Skinny Jeans Served With a Twist
For three years, Todd Moore ran Eye 5, a small sunglasses boutique at The Lab, a specialty shopping center in Costa Mesa, Calif. But this year, he decided to shift gears and jump into the apparel game. His decision made a big statement at the retail center. He moved his new fashion concept, Thousands Elsewhere, into one of The Lab’s biggest spaces.
Only The Lab’s Urban Outfitters emporium, which claims 12,000 square feet, surpassed the space for the Thousands Elsewhere. At 2,745 square feet, the boutique’s area was large enough to house former tenant Tower Music and several art galleries.
When Moore debuted his store on April 19, he justified moving into a big space because he had good counseling. Shaheen Sadeghi, The Lab’s hands-on, visionary founder, advised him on the store’s concept and presentation. The next step was figuring out how to please a savvy crowd that often works on the front lines of fashion.
Thousands Elsewhere was built to cater to Costa Mesa’s most stylish kids, many of whom work at surf- and fashion-industry labels such as Volcom and Paul Frank Industries. Moore reasoned the category of clothes that could capture this crowd would be streetwear and boutique denim brands.
Most recently, it has been denim that has captured the imagination of Costa Mesa’s stylish youth. The bestselling item of the past week was the extra-tight, gray acid-wash cigarette jean designed by Los Angeles– based Corpus Denim, according to Joel Lazo, the buyer/ manager for Thousands Elsewhere. The jean retails for $150.
Lazo said that his clients were intrigued by the pants’ novelty. “It’s easier to get them to respond to something that they don’t see every day,” he said. “I don’t know of any other company that is offering acidwash denim.”
Moore plans to open more Thousands Elsewhere fashion boutiques and Eye 5 stores in the region over the next five years. —Andrew Asch
