Ten Hot Neighborhoods
Celebrity purchasing power has helped cement the cacheacute; of many of Los Angeles’ best-known shopping districts. But in recent years, the city’s fashion neighborhoods have seen a growth spurt carrying them into unlikely areas.
Streets that were once outposts for just a few fashion retailers—think West Melrose Avenue or Robertson Boulevard—were transformed into avenues sporting 30 or more retailers. All of them got their start with high-profile brands and ambitious new retailers eager to make their mark.
While fashion retail seemed to be a natural for Los Angeles, establishing those neighborhoods took more than pouring water on the street and watching retail stores sprout. Typically, the first ingredient is a pioneer who sets up shop and tests the retail waters, said Chuck Dembo, a principal with Dembo & Associates, a commercial real estate firm in Beverly Hills, Calif., that finds new locations for high-wattage retailers.
He has observed that a nascent fashion neighborhood needs a light retail presence and nearby residents with deep pockets. And once a big name like Marc Jacobs finds success in a burgeoning retail location like West Melrose Avenue, it gives others the confidence that the street is a splendid place to invest.
We’ve seen the pattern start in Los Angeles’ affluent Westside. But in the past decade, the phenomenon has spilled over into streets that were considered retail dead zones.
Here’s a guide to the Los Angeles area’s top 10 neighborhoods, from the long standing to the newly minted. Echo Park
LOCATION: Sunset Boulevard and Mohawk StreetHOT STORES: Sirens & Sailors, Luxe de Ville, The Kids Are All Right, Anti-Market and Brooklyn ProjectsPRICES: $56 to $300AMBIANCE: Bohemian grit. Every city should have an area like this. It’s a place where musicians and rockers go to find fashion and community at boutiques created by imaginative retailers. Luxe de Ville owner Oscar de la Cruz said a creative community should remain in Echo Park despite fears of gentrification. WHO SHOPS THERE: Retailers say it’s predominantly neighborhood artists looking for the perfect outfit for the rock ’n’ roll club or cafeacute;. In the last few years, wealthier people, who often prefer to do their shopping in their own neighborhood, have moved into Echo Park and Silver Lake. Brave souls from as far away as Malibu and Orange County are rumored to venture into the neighborhood for those one-of-a-kind creations. West Third Street
LOCATION: West Third, between La Cienega Boulevard and Fairfax AvenueHOT STORES: South Willard, Aero & Co., Scout, Milk, Polkadots & Moonbeams, Hilary Rush, Built by Wendy, Douglas Fir, Ethel, JL Marx, Satine, Sigerson Morrison PRICES: $225 for jeans and pants, $400 for dresses, $195 for blouses, $1,500 and above for designer piecesAMBIANCE: Funky Silver Lake meets Hollywood flash. The street is the address for Toast, one of the most popular lunch places for young Hollywood. But no one would be caught dead with an Armani suit here. If the West Third Street shopper takes an occasional jaunt down Hollywood’s red carpet, chances are they’ll be dressed in the new designs of a rock ’n’ roll Silver Lake designer.WHO SHOPS THERE: Young Hollywood types living out their “Entourage” dreams. Of course, the HBO TV show’s Adrian Grenier and Jeremy Piven have been sighted there. According to Aero & Co.’s Alisa Loftin, the street is most popular with 25- to 35-year-olds looking for different, unique designers. It also attracts design-conscious people, aged 45 and up, looking for something subtle and different.Montana Avenue
LOCATION: Montana, between 7th and 16th streets, in Santa MonicaHOT STORES: Planet Blue, Per Lei, Only Hearts, Barkley Hope, Jane Smith, Morgone Le Fay, Michael StarsPRICES: $20 to $560AMBIANCE: Cozy small town. Sure, it’s a fashion retail street, but the smattering of elementary schools, preschools and cafeacute;s on Montana make it easy for moms to shop and run a few errands before picking up the kids.WHO SHOPS THERE: There’s a handful of stores that cater to men, but the overwhelming majority of boutiques carry clothes that make a feminine, even romantic, statement. The stores attract well-to-do women from surrounding areas of Santa Monica, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Malibu.Third Street Promenade
LOCATION: Third, between Broadway and Wilshire Boulevard, in Santa Monica.HOT STORES: The best of the shopping mall. Rip Curl, Mango, Bebe, American Eagle, Diesel, Hard Tail, Levi’s and Zara. PRICES: Similar price points as at any blue-chip shopping center. Anthropologie’s Salt Air blouses sell for $148. Banana Republic’s casual boot-cut khakis go for $59.50.AMBIANCE: When lifestyle centers wanted to recreate the milieu of Main Street, they didn’t actually take inspiration from the commercial thoroughfares of America’s small towns. They took inspiration from Third Street Promenade. It’s filled with families and young people out for the evening who are being entertained by street musicians. The waiting list to get retail space is long. Although it’s dominated by American chain stores, European fast-fashion emporiums such as Zara and Mango have made a splash on the street in recent years.WHO SHOPS THERE: Summer and spring break attracts tourists from around the globe. But the majority of the guests are from Santa Monica and Los Angeles County.Robertson Boulevard
LOCATION: Robertson, between Alden Drive and Melrose AvenueHOT STORES: Lisa Kline, Kitson, Madison, Surly Girl, Diavolina, Horn and PaigePRICES: At Kitson, prices range from $30 for T-shirts to $2,500 for Great China Wall leather jackets. Jewelry can go as high as $4,000.AMBIANCE: If you’ve read a magazine with pictures of Hollywood’s next hot actor traipsing out of a boutique with a pair of the latest premium jeans, chances are the picture was taken on Robertson Boulevard. The retailers helped pioneer the scene that mixes the newest California fashions with slick celebrity. The scene increased the street’s fame and the number of celebrity watchers. Tourists regularly grill boutique owners on whether Jessica Simpson or Britney Spears has been sighted recently. Fraser Ross of Kitson said most of his store’s revenue doesn’t come from TV stars. It often comes from the wealthy guests frequenting the neighboring Four Seasons and L’Ermitage hotels.WHO SHOPS THERE: Young Hollywood and wealthy touristsWest Melrose/Melrose Heights
LOCATION: Melrose Avenue, between north San Vicente and Crescent Heights boulevardsHOT STORES: Ron Herman/Fred Segal-Melrose, Marc Jacobs, Marni, Paul Smith, Creatures of Habit, Xin, Diane von Furstenberg, Katharine Story, Miss SixtyPRICES: $75 to $3,500 at Paul SmithAMBIANCE: Just a few short years ago, Melrose Place was a leaf-shaded collection of antique stores and Melrose Heights was an outpost where retailers such as Fred Segal and Xin did a celebrated business that happened to be isolated from Los Angeles’ retail world. How a neighborhood can change. In 2001, Melrose Heights took off. The corner of Melrose Avenue and Crescent Heights not only attracted independent new retailers such as Creatures of Habit, but also established names looking to make a streetwise statement, such as Adidas or high-flying designers such as Paul Smith, who made rubberneckers delight with his store, built in the shape of a big pink cube. In mid 2004, Marc Jacobs moved a store to Melrose Place and a wave of high-profile design stores such as Marni, Diane von Furstenberg and Hermegrave;s set up shop in the quiet neighborhood. WHO SHOPS THERE: Melrose Place, or the Marc Jacobs end of Melrose, attracts design aficionados looking for surroundings quieter than Rodeo Drive. Melrose Heights’ Fred Segal has a history of attracting young Hollywood types and tourists. The newer stores on Melrose Heights draw a similar crowd. Rodeo Drive
LOCATION: Rodeo, between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevardsHOT STORES: Theodore, Prada, Dior Homme, Bebe, Etro, Michael Kors, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & GabbanaPRICES: Prices range from $40 for a Guess top to $1,700 for a Dior suit.AMBIANCE: Rodeo Drive is where fashion’s top names built their famous flagships. If that seems like a recipe for dull retail, think again. The world’s most celebrated names just don’t want to plant a flag in the ground here; they often want to make a statement. The proclamation could be the iconoclastic architecture of Prada’s Rodeo flagship designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaus. Or a new outpost for an exciting design such as the recently debuted Dior Homme’s boutique showcasing Hedi Slimanne’s slick fashions. WHO SHOPS THERE: European and Japanese tourists, Beverly Hills and Bel-Air residentsVentura Boulevard
LOCATION: Ventura, stretching from Studio City to Sherman OaksHOT STORES: M.Fredric Man, Belle Gray, Dungarees, Dari, Stacey Todd, Tryst, Lisa Angel, VanityPRICES: At Dungarees, specialty tops start at $45. Premium jeans range from $110 to $310.AMBIANCE: When Gary Friedman opened Dungarees more than 15 years ago, the strip was marked by suburban sprawl. Since then, it’s become a lively street with fashionable boutiques and popular restaurants.WHO SHOPS THERE: Valley people who can’t stand the drive into Los Angeles proper. Neighboring CBS Studio Center also drives business.Huntington Beach
LOCATION: Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington BeachHOT STORES: Jack’s Surfboards, Huntington Surf & Sport, Jack’s Girls, The Closet, Catwalk, Electric ChairPRICES: Price points at Jack’s Surfboards range from 75 cents for surf wax to $1,000 for surfboards. Clothing sells for $15.99 for T-shirts to $180 for premium-denim pants.AMBIANCE: Don’t let the crowds of people covered in tattoos scare you. This block is the Rodeo Drive of the surf industry. The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association named both Jack’s Surfboards and Huntington Surf & Sport as a Specialty Retailer of the Year. Designers for the top surf manufacturers and new labels consider it a career-making coup to have their products sold at Jack’s and Huntington Surf & Sport.WHO SHOPS THERE: Teenagers and young adults looking for the clothes to make them kings of the beach. Increasingly, its middle-aged folks who grew up wearing the surfer look.The Internet
LOCATION: Your keyboardHOT STORES: Since men and women started surfing the Internet en masse more than seven years ago, fashion has been one of the top choices for e-commerce. The beauty of the Internet is that retailers can build their headquarters almost anywhere, but many choose to put down roots in the Los Angeles area. Important Los Angeles–based Internet sites include HotterThanHollywood.com, ShopLAStyle.com and Shopbop.com. Prominent bricks-and-mortar retailers often doubled their business by opening an e-commerce store. Top performers include ShopIntuition.com, ShopKitson.com and RonHerman.com.PRICES: At HotterThanHollywood.com, price points range from a $50 tank top to a $1,500 handbag.AMBIANCE: Los Angeles–based online stores often tout their proximity to Hollywood. ShopIntuition.com often posts pictures of what togs celebrities are wearing. Web sites also play the part of the helpful shopkeeper. RonHerman.com posts cyber mannequins for the ultimate look in the latest styles.WHO SHOPS THERE: The world is their customer. But many Los Angeles–based Web sites claim the majority of the customers come from the Los Angeles area and out-of-state people with an interest in the California look. New Yorkers and Midwesterners are reportedly interested in sales-tax breaks for out-of-state consumers.
