Intermix Expands With Brentwood Store
Contemporary boutique chain Intermix is in the middle of a Los Angeles County expansion. The New York–headquartered retailer’s co-founder Khajak Keledjian presided over the opening of the newest Intermix on March 23 at the Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles’ exclusive Brentwood neighborhood.
Despite many businesspeople grumbling over a slow economic recovery, Keledjian said California offers a lot of opportunity for contemporary-fashion retailers. “There is still a lot of wealth here,” he said. “If you have the right product, you’ll do well.”
Intermix’s new 2,000-square-foot space at the Brentwood Country Mart once housed Turpan, a gifts and accessories store. While the new store is one of the smaller locations in the 28-store chain—most are 2,500 square feet and bigger—Keledjian thought it was important to open in Brentwood. Many Intermix consumers live in the neighborhood, where film director Steven Spielberg and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also maintain residences.
Before summer, Intermix will open a boutique at 400 N. Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. The chain’s presence in California started in 2008, when it made its debut at 110 N. Robertson Blvd. Later, it opened boutiques at Southern California retail centers Malibu Lumber Yard in Malibu and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Keledjian said the chain is considering opening three more stores in the United States, but the exact locations had not been picked.
High-profile contemporary boutique Scoop NYC is opening a boutique across the street from the Brentwood Country Mart in April. But don’t look to Brentwood as the next hot retail neighborhood, said Chuck Dembo, a commercial real estate broker who has done business in Brentwood and lives in neighboring Pacific Palisades.
“It’s not going to be a game changer,” said Dembo, a partner with Dembo Realty. The streets around Brentwood Country Mart—San Vicente Boulevard and 26th Street—are long thoroughfares that don’t easily lend themselves to turning into walking districts, which are crucial for retail neighborhoods, Dembo said. Also, vacancy is low and the area is dominated by neighborhood businesses and professional offices.—Andrew Asch
