California Apparel News

Prominent specialty chain M.Fredric temporarily closed its store at the Encino Marketplace neighborhood retail center in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. When it reopens, it will whittle down the size of the location, said Fred Levine, co-owner of the Agoura Hills, Calif.–based chain.

M.Fredric management considered the 5,500-square-foot store too big to support in a struggling economy. M.Fredric closed the store when its lease ran out. It is working with landlord Caruso Affiliated to reopen in a smaller—yet-to-be-determined—space, Levine said. There are eight stores in the M.Fredric chain.

Last year, M.Fredric closed its Brentwood Gardens location in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood when that store’s lease expired. It was another location that was deemed too big for a struggling economy. “The economy is tough,” Levine said. “If we can reduce our [store] sizes when leases come up, we will do that,” he said. The next M.Fredric leases scheduled to expire come due in 2011.

Another reason for temporarily closing the Encino store was that it was located where the chain could take a hit. The Encino store was located just 10 miles away from M.Fredric’s thriving Calabasas and Studio City locations. Levine said that his Encino customer could be absorbed by the Calabasas and Studio City locations. The upcoming smaller Encino store also will not offer as many categories as the former store, which sold men’s, women’s, children’s and active styles.

In other news for Levine, his son’s new fashion line, 222, debuted at Project and was picked up by retailers such as Lisa Kline. The new collection is inspired by the style of Adam Levine, singer and songwriter for the Grammy award-winning band Maroon 5. The line is being exhibited at the Coterie trade show, which starts Sept. 21 in New York. Levine said he is not involved in the design or sales of 222, but rather he acts as a consultant.—Andrew Asch