California Apparel News

For Toby Burke Hemingway, there are enough high-end men’s stores in Los Angeles. “We wanted stuff that was practical and affordable,” he said.

He also plans that it will be unique.

He opened the boutique Hemingway and Sons at 1615 Silver Lake Blvd., a block down from The Satellite, which was formerly Spaceland, one of Los Angeles’ leading rock clubs.

For unique brands, he stocked Australian brands not well represented in the U.S such as Volley, a leading footwear brand, and Vanishing Elephant. The store also offers San Francisco labels Welcome Stranger and Taylor Stitch. They are made-in-America brands that do not have a big distribution in Southern California.

Retail price points for the shirts, jeans and chinos range from $89 to $155 at the 400-square-foot shop, which also offers Stetson-brand Western hats, pen knives and beer koozies with the logo of Hemingway and Pickett, the art and design store that he owns in Los Angeles’ Sunset Junction district. The interior of Hemingway and Sons is designed with walnut paneling and off-white paint. At the back of the store, there’s a neon sign of the letter “H,” which is the logo of his enterprises. It also was the logo of his family’s Melbourne, Australia, barber and sundries businesses, which were started in the late 19th century.

Hemingway, who still speaks with an Australian accent after leaving his native Melbourne more than 15 years ago, developed a retail presence in Los Angeles. In 2011, he opened Hemingway and Pickett. Before starting in retail, he was a songwriter and performed with a band called Horse Stories.