Moorpark/Tujunga Village
Just over the Hollywood Hills on the southern edge of the San Fernando Valley is the Moorpark/Tujunga Village section of Studio City. This quaint and cozy street, tucked away in an upscale residential section located between two busy shopping malls, consists of family restaurants, a coffee house, movie theater, resale outlets, a handful of gift and antique shops and several attractive clothing boutiques.
The merchants located in the Village don’t worry about the competition from major mall stores because boutiques offer personal service and carry a better selection of trendy and unique items, according to Lenore Monson, owner of Panache Boutique, one of the original shops in the area.
“Each shop offers different manufacturers and lines; the diversity attracts shoppers to the area,” she said.
Monson, who said her store caters more to nine-to-fivers of all ages, describes her apparel mix as classy contemporary and trendy weekend wear.
“It is not junior or missy but in the middle,” she said. “However, if I bring in a junior look, my customers throw it on and love it.”
Monson said Johnny Was silk embroidered and washable rayon dresses in hot pink, turquoise and orange—a new color for spring—are checking at the store. Flirty skirts by Zoe with peplum bottoms and side slits in different lengths and a variety of bright colors are year-round favorites. Locolinda capri pants, camp shirts and tanks in olive green and chartreuse, Monson said, also seem to be a hit among customers.
Anne Kevin boot-cut pants, a variety of slinky tops and the ever-popular $9 T-shirts are always a fashion staple at Panache, Monson reported.
“We also carry an exercise boot-cut legging made of a Lycra-blend fabric by One Step Ahead that everyone seems to love,” she added.
Hamilton Pink, the apparel section of Two Sisters antique shop, caters to women between the ages of 25 and 65, reported manager Lee O’Brien, who added, “our clientele still wants the young, hip looks no matter what their age is.”
Previously, Two Sisters was located on Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake, but when the foot traffic died down, owner Marsha Masterman moved to the Village because she believed it would attract a more diverse clientele. “This cozy area, with its variety of shops, draws people to us,” O’Brien said.
Embellished dressy skirts by Deborah Lindquist were checking briskly at Hamilton Pink.
O’Brien’s vision for her boutique is to offer comfortable and versatile apparel that will last for years, but she also stressed that giving customers the newest looks from great labels is the key to her success. Mid-length pants and short skirts, along with sporty tops and tanks, come in basic colors such as beige, tan, copper and bronze. Other popular colors include shades of pink, rose and this year’s favorite, fuchsia.
O’Brien said she plans to promote her apparel with special events and discounts but wants to see what is appropriate for her clientele and the neighborhood.
“I know Valley shops are not considered to be trendsetters, but we have to keep on top of the latest styles or we lose our customers to the big malls,” she explained.
“We are as trendy as Melrose or Beverly Hills, we just don’t have the image,” she said.
One of the newest boutiques in the Village is Diana’s contemporary boutique, where an eclectic mix of casual separates, dressy frocks and beautiful gowns are selling well, according to the owner, Diana Callahan.
“Our clientele covers all age groups and we try to provide them with good quality basic contemporary looks that fit well,” she said, adding that she tends to bypass any extreme fad. “I lean more to the middle, but I still offer what is fashionable at the moment,” she said.
T-shirts are a trend that never dies, and Callahan has a wide selection of embroidered, screen-printed, novelty and sequined embellished designs. Cropped pants still remain a winner in olive green, khaki and blue denim. Sportswear in fashion colors of pink, coral and red are in demand for spring.
The store has new items every week and the prices are kept competitive—a strategy that helps Callahan compete with weekend sales at the major mall stores. “During the holidays, our customers would shop the malls in the morning, but they returned here for lunch, and our stores were very busy in the afternoon,” she said.
Pretty As You Please has been in the Village for nine years, carrying dressy casual and comfortable everyday apparel. Like other shops in the area, its customers range from 25-to-65-year-olds, but owner Debbie Harris claims the majority are young “hip” moms.
“I believe the trend in this area is more reminiscent of shops like Fred Segal and the Santa Monica boutiques, however, I tend to pick certain styles within a trend that appeal to my taste and age range,” she said, adding, “I keep moving to new labels with the trendy looks so my inventory stays fresh.”
Harris’ Pretty As You Please line of floral prints and rayon dresses, pants and separates are popular in bright spring colors such as pink, blue and purple. “Lavender is making a big splash,” Harris reported. “The Hugging Kisses popcorn stretchy tops in a tie-dye pattern of pink, white and lavender are flying out of the store.”
Michael Stars T-shirts, Angie skirts and tops and Putamayo cardigans, pants and skirt sets are also a hit with her patrons. “It’s hard to get a handle on what is trendy,” Harris said.
“For a while, dresses were popular, now it is the khaki pants with trim, and fun tops,” she said. “A new trend moving into the shops is the sparkly belts with big buckles, rhinestones and sequins made by a local manufacturer, which may turn into a hot accessory.”
Harris has discovered consumers have become more price conscious as they hear talk of a slowing economy, so she started giving a discount coupon to shoppers.
“When they spend a certain amount of money, they can use the card towards a purchase in the next month,” she said. “This helps to bring them back into the shop on a regular basis.”
