Parallel on Rodeo Closes
Parallel, a division of Los Angeles-based BCBG Max Azria, recently closed its 1,200-square-foot store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Calif.
BCBG’s public relations director, Tara Connaughton, said the move was part of the company’s long-term plan. The space, formerly a BCBG store, was set up as a temporary Parallel boutique when BCBG relocated to its new flagship location on Rodeo last year.
“Parallel is a younger, hipper look and we never intended to keep it on Rodeo Drive,” Connaughton said.In spite of the store closing, the company is actually in the midst of an expansion mode, according to Connaughton.
Three new Parallel stores opened late last year: a 2,000-square-foot unit at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Calif.; an 800-square-foot location at Westside Pavilion in West Los Angeles; and a 1,000-square-foot store at nearby Santa Monica Place. With another store at Desert Passage in the Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas and the company’s first store located on Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif., Parallel is currently a five-unit operation with more stores planned, Connaughton said.
Max Azria’s eldest daughter, Joyce, who is a swimwear designer for BCBG, has taken on the responsibility of stylizing and re-merchandising the Parallel stores, beginning with the Robertson Boulevard location, Connaughton said. Part of the redesign includes offering vintage clothing and giving local design students a chance to create Parallel pieces, she said. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller
