Manhattan Beach Retail Keeps It Beachy, Cool
New 20,000-square-foot retail development in the works.
Commercial real estate in Manhattan Beach, Calif., is so notoriously tight that “For Lease” signs are a rare sight in the exclusive seaside town, according to Mike Pennings, an agent with Remax Beach Cities.
“There is so little turnover,” Pennings said of the town, which is a little more than five miles south of Los Angeles International Airport. “[Retailers] may be paying $2 to $3 for a square foot, but they’re paying $50,000 to $100,000 to assume a lease.”
But the retail mix might change this summer, when the two-square-mile city debuts the largest commercial property development in its history. The Metlox Center, located downtown on Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Valley Drive, will feature more than 20,000 square feet of retail space.
One of the tenants will be the first store opened by True Religion Jeans, said Jeffrey Lubell, the denim company’s president and a Manhattan Beach resident, on April 11. Kymberly Gold-Lubell, vice president and head designer for women’s products, said the 900-square-foot store will be used as a laboratory to test new products and as a showcase for the brand.
The Metlox Center also will feature a 38-room hotel, a town square and several restaurants. Chuck Dembo, an agent with Los Angeles–based Dembo and Associates, handles leasing. A national sportswear company and a surf shop also are negotiating for space, Dembo said.
“There’s not a lot of commercial space in Manhattan Beach, so the residents are underserved,” Dembo said. “Metlox is going to reinvigorate the town.”
But the town did not need much renovating. Footwear manufacturer Skechers U.S.A. Inc. maintains its headquarters a few blocks away from the beach in downtown. Sports stars such as Mia Hamm and Los Angeles Lakers star Luke Walton chose to put down stakes in the community after making it. A 4,200-square-foot house with an ocean view commands a $4 million price tag, according to Pennings.
With people spending champagne prices for space in Manhattan Beach, conventional wisdom would suggest that residents prefer designer clothes. But retailer Brieana Altamura said the opposite is true.
“We have money, but we’re not Beverly Hills,” said Altamura, owner of Bombshell boutique. “We’re laid-back, and we’re beachy.”
But that doesn’t mean that surf and resort clothes are the only fashions available. Bombshell boutique’s biggest sellers are butterfly pants from Los Angeles designer Pegah Anvarian ($176) and tank tops by avant-garde LoyandFord ($198), also of Los Angeles.
But streetwear also is important at the store, where the deacute;cor tends more toward pictures of Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe than murals of surfers. Los Angeles–based Morphine Generation’s long-sleeved tee ($92) is popular, as are the label’s hoodies, embellished with embroidery and paint splatter–like graphics ($193).
A few storefronts down Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Katwalk specializes in retailing clothes seen in fashion magazines the day the publications hit the stands. “We want fresh looks all of the time,” said store owner Kat Master.
Master said another challenge is to keep her selections looking beach-worthy but contemporary. Top sellers include embellished tops by Los Angeles label Miss Me ($45 to $80). Embellished tops manufactured by Los Angeles–based 213 ($55 to $85) also enjoy high sales at the store.
Brother and sister Vinh and Kathleen Do run the 1,300-square-foot boutique Mandarine a few blocks away on Manhattan Avenue. Vinh said the store focuses on fashion-forward but affordable clothes for its clientele, of whom 15 percent are tourists.
Top sellers include the $80 “Flary” jean manufactured by South Gate, Calif.–based jeans label Big Star. Mighty Fine brand T-shirts also sell well. Women pay $25 for shirts bearing images of cartoon characters from “Peanuts” and “Bambi.” India-based DK Fashions’ silk crinkle dress, emblazoned with sequins, moves fast with a $100 price tag.
Breegan Heuer keeps a beach-friendly deacute;cor at her 600-square-foot boutique, which bears her first name. A mermaid is painted on the wall, but her retail mix flexes an urban muscle. Popular styles include tattoo-inspired T-shirts by Los Angeles–based Rock Solid ($84) and feminine, flowing tops ($119 to $134) from Los Angeles–based Haleacute; Bob. Heuer also said skirts from her label, Mosa, retail well.
