Hard Times Hit Melrose Heights Retail District
Sign at Crooks Castles' former Melrose Heights store
In 2008, the Melrose Heights section of Melrose Avenue seemed to be ready to take its place as one of top retail strips in Los Angeles. But the street’s fortunes changed drastically after the Wall Street meltdown of 2008.
There’s been a steady exodus of boutiques, and currently there are more than nine empty storefronts on the once-thriving district, which stretches several blocks from Fairfax Avenue past Crescent Heights Boulevard.
Celebrated streetwear labels opened stores there in the past two years, but many called it quits recently. Bathing Ape, a popular Japanese streetwear brand, shuttered the doors of its emporium this month. Crooks Castles, a leading Los Angeles-based streetwear label, and Miss Sixty/Energie are among the other brand-name stores and boutiques that closed their Melrose Heights operations.
“It’s a disaster,” said Ronen Jehezkel, co-founder of the Parke Ronen label. He maintains his label’s self-named boutique at 8012 ½ Melrose Ave. He blamed the strip’s woes on a number of culprits. High rent is a problem. There is not enough foot traffic. Parking is tough in the area. The square footage of the street’s boutiques is too big. His proof is the last thriving section of Melrose Heights. All of the store footprints are modest on Melrose between Hayworth and Edinburgh avenues. Stores spaces don’t go much over 1,000 square feet there.
The strip’s prices dropped recently, said real estate executive Jay Luchs, executive vice president at CB Richard Ellis. A square foot of commercial space typically goes for $5 in the Melrose Heights area, compared with Los Angeles’ Robertson Boulevard, where commercial space typically fetches price tags ranging from $12 to $18 per square foot.
While times are tough on the street, thriving Melrose Heights businesses drive sales through "destination retail." Shoppers go out of their way to shop at the district’s star tenant Fred Segal/Ron Herman, which is nestled on the corner of Melrose and Crescent Heights. Melrose Heights shops Tarina Tarantino, Tokidoki and Kid Robot are destinations for their unique wares. Boutique Creatures of Comfort thrives with representing independent designers. The street remains attractive for new ventures.
Portuguese jeans label Salsa Fits My Life opened a flagship store at 8013 Melrose Ave. on July 20. Multi-line boutique Four opened at 8016 Melrose in April. The rest of Melrose seems to be showing new life too. Near the Melrose Place section of the street, jewelry and accessories store Vieve recently opened at 8909 Melrose Ave. In August, French label Vanessa Bruno is scheduled to open a store at 8448 Melrose Ave.
