Novice Retailers Gamble on Echo Park as Their New Frontier
When new retailer Tristan Scott took a gamble on opening a boutique in Los Angeles’ burgeoning Echo Park neighborhood, he felt he was taking more than a leap of faith in August 2009 when he took his first look at the space that would become his store.
The real estate seemed like it had been abandoned. “It looked like it had no walls and floors,” Scott said of the storefront at 1712 W. Sunset Blvd., which reportedly had been vacant for more than one year. However, he and business partner Rhiannon Jones decided to fix up the 2,300-square-foot space.
Scott and Jones wanted to open a gallery for fashions by independent Los Angeles designers, most working in an avant-garde style. Echo Park seemed to be the right place where people would understand such a venture.
More than 70 percent of the designers with whom they currently work live in the neighborhood. By night, the neighborhood turns into a magnet for people seeking music from new bands at nightclubs such as the Echoplex and art from galleries such as Echo Curio. By day, there is a steady buzz of foot traffic of artists and their friends dining at restaurants and cafeacute;s such as Masa, Two Boots and Stories Books & Cafeacute;.
Scott and Jones said their gamble paid off. They debuted their emporium, called Echo Park Independent Co-Op (E.P.I.C.), on March 12. Since then, a steady flow of fashion aficionados visited the place to check out art made by E.P.I.C. designers, such as an origami chandelier constructed by Michelle Durand of fashion label Himiku, and to buy new fashions with very local roots.
One of the most popular labels at E.P.I.C. has been Smoke & Mirrors, headquartered in the Silver Lake neighborhood, located near Echo Park. Its “New Mexico” dress has been a popular item and retails for $136. The label’s “Natalia” dress is another top seller and goes for $142.
Also popular are the $99 fringe shawls designed by Howl, based in Los Feliz. E.P.I.C. has consistently reordered T-shirts and dresses from Los Angeles designer Brian Lichtenberg. His art-inspired T-shirts retail for $84, and his patchwork-print dresses sell for $610.
A block or so west of E.P.I.C. is another new boutique, called Future. Novice retailer Will Brinkerhoff debuted the space in November 2009 and keeps it open late to take advantage of the nightclub crowds. While most boutiques across the region close after 7 p.m., Future closes at 11 p.m. on weekends and has been known to stay open until 2 a.m. if the nightclub crowds are in a spending mood.
Future’s selection of vintage rock-concert T-shirts attracts collectors. Those interested in new fashion also have been buying Alternative Apparel’s deep V-neck T-shirts, which retail for $18. Another popular item has been the “Tight OD” jeans by Swedish label Cheap Mondays. It retails for $62.
Another relatively new Echo Park retailer, Erin Tavin, hopes to continue her street’s commitment to fashion. In July 2009, Tavin opened her Tavin Boutique at 1543 Echo Park Blvd., a few blocks north of Sunset Boulevard. The space was formerly occupied by Show Pony, a store that helped mint an idiosyncratic style for the women of Echo Park and Silver Lake.
Tavin plans to place her boutique’s own stamp on the storefront’s tradition. Much of the store is devoted to vintage and designer-vintage fashions. Comfortable, worn-looking leather jackets and boots are popular vintage looks. One of the most popular new items is a tulle cocktail dress from Los Angeles label Rebellion Dogs. It retails for $425. Other strong sellers are jumpers from Los Angeles–based designer Shaina Mote. They retail for $125.
