Glendale, Calif.: Before the Retail Gold Rush?

A new Tiffany’s concept is just one of the new luxury boutiques that the Americanaat Brand retail center will bring to Glendale, Calif., when it opens on May 1. The city’s existing crop of boutique owners wonders if the highly anticipated Americana will bring a surge of new fashion consumers its way.

Levon Boghossian says Americana could be a boon or a bust for fashion retailers in this town, located 11 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

“Either it is going to help us or it is going to take customers away,” Boghossian said. He owns and manages fashion boutique Lenardi, located at 129 N. Maryland Ave. It’s about two minutes away from the Americana at Brand site, where construction workers labor around the clock to finish the retail center, which is being developed by Caruso Affiliated. It is the owner of The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles’ Fairfax district.

Americana at Brand is located at the intersection of Colorado Street and Brand Boulevard in Glendale. It is adjacent to the high-profile Glendale Galleria shopping center, which is owned by Chicago-based General Gr owth Properties Inc.

Americana will offer 475,000 square feet of commercial space, including the new Tiffany’s concept, Barney’s New York Co-Op, H&M, BCBG, Planet Funk, Kate Spade and Martin & Osa. The mixed-use development will also offer 100 luxury condos and 238 luxury apartments, said Todd M. Russell, executive vice president of retail leasing and marketing.

Russell declined to state prices for the housing, but he said the wealthy tenants will be shopping all over Glendale, not just at the Americana. He also said he anticipates that Americana will attract crowds of people to Glendale.

Real estate executive Matthew M. May said he believes Americana will generate its own traffic, but the rest of the town might not have the retail sizzle to keep the new people in city limits. For the streets surrounding Americana and the Galleria, commercial space rates range from $2.25 to $3.25 per square foot, said May, who owns May Realty Advisors in Encino, Calif.

Michael Misetich, co-owner of fashion boutique Hotter Than Hollywood at 145 N. Maryland Ave., said new shoppers will seek out Glendale’s independent boutiques after scouting national retailers located at Americana and the Galleria. They will be interested in the independent’s stock of new fashion labels, he said.

The Maryland Avenue address serves as Hotter Than Hollywood’s bricks-and-mortar boutique as well as headquarters for its e-commerce venture, www.hotterthanhollywood.com. Popular items at Hotter Than Hollywood include the “Panther” hoodie produced by Christian Audigier, which has a retail price point of $260. Also popular is the Ed Hardy zip-up “Skull” jacket, which retails for $136, and the “Jackie O” dress by Black Halo, retail priced at $300.

Lenardi owner Boghossian said he buys most of his stock in Italy. Popular garments include a men’s sweater top produced by Italian brand JC de Castelbajac. The top is constructed out of wool and silk and retails for $199. A women’s black pants suit with leopard-print lining by Italian brand Anna Biagini sells well, retailing for $475. Tuxedo-style pants from Italian brand Tenax cost $160.

A couple of storefronts down from Lenardi, novice retailer Nancy Ruff took over boutique Cat in the Lotus at 123 N. Maryland Ave. Ruff also works as an independent-film producer. Whether crowds stay at Americana or branch out and explore the town, she said her store will remain a destination.

Cat in the Lotus offers fashions with a bohemian edge as well as exotic handicrafts and jewelry. The boutique sells the Cat in the Lotus label, designed by former boutique owner Kay Waltz. The label’s shawls, constructed with a Lurex-style material, retail for $48. A sweater-wrap top produced by the label S-Twelve retails for $65. A bohemian dress manufactured by Los Angeles–based Funky People costs $42.