New Stores for Fremont and Elmer Ave.
Jonny Day at the new Elmer Ave. boutique
If producing events for the current Los Angeles Fashion Week wasn’t crazy enough, the chiefs of downtown Los Angeles fashion labels Fremont and Elmer Ave. have to deal with something that perhaps is more stressful than a runway show. It’s moving.
By early April, Fremont will debut its new retail/wholesale site at 111 W. Seventh Ave by Main Street in downtown L.A. On Feb. 1, Elmer Ave. moved into Fremont’s former retail space on 120 W. Fourth St. Its cross street also is Main Street.
Fremont, a contemporary label, moved to its two-level, 1,800-square-foot site because it needed more room, said label President Devin Carlson. The bottom level of the site will be devoted to its wholesale operation. The top floor of the space will be the site of Fremont’s retail shop.
Rock-inspired suiting label Elmer Ave. was formerly located across the street from its current store. It shared space in the retail/design headquarters of fashion label Skingraft. It moved to its current 800-square-foot space because it wanted to be a bigger part of a burgeoning downtown scene, which someday will blossom into something even more fabulous than its current hipster state, said Jonny Day, co-founder of Elmer Ave.
Day admits there is not a lot of retail traffic in downtown Los Angeles quite yet. But there is a certain cachet with a downtown L.A. association. “But it’s a trend-setting area,” he said. “Almost everything here has some kind of creative base.” He keeps his shop open late for the pub crawlers and art-gallery aficionados wandering downtown. Elmer Ave.’s store hours range from 3 to 8 p.m. Sometimes, Elmer Ave. stays open until midnight. Apparel News dares you to stay open even later, Jonny!
