Rich Town, Selective Boutiques
Brentwood is a luxury retailer’s dream. The median price for a home in the Los Angeles Westside neighborhood is $1.1 million, and area’s well-known residents include Cindy Crawford and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.
But this exclusive sliver of the 90049 zip code is a haven for independent boutiques. Almost no big-name national retailers can be found here. The one exception may be the Gap Inc. store on San Vincente Boulevard, according to George Pino, managing director of DBL Commercial in Brentwood.
“It’s very much a ’villagey’ ambience in Brentwood,” Pino said. “People are trying to keep the small community feel here.”
The lack of real estate for large parking lots and the generally small retail spaces in the area discourage larger retailers, Pino said. Most of Brentwood’s boutiques are less than 2,500 square feet in size, and prices run from $3 to $5 a square foot per month.
But Brentwood’s boutiques compensate for their small size by making big statements with upand- coming designers, including those based in Los Angeles.
The 700-square-foot Market boutique, nestled in the Brentwood Village shopping center, entices clients with new European and Southern Californian labels that lean toward the exotic and funky.
Market’s customers have been anticipating the summer heat by purchasing $110 sundresses and $96 slip dresses by Kerry Cassill of Laguna Beach, Calif. Cassill’s floral patterns and stripes give her fashions an ethnic feel, said Laura Stang, Market’s manager and co-buyer.
The store’s offerings from local designers include Stang’s Porridge T-shirts and tank tops with whip-stitched vintage-looking embroidery ($46 retail). Another Los Angeles designer, Claudette, crafts vintage silk scar ves and T-shirts into street clothes.
Los Angeles–based Trunk’s T-shirts, inspired by classic rock concert tees, have also been popular.
Across the street from Market is Yellow Dog, a boutique owned by Betty Goldie, who also recently opened men’s and women’s Yellow Dog stores in Bel Air’s Beverly Glen Center.
The Brentwood store mixes formalwear, high-end contemporary casual and a cheeky sense of humor. The best-selling item in the store is AG Jeans’ “Angel” denim pants, which retail for $130, according to store manager Gretchen Mills.
T-shirts and tanks selling well include simple, colorful tops from Los Angeles–based Splendid ($38 to $48 retail). Silk camisole tops with bead details by Los Angeles– based Gold Hawk ($79 retail) are also popular.
Joystick, also based in Los Angeles, claimed a space on the store’s top-seller list with sheer cotton shirts embroidered with everything from Mexican folk symbols to neo-hippie slogans of peace and love. The shirts retail for $129.
Yellow Dog’s formalwear pieces, such as a silk flapper dress by Tracy Reese ($500 retail), are designed for the red carpet.
Designer men’s shop Apartment Number 9 made its debut at the Brentwood Country Mart in April. The name, according to co-owner Amy Blessing, means absolutely nothing. “We tried to make up a story around it,” she said.
Popular men’s shirts include those from New York designer Steven Alan ($158 retail). Blessing’s customers also embrace the slim-cut midriffs, double-button cuffs and very British wide collars of shirts by New York–based Seize sur Vingt. Price points for the Seize sur Vingt shirts range from $188 to $210.
One of the most longstanding names in Brentwood is Frontrunners, which started outfitting joggers in 1977. The apparel store has branched out into retailing other activewear and fashions for men and women, and there is a footwear store across the street.
Jen Meister, apparel merchandise manager for the 3,000-square-foot store on San Vincente Boulevard, said Los Angeles–based resortwear maker Mod-O-Doc is a top seller. Twenty percent of the store is dedicated to Mod-O-Doc.
One of Mod-O-Doc’s most popular pieces is a drawstring pant with a faux fly for men and women. The men’s pants cost $50; the women’s pants retail for $62. Meister said the women’s pants cost more because the material is heavier and the waist is constructed out of a poplin material.
“It has a fuller fit,” Meister said. “So it’s flattering on a lot of different body types.”
Yoga apparel is becoming more important in the store, according to Meister. Los Angeles– based Be Present yoga pants, which have splits on the sides and backs of legs for better agility and mobility, retail for $62.
But Frontrunners still keeps true to its roots. A big seller is the Nike Seamless line’s “Dry Fit” collection, crafted out of a technical fabric that pulls sweat away from the body and allows runners to stay cool. Seamless “Dry Fit” pants cost $55.
