California Apparel News

Hot rods are what attracted Irene Guzman and her family to quiet Monrovia, Calif., some 24 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. But the flash and sizzle of the classic car shows at the city’s Library Park were quickly overshadowed by the small-town charms of Monrovia’s Myrtle Avenue.

The place seemed like a time warp to a gentler pace of life in California. Guzman was intrigued by its historic buildings, many of them renovated to their original Victorian and 1920s looks. Scores of people strolled down the street to window-shop at the thoroughfare’s boutiques.

Guzman thought it would be a perfect place to open her first boutique, Sinful Souls. Many other retailers also seemed to think the street was perfect. Rick Caruso, the developer of the Los Angeles–lifestyle shopping center The Grove, said his retail project The Shops at Santa Anitawas inspired by Myrtle Avenue.

Sinful Souls, named after Hollywood icons James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, is one of a handful of fashion boutiques that have opened on Myrtle Avenue since 2005. The recent retail attention to the avenue might be a reflection of the city’s efforts to put a new look on its more than 100-year-old heritage.

In the 1970s, Myrtle Avenue had a 50 percent commercial vacancy rate, according to a Monrovia city representative. The blue-collar city seemed to be on the way to hard times when the city government embarked on a mission to redevelop Monrovia, which is the fourth-oldest city in Los Angeles County.

Redevelopment hit its stride in 2000 when a Krikorian Theatre moved to Myrtle Avenue. It paved the way for a handful of independent boutiques, such as contemporary store Jenny B., which also opened that year. Sinful Souls and Stix Ride Shop were among several stores that opened in 2005.

More retail space will be created for this old city, said Alice Griselle, Monrovia’s director of community development.

The Colorado Commons, a project that will feature 62 residential units and 5,200 square feet of retail, will be built on Colorado Boulevard and Primrose Avenue, behind Sinful Souls. The developers, Snyder-Langston Builders, with offices in Los Angeles and Irvine, Calif., are scheduled to complete this mixed-use project in mid- to late-2007.

A couple of blocks away from The Colorado Commons site, Barratt American Inc. will build a 136-unit residential project with 7,800 square feet of retail space. This project from the Carlsbad, Calif.–based developer should be finished in 2007.

Griselle hopes the new housing will make Myrtle Avenue a regional hub with a family-friendly feel. “It’s much better since the theater came,” she said. “But with more people, it’s going to become much more active and alive.”

Rates for commercial space range from $2.20 to $3.50 per square foot, according to interviews with several area retailers. The potential for growth was a dealmaker for Guzman. Myrtle Avenue seemed to attract people from all walks of life, from blue-collar Monrovians to wealthy professionals from the neighboring towns of San Marino and Bradbury. She also felt that Monrovia’s shoppers were interested in fashion.

Her 1,360-square-foot boutique sells fashions from Louis Verdad, Theory, Jak & Rae and Joe’s Jeans, as well as T-shirts from Fuel Rags, the car-culture label Guzman is building with her husband, Martin Villareal. Top sellers also include a $19 black bubble skirt by Zinc and a sheer silk $98 empire blouse by Matty M. Both labels are owned by Complete Clothing Co. of Vernon, Calif.

Myrtle Avenue’s foot traffic was a boon to George Khoury and his business partner Bill Farber. They moved their boutique Stix Ride Shop from a side street a few blocks north of Myrtle to the pedestrian thoroughfare. Khoury said his sales increased more than 30 percent in 2006, compared with 2005.

“It’s a cleaner environment,” Khoury said of the avenue. “People seem to be more willing to shop here.”

Top-selling labels at Stix are Volcom and RVCA, both based in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Obey Clothing of Santa Ana, Calif. Price points range from $25 for a RVCA T-shirt to $40 for a T-shirt by Los Angeles–based GRN Apple Tree. Price points for denim ranges from $50 to $80 for Volcom jeans.

Khoury said that Stix would focus on selling brands with a boutique orientation, such as Obey and RVCA. “The low-key brands will be the ones that will build my business.”