California Apparel News

Once an isolated but idyllic ocean-front shopping center, the Malibu Country Mart has become one of the most coveted slices of retail real estate in Los Angeles County.

In the past three years, high-profile fashion boutiques such as Ron Herman, Lisa Kline and James Perse have opened storefronts at the 6-acre shopping center based in Malibu, a wealthy town that still looms large in California’s surf and bohemian arts history.

More retail fashion stars are intent on getting a place at the Mart. Juicy Couture is scheduled to open one of its brand boutiques there this year. New York–based premiumdenim label Earnest Sewn was rumored to be looking for commercial space there. However, a company representative would only confirm the label had looked at commercial spaces in Malibu and Los Angeles.

Chuck Dembo, a partner in Beverly Hills, Calif.–based real estate firm Dembo & Associates, said the Mart’s cachet will only continue to grow.

“Everyone wants to go there,” Dembo said. “And rent is going to be squeezed up.”

The Mart’s retail rents range from $12 to more than $15.50 per square foot, according to real estate and retail sources. These prices rival the high sums for commercial space on Los Angeles’ fashionable Robertson Boulevard, which sometimes jump past $17 per square foot.

The Malibu Country Mart, which has its roots in a fashion store that legendary retailer Fred Segal opened in 1975, happened to gain even more cachet as movie-industry moguls and people from Los Angeles’ Westside began settling in Malibu’s rustic hillsides and sweeping beaches in the past 20 years.

While a frequent complaint heard from Malibu old-timers is that their city and its businesses are losing touch with the area’s unique roots, new store owners Arlington and Jac Forbes said the Mart is serious about innovation.

The shopping center’s fashions have recently focused on contemporary stores, such as Planet Blue, Ron Herman and Lisa Kline. But Western and hippie looks have also found a home in boutiques such as Ralph Lauren’s Double RL & Co., which carries cowboy-flavored fashions, and Free City, which specializes in bohemian street looks. With diversity in the air, the Forbeses hoped to do something different with their boutique, called Canvas, which opened on Christmas Eve, 2006.

The boutique specializes in sneakers, streetwear-style apparel and art. While streetwear styles have been highly popular for fashion-forward youth, the Forbeses said they hoped adults will patronize their store. The focus may be one reason the stylishly detailed but relatively muted colors of sneakers by the Converse by John Varvatos label sells well, including the line’s Jack Purcell slip-on sneakers, which cost $95.

Also popular are the highly detailed hooded sweaters by New York–based Artful Dodger. The hoodies cost $250. Track-style jackets by Canada-based label Preloved have been popular for their one-of-a-kind looks. They retail for $110.

Across the way, the Crush boutique has been a fixture at the Mart for more than three years. It sells contemporary women’s clothing, but owner Phyllis Reffo said her customer often is looking for comfortable but stylish clothes. One of Crush’s top-selling items has been a stretch poplin, denim-style pant produced by Los Angeles–based Robin’s Jeans. Price points for Robin’s Jeans range from $165 to $181.

Comfort also is important to the women who shop at the Malibu Country Mart boutique Anouk. However, the Malibu woman is also interested in dressing up, said store manager Jenny Tucker. It’s why the store’s fashions try to mix the best of comfort and style.

A simple but stylish-looking black, longsleeved crew-neck top produced by Los Angeles–based Park Vogel sells consistently well at Anouk. It costs $72. The boutique’s clients also have been buying polka-dot dresses by New York–based Tocca. The dresses cost $340 each.

Anouk recently devoted a section of the store to basics, but Malibu women refuse to pin down their fashion preferences to one look. “It’s all over the place,” Tucker said. “We see a lot of women wearing riding boots at the Mart. They also wear sweats and a lot of cashmere.”

Comfort is key with Malibu’s men, said Lisa Kline. The woman who helped pioneer fashion retail on Robertson Boulevard opened a Lisa Kline Men store at the Mart three years ago. She also runs a Lisa Kline Men boutique on Robertson. “It’s a different customer from the Robertson store,” Kline said. “It’s more beachy, more casual. It’s clothes to hang out in.”

Top sellers at Lisa Kline Men are crewneck sweaters from a New York–based label called Inhabit and T-shirts from Juicy Couture. Price points for T-shirts range from $45 to $100. Price points for sweaters range from $300 to $400.