California Apparel News

There were no fashion boutiques on Los Angeles’ West Third Street when Wendy Freedman opened her vintage clothing store, Polkadots & Moonbeams, in the historically Jewish neighborhood in 1982. But she thought the place had potential.

Freedman’s new neighbors were traditional businesses, including bakers, butchers and auto mechanics. While the street was not material for fancy fashion magazines, style-conscious women found her vintage boutique at 8367 W. Third St. and made it a success in its first year.

Five years later, Freedman opened a Polkadots & Moonbeams store specializing in contemporary clothing a few doors down at 8381 W. Third St. But she still maintained a lonely existence as the only apparel boutique owner on the street. “I thought the street was going to change. But I didn’t think it was going to take this long,” she said.

In the 1990s, another boutique, Noodle Stories, moved in. Then, after The Grove opened in 2001, more than 10 boutiques moved onto the street to take advantage of the relatively low rents and cater to the growing increase in foot traffic.

Now, West Third Street is a neighborhood of clothing boutiques dedicated to independent, bohemian fashion. Many shoppers are celebrities, such as actress Julia Roberts, and other wealthy consumers looking for unique designs.

But the street’s shops seem out of place in West Los Angeles, where the neighboring retail districts are defined by the paparazzi-fueled glitz of Robertson Boulevard, the flagship stores of Rodeo Drive and West Melrose Avenue, and the glossy chain retailers at traditional shopping centers such as The Grove and the Beverly Center. West Third Street’s boutiques have more in common with the offbeat shops in Silverlake and Echo Park, which are more than a 20-minute drive east.

This concerned retailers such as Alisa Loftin before she decided to move her Aero & Co. boutique from the Eastside neighborhood of Los Feliz to 8403 W. Third St. in 2002.

“It was a consideration that people wouldn’t understand our Eastside mentality,” Loftin said. “We’ve somehow nestled in with all of these like minds.”

West Third Street also features the menswear of Douglas Fir, the high fashion of Satine, the rock ’n’ roll looks of JL Marx, and the subtle East Coast style of South Willard and Ethel. Other boutiques gracing the boulevard include Hillary Rush, Scout, Trina Turk, Built by Wendy, Katherine Story and Meg.

Unpredictable retail

West Third Street’s concentration of independent retail has made Los Angeles shoppers take notice. Stylists such as Kendrick Osorio said clients are increasingly requesting clothes from the area.

“You can get things that no one else is wearing. Robertson used to be like that. The stores on the street are not as expensive, and they’re not as predictable,” said Osorio, whose clients include musician Courtney Love, The Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Studios.

More opportunities for like-minded apparel retailers will open up later this year. In November, celebrity photographer Andrew Haagen will open a two-story 9,000-square-foot building at 8207 W. Third St. He will use the second floor for his photography studio, but the ground floor will offer two 1,600-square-foot spaces for fashion boutiques specializing in new designers. He said he thought it was the best way to blend in with the street’s artsy flair. “It reminds me of how SoHo in New York City used to be. It’s an area you can go and discover,” he said.

In late September, Esme Lazarre, a former trend forecaster, will open her Inago boutique at 8364 W. Third St. And the teen-age daughter of philanthropist and financier Michael Milken is rumored to be opening a store at 8209 W. Third St., according to several real estate sources. The Milken family did not reply to interview requests.

While the popularity of the street is increasing, the independent style of its retail is in no danger of changing, said Robb Bader, a real estate sales representative with Sachse Real Estate in Beverly Hills. National chains, he said, generally steer clear from streets like West Third because the retail spaces are not big enough for them.

Affordable retail

Typically, the square footage of West Third Street’s trendy stores hovers at 1,000 square feet or less. Rents are approximately $3.50 per square foot, Bader said, a bargain compared with the $6-a-square-foot price tag for stores a few blocks away at the corner of Melrose and Fairfax avenues. These lots cost more because the spaces are bigger, typically 2,500 square feet, he said. The extra stretching room has attracted international names such as Italian labels Miss Sixty, Fornarina and Miu Miu.

Boutiques are not the only businesses contributing to the hip scene on West Third Street. More than 30 restaurants also do business on the street, including Toast Bakery & Cafeacute;, which has gained notoriety as a breakfast place for young Hollywood. It was featured on the HBO television series “Entourage,” which chronicles the adventures of an up-and-coming actor and his buddies.

While the retail lineup is ideal, the competition for parking among retailers, restaurateurs and other West Third Street businesses has been the typical Los Angeles headache, Loftin said. The issue has become so vexing that retailers held an exploratory meeting Aug. 4 to create a West Third Street merchants’ association, which would seek parking solutions.

But parking problems go with the territory.

“It’s so nice to have other apparel stores to complement my stores,” Freedman observed. “I’m proud of my street.”