Eclectic Offerings in Silver Lake
No two shops are alike on Rowena Avenue in quirky Silver Lake, a section of Los Angeles located 10 minutes from downtown where everyone retails to the beat of his/her own drummer.
In a community that caters to artists, architects, poets, writers and, often, those with a staunch aversion to the city’s gentrified Westside, stores try to appeal to the fashion-forward consumer who’s looking for restrained style and not runway eccentricity.
“Our customers like staple items with a flair—not avant-garde pieces,” said Carol Hemholz, owner of the year-old Faye boutique.
One thing that most shops in the area do have in common is a collection devoted to baby items and sometimes even a play area with toys and a television.
“This is a baby-booming area,” said Island store manager Victoria Jacobs. “If you don’t have a baby, you know somebody who does and are always looking for gift items.”
Helping to boost the area’s fashion credentials is the arrival of Clover, which was opened last October by husband-and-wife team Nelsen Valentine and Andrea Marcum. Known for her Drea Kadilak line of custom-made hats and clothing, Marcum decided to close their smaller, 10-year-old boutique on La Brea Avenue in the city to branch out into retail closer to home. Leaving the high-profile venue of La Brea was a risky move, according to Marcum, but one that’s already paying off.
“It’s given us a chance to expand, add more lines and to benefit from an underserved area,” said Marcum, who expects to ring up $475,000 in first-year sales.
The 2,000-square-foot store devotes space to an art gallery, housewares, architecture books and designer clothing, including a new men’s collection of James Perse shirts and Keednim pants.
Marcum said she had to reorder J.P. Mattie’s black ribbon-strap dress three times in the past month. The day-to-night style flatters a range of ages, she said. Ella Moss’ casual seersucker striped pants have also been a top draw, along with Alice & Trixie’s clean, fitted black shirts with white topstitching.
The area’s yoga fans have also been buying up Yogi clothing, according to Marcum. The line’s zip velour jackets have sold out and the tops with contrast stitching and sewn-on fortunes are a customer favorite, she said.
Nearby Island is a store chockablock with candles, woodcarvings, sculptures, treasure chests and masks from such countries as Indonesia, India and Japan. Owned by Los Angeles jewelry designer Liza Shtromberg, the store set aside room for a few eclectic clothing items by local or emerging artists, including Din, Angie and Flyby. Jacobs said price points are moderate to appeal to middle-class residents of the area.
“We don’t get a lot of movie stars, just all the people that work for them,” noted Jacobs.
At Island, Gigi, the line formerly known as T.T. Mar, has a collection of earthy, loose-fitting dresses made of velvet, rayon or Asian-inspired prints that are checking, Jacobs said. For men, 7 Diamonds’ oversized shirts sporting samurai-inspired designs, flames, Indonesian florals and other exotic prints are strong sellers. And in the category of accessories, Eko Logic’s textured hats made from recycled sweaters are also top buys.
Jacobs said the store will soon be carrying mesh material skirts and tops in vivid hues by Reynaldo Ramos.
In its prior life, Edna Hart’s eponymous store was a therapist’s office. Five years ago, Hart converted the 800-square-foot space into a three-room boutique carrying a mixture of baby clothes, gifts and accessories. Now she plans to beef up the shoes and handbags component in coming months with the addition of Dr. Scholl’s, Spain’s line of Camper shoes, Royal Elastics and Giraudon shoes.
The boost will complement the offerings of the Faye boutique opened by Hemholz inside the Edna Hart store.
“We want to keep evolving with the neighborhood,” said Hart.
Faye’s collections of Seven and Joe’s Jeans are the cash cows of the season, Hemholz said. Martin Martin’s tailored skirts and pants with diagonal and front seams are also bestsellers, she said. R Jean Blouse, a new line out of Miami, puts out simple shirts with a twist that are checking, including a cotton poplin oxford shirt with a flower appliqueacute;. Coats are another key category, most notably Edward An’s twill, knee-length topcoats.
For those looking for toddlers, Baby Ya-Ya booties crafted from Asian-inspired prints are hard to resist, according to Hart.
“Our customers love them and often buy more than one pair,” she said.
