Who said retail is dead? At least not in the area of high-end stores discovering that downtown Los Angeles, near the Ace Hotel, is the place for their new space.

Two new contemporary stores, which hope to open before the holidays, have signed leases for two different locations on Broadway and Ninth street in an area that is still undergoing a renaissance.

According to commercial real estate broker Brigham Yen, Theory will be taking over a spot once occupied by a Pilates Plus studio that left a few years ago and moved over to the California Market Center. Theory, which has stores in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and Santa Monica, will be taking over 1,650 square feet of space that sits next to sophisticated German eyeglass company Mykita. Fashions for both men and women will be on the racks.

Across the way, next to the Orpheum Theatre, A.L.C. will be opening its very first store after being sold online and carried at posh doors such as Ron Herman, Madison, Milk and Elyse Walker. The A.L.C. brand was founded in 2009 by stylist Andrea Lieberman who grew up in New York, studied at Parsons School of Design and clothed celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Gwen Stefani and Drew Barrymore.

Her 1,350-square-foot store, in a space occupied until recently by optometrist Dr. Harold Ross, will carry only women's fashions.

These two newcomers join a handful of fashionable boutiques in the area such as Acne Studios, A.P.C., BNKR and Aesop.