is completely evolving,” Moizel said. “Once they only had Fred Segal. Now Melrose has Miu Miu, Betsey Johnson, Miss Sixty and Costume National. My feeling is that our presence on the street will make other retailers, especially national retailers, think about having a presence on the street.” —Andrew Asch