La Brea#039;s Ebb and Flow of Retailers

Style mavens Courtney Love, Drew Barrymore, Jewel, Courtney Cox and Keri Russell will soon have one less favorite La Brea Avenue store to hit on mad shopping binges.

After four years selling a funky array of shoes and clothes, Vin Baker’s owner, Jim Peach, is calling it quits on the hip drag.

“I’m trying to eliminate the headaches in my life,” Peach said.

The closure is part of the ebb and flow of retailers on the incomparable street. A magnet for celebrities and mere mortals alike, most shoppers always find a reason to visit the artsy stretch just north of Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, whether it’s for a snack at wonder-chef Nancy Silverton’s La Brea Bakery or a hard-to-find finial at Liz’s Antique Hardware or a must-have vintage sweater at American Rag Cie.

Peach’s departure coincides with the arrival of designer Peter Cohen, who last month opened a sleek 1,400-square-foot store across the parking lot behind florist Rita Flora at the corner of Sycamore Avenue.

“[La Brea’s] a hot spot for both fashion and home furnishings,” said Stuart Cox, a partner of Cohen, who projects the store will register $750,000 in first-year sales.

In the business for 18 years with wholesale accounts Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Savannah in Santa Monica, Calif., and Avante Garde in nearby Beverly Hills, Cohen couldn’t refuse a real estate offer from Flora, who leased him the building his store now occupies. Pink and maroon bathroom tiles are vestiges of the former abode now redone with hardwood floors and sage yellow walls.

Cohen’s designs incorporate Italian silks, shearling leathers and wool knits. Cox says the store’s hottest looks are the wool double-knit silhouettes in skirts, jackets and slacks.

“They just have a good drape, they don’t wrinkle and look dressy enough for most functions,” he said.

The seamless alpaca wool coat with Ultrasuede trim and the boxy “roll call” jacket with a diagonal flap are among the outerwear pieces also picking up sales, according to store manager Janelle Thibodeaux.

At nearby Bleu, where George the whippet dog holds court, owner Gabrielle Zuccaro says foggy mornings and chilly nights are leading to a run of sweater purchases. Cashmere and cableknits by Time Is and Sheri Bodell as well as Kemi mesh wool sweaters are flying off shelves, Zuccaro said. Women are pairing the knits with wool and denim miniskirts by Daly Bain and Joie. Anja Flint, Michelle Mason and Yigal Azrouel are among the other marquee-worthy lines in the store.

Some retailers, including American Rag, whose broad inventory assortment includes Jil Sander, Alice Roi, Paul & Joe, Sky, Alice & Trixie and Marc Jacobs, are changing their merchandising mix to mesh with the more somber tone of the nation following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“We’re going more basic as fashion is slowing down. The push for reconstructed items has died down,” said American Rag store manager Ruthie Miller. “Some things you carry for image, but we want to concentrate on the meat and potatoes of the business.”

At the behest of co-owner Margo Wertz, Miller said she is buying more casual lines and pushing for more T-shirts by Three Dots and TSE and athleticwear, including the fashion-forward, terry cloth sets from James Perse.

Harking back to the company’s roots, denim jeans from Diesel and Levi’s are top draws, Miller said.

Fever jeans are flying out the door—they fit every body type, unlike Earl’s straight fit,” she noted.

Even shoe styles are toning down. Just like seeking comfort in macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes, customers are flocking to the steadfast looks of old-school Vans, Converse and Puma, Miller said.

Vintage-inspired Scala also has modified its inventory, according to owner Tanya Vo, who counts Shannon Elizabeth, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Julia Roberts among her customers.

“We’ve started carrying other lines that are more basic and whose price points are a bit lower,” said Vo.

She said new additions Frankie B., Nigel Hamill knitwear and Jezebel sportswear are all checking. Frankie B.’s velour jumpsuits and fitted sweatpants with matching hoodies, as well as slim-fitting corduroy pants and shirt jackets, which are the look of the moment in merlot, olive and black, are selling especially well, according to Vo.

“I just got a shipment in yesterday and already have 10 orders on hold,” she noted.