The Kids Are Alright Closes Echo Park Store
The Kids Are Alright, one of the boutiques that pioneered the fashion scene of Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood, closed its doors on June 27.
Kids owner Maritza Arrua shuttered her 5-year-old boutique, located at 2201 W. Sunset Blvd., due to a number of reasons, which included her lease ending and worries about a weak economy. She will continue to do business at her second boutique, also called The Kids Are Alright, in Long Beach, Calif. Both locations specialized in small, independent designers, often with an environmentally friendly edge.
Arrua plans to open another Los Angeles location in the future.
Jen Phillips, another longtime Echo Park boutique owner, said increasing rents are becoming a headache for many retailers in her neighborhood. When she opened her shop, Sirens & Sailors, in 2000, a square foot of commercial space cost 70 cents. In 2008, the most expensive properties in the neighborhood go for $3.50 per square foot.
Still, Phillips said, the neighborhood remains attractive for retailers and restaurants. Fashion boutique Taxi CDC opened at 2146 W. Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park in May. A wine bar called City Sip is scheduled to open in July at 2150 W. Sunset Blvd. —A.A.
