California Apparel News

Downtown Los Angeles is the address for thriving gourmet supermarkets, vibrant art galleries, bustling bars and pet-gift emporiums.

Despite the presence of the thriving Los Angeles Fashion District in downtown, boutique retail historically has had a tough time surviving in the area. But a handful of entrepreneurs is gambling that downtown Los Angeles is ready for boutique retail.

Alan Bunao opened his SixHundred boutique last November when the SB Tower building debuted at 600 S. Spring St. “When it first opened, I saw foot traffic, cafeacute;s and lot of lofts.” They were the perfect ingredients to open the sort of boutique he wanted to run, one that would offer new, fashion-forward looks from local designers.

Alejandra Hernandez is another fashion entrepreneur who saw retail potential bursting in downtown Los Angeles. She and business partner Rana Shoar opened Virgo, a boutique in the middle of the Fashion District at 216 E. Ninth St. “There was so much foot traffic here,” Hernandez said. “There are so many people who ’get’ fashion down here.”

Most of Virgo’s shoppers are fashion showroom workers and students at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, a 10-minute walk away.

But a downtown location has risks particular to the neighborhood. Showroom workers leave the neighborhood en masse after 6 p.m. Bunao said downtown’s potential for boutique retail is currently limited to the four-block area around Fourth and Main streets, where many lofts, cafeacute;s and galleries are located. Even that area has its limits, according to Katie Kay, a designer and retailer who recently closed her Gather boutique at 630 Main St. “The area just wasn’t growing enough,” Kay said. Her landlord also wanted to increase the rent. She moved her operations to Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood, where she debuted a second Gather location, at 2439 Riverside Drive, in April.

All retailers interviewed for this article said the downtown L.A. fashion shopper is a special breed. They’re looking for unique fashion, from emerging designers with local roots, and they’re open to experiment. At the Stanton James boutique, men often shop in the women’s section and women shop in the new men’s section, said Brooke Pace, the boutique owner.

Stanton James opened in March at 600 S. Spring St., Unit R4. The boutique is the bricks-and-mortar store owned by e-commerce site Stanton James, which also is headquartered in downtown Los Angeles.

Along with artists and businesspeople who live in the neighborhood, the downtown boutiques enjoy increasing business from tourists, Bunao said. “Thank goodness for The Standard and Bonaventure,” he said, referring to downtown hotels The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites and The Standard Los Angeles, located blocks away from his boutique.