Interior for Alchemy Works
ALCHEMY WORKS
Alchemy Works, a New Multi-Brand Shop, to Downtown Los Angeles
After pioneering luxe retail in downtown Los Angeles, Apolis Common Gallery has a sister store.
Alchemy Works opened Nov. 3 in a 1,300-square-foot space at 826 E. Third St., a few storefronts up from Apolis. The new multi-brand shop will offer men’s and women’s clothing, homeware, accessories and art, said Lindsay Parton, Alchemy Works’ co-owner and merchandiser of the shop. She co-owns the boutique with her husband, Raan Parton, partner and creative director for men’s brand Apolis. The Apolis Common Gallery store only sells the Apolis brand.
“We have had the idea and concept for a while,” Lindsay Parton said. “It gave us the opportunity to bring many more brands into this neighborhood and add a new perspective to the other retail on the street.”
The boutique looked for exclusives and items that were both refined and represented Alchemy Works’ California aesthetic. Some of the items sold are handmade watches from Los Angeles–based label Weiss and military-style blankets from Faribault Woolen Mills in Faribault, Minn.
Women’s fashion brands at the store include Los Angeles–based leather brand The Eternal, shirting by Heidi Merrick and items from the collection of Holmes & Yang. Men’s fashions include the relaunch of classic surf collection M.Nii and French nautical-inspired brand Armor Lux, which reportedly was one of Pablo Picasso’s favorite brands. Popular men’s fashion boutique Wittmore also produced a pop-up shop at Alchemy Works. It sells items such as Gitman Vintage shirts. Wittmore is located on stylish thoroughfare West Third Street in Los Angeles.
Raan and Lindsay Parton led the interior design of Alchemy Works, which features the custom-made racks of District Millworks, an arts-district artisan. A classic 1959 Fiat convertible sits in the middle of Alchemy Works, and large photographs by Will Adler of surfing scenes at Rincon Beach in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Malibu, Calif., line the walls.
The Partons hope to open other Alchemy Works boutiques, possibly in Newport Beach, Calif., and Santa Barbara. At Alchemy Works, they may test upcoming homewares and a women’s line for Apolis.
