According to Maxine, Dress Is Key to Survival
There’s always a market for a dress, according to Silvia Joo—even in a neighborhood affected by a weak economy and the strike by the Writers Guild of America.
In April 2007, Joo opened 1,400-squarefoot fashion boutique Maxine at 12354 Ventura Blvd., located at the edge of Los Angeles’ Studio City neighborhood. The well-off area is known as a suburban enclave of the film industry, and its famous denizens include actors George Clooney and Teri Hatcher.
Joo said 80 percent of her business comes from women connected with the film industry. The Writers Guild strike, which started on Nov. 5, has made business difficult for some fashion retailers and restaurants across Los Angeles. But the dress could be a key to survival. “There’s always an occasion to go to,” Joo said.
Maxine’s merchandise focus is dresses. The boutique’s other business comes from teen-age girls shopping for prom dresses and women looking for special-occasion dresses.
One recent best-selling brand is Los Angeles–based Ghita. Retail priced from $300 to $600, the dresses are designed by Alexis Pfiffer, fianceacute;e of Grammy Award–winning musician Kanye West. Dresses by Los Angeles–based label Sherri Bodell, priced at $500 and up, also do well at Maxine.
In addition, Joo said that dresses from her family’s label, Austin J, sell well and are typically priced at $120 and above.
Joo has worked in design at Los Angeles–based Austin J for the past decade. The family business helped bankroll the boutique. Joo was born in Korea and grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where her family was active in apparel manufacturing. In 1988, the family moved to Los Angeles. Joo is fluent in English, Portuguese, Korean and Spanish.
The strip of Ventura Boulevard where Maxine is located is five blocks east of a well-traveled section where boutiques such as Dari are located. The stores in her section of the boulevard must survive as destination shopping venues, Joo said.—Andrew Asch
