California Apparel News

When Carrie Hauman walked her dog, Zoe, around Abbot Kinney Boulevard a few years ago, the former interior decorator wondered how the handful of fashion boutiques on the street survived.

“No one ever walked down here,” Hauman said of the bohemian thoroughfare in Los Angeles’ Venice Beach neighborhood.

But the street underwent a fashion explosion. In 2004, Abbot Kinney hosted a few pioneering boutiques such as Claudia Milan, Minnie T’s and Principessa. Now, more than 27 fashion stores are doing business on Abbot Kinney.

Hauman embraced the change. When she decided to switch careers from interior decorating last year, the choice of what kind of store to open on the street seemed obvious. Abbot Kinney was becoming a fashion street. In October 2006, she turned the 600-square-foot retail space in front of her house into a fashion boutique, Coutula.

Coutula finds itself on a street where designers are cultivating new styles and taking a gamble that they will be seen by a wide array of Venice locals and foreign tourists visiting the thoroughfare.

Designers Coryn Madley and Pamela Barrish maintain boutiques on Abbot Kinney. Also on the street are up-and-coming clothing brands Topo Ranch and The Stronghold.

More fashion boutiques could be on the way. Construction crews are working on four sites on the street this summer. A site located on the corner of Venice and Abbot Kinney boulevards will offer 5,000 square feet of commercial space along with 22 lofts.

It is designed by Santa Monica, Calif.–based Koning Eizenberg Architecture and is scheduled to be completed in late 2007 or early 2008, said the project’s architect, Roderick Villafranca.

At press time, prices for a square foot of commercial real estate seemed like a bargain compared to some of the most expensive real estate in Los Angeles. The street’s independent boutique owners spend $4 to $6 for a square foot of commercial space, according to Stephen Weir, an agent for Venice Beach–based The Real Estate Group. Prices on top retail streets such as Robertson Boulevard can fetch sums of more than $17 per square foot.

But the burgeoning construction stoked chatter that the defiantly independent street will eventually become a thoroughfare for chain stores. A location of frozen-yogurt chain Pinkberry recently opened on Abbot Kinney. Yet Weir hoped that the street will keep some of its bohemian DNA.

“We’re in substantial danger of losing a certain degree of what Venice was,” Weir said. “It was not a wealthy neighborhood five years ago. It is now.”

But Abbot Kinney must welcome all kinds of locals to its neighborhood. Stronghold offers an exclusive jean, produced on a rare kimono loom, which retails for $1,250. Yet the boutique Neighborhood, which opened June 1, offers casual, art-inspired men’s T-shirts at the retail price point of $20–$40.

Hauman hoped to offer a price point that would stake out a middle ground. Stylish tops and dresses produced by Los Angeles–based label Tee Party range from $65 to $97. Dresses by New York–based designer Ulrika Remark cost from $125 to $250.

Venice locals and visitors from around the globe also support a higher price point, according to Theodore Gilliam, a manager of Abbot Kinney boutique Collage. One of its top-selling items is a $619 dress from Vivienne Westwood’s Anglomania collection.

Minnie T’s also hopes to attract stylish people with designer price points. The top-selling items are a $460 cotton dress by Los Angeles designer Hazel Brown and a $200 cigarette jean by Los Angeles–based Genetic.

Laurie Abeyta, owner of Abbot Kinney shop (H)armonie, said that the street will be able to balance a high price point and an easygoing ambience.

The best-selling items at her store include dresses by New York–based label Milly. The 1940s- and 1950s-inspired dresses command a retail price point ranging from $120 to $400. Also popular are dresses by another New York designer, Tracy Reese. Price points for her dresses range from $100 to $600.

“Nobody drives a car here,” Abeyta said. “People will stop in the store on their way to yoga or Pilates classes.”