[bjornson]

A-MAZING! What a nice little corridor it's going to be.

Any info on what else is opening? Status on Miu Miu?

[Westsidelife]

Does anyone know if the Title Guarantee Building in Downtown will be getting any ground-floor retail space. It's critical that there be retail space fronting 5th street in order to develop Pershing Square as one of the future major hubs of Downtown. The same could be said for Park Fifth, which I hope plans on having retail space fronting Pershing Square as well.

[dragonsky]

Work starts on Big League Dreams
Retail-recreation project replaces former landfill
By Rodney Tanaka Staff Writer
Article Launched:11/20/2006 07:20:23 PM PST

WEST COVINA - With heavy-duty equipment rumbling in the background, West Covina officials Monday celebrated the start of construction on the commercial portion of the Big League Dreams development.

"I just love the sound of this," West Covina Councilman Michael Touhey said. "It's music to our ears and money into our coffers."

The city held a groundbreaking ceremony at the former BKK Landfill, which will be the home of a massive recreational and commercial development.

The city reached this point after many years and multiple delays, 10 years after the BKK Landfill closed.

"It's fulfilling a promise made and a promise kept," Touhey said.

The commercial portion, called The Heights at West Covina, will include Home Depot, Target, PetSmart and several fast-food and casual dining restaurants on 45 acres.

Work is expected to be completed within about a year, said City Manager Andrew Pasmant. The commercial portion has involved an investment of more than $50 million, he said.

The project also includes

a 240,000-square-foot office complex, a golf course, six

ballfields, sand volleyball courts, an indoor soccer pavilion and playgrounds.

"We have state,
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regional, federal and local agencies jumping through hoops hand in hand to make this project move forward," West Covina Councilman Roger Hernandez said. "It seems as if a new hurdle presents itself every month or so."

Many naysayers said the site is too difficult and the project would never happen, but through dedication and community support, the dream will become a reality, he said.

The project has run into multiple delays since it was first approved by the City Council about five years ago.

Landfill owners ran out of money to clean up the site, leading to years of state and federal oversight. A first groundbreaking was held in 2004, followed by nearly two years of grading to ensure a proper building site for the park and commercial structures.

The City Council in June approved bonds to cover escalating costs to build the project.

Hernandez said he grew up a quarter mile away from the landfill, and he and his neighbors endured the stench of the trash that carried over the slopes.

"We were always optimistic about talk that one day the landfill will become a commercial development," he said.

[BrighamYen]

STYLE NOTEBOOK


Designers want that L.A. glow


By Booth Moore
Times Staff Writer

November 25, 2006

L.A. occupies a special place on the fashion calendar. After all the runway shows are over, during the months of October and November, it becomes home to a shadow community of image-makers from New York, London and Paris, in town to shoot spring's glossy ad campaigns and editorial pages.

Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière was recently here, and so was Yves Saint Laurent's Stefano Pilati, along with editors, stylists and photographers working for every magazine from i-D to Elle. These global fashion nomads camp out in the lobby at the Chateau Marmont, poolside at the Hotel Bel-Air, on location at the beaches or at photo studios in Hollywood and Venice. Listen in and you'll hear them debating Jonathan Rhys Meyers' new Versace ads, the styling talents of Elizabeth Taylor's granddaughter Naomi Wilding, and whether the 4 p.m. flight to New York beats the red-eye.

But their reasons for coming to L.A. are always the same.

"The light is very special," Ghesquière explained over a cup of Earl Grey at the Bel-Air. Apparently it's particularly special in San Pedro, where his team shot the ads for his smashing spring collection, with its futuristic bent. "And the weather — I don't want to leave!"

Ghesquière spent most of his week here in fittings but made time to stop by Fred Segal, where he picked up a few pieces by current L.A. menswear fave Band of Outsiders. He also dropped by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's "Breaking the Mode" exhibit, where he was completely wowed to see his first Charles James gown in the flesh, a 1951 burnished orange silk and satin chiffon creation draped as lightly as if fairies had done it.

Pilati's stay was briefer. He stopped into artist Jorge Pardo's design studio and into pal Liz Goldwyn's book party at the Sunset Tower Hotel. But what he really wanted to do was take his design team farther west, to the North Shore of Hawaii. "It's my favorite place in the world," Pilati said, soaking up the rays as best as he could, wearing gray trousers and a wool sweater by the Bel-Air's pool. "I learned how to surf there, but when I see how real surfers surf, I say I don't know how."

Turns out he and Ghesquière are friends. After crossing paths at the hotel, the two shared a coffee and a chat. And for one brief moment, not on Oscar night, L.A. may just have been the center of the style universe.

Galanos creations of a different sort

The recent collision of designer superstars was just part of the convergence. From James' marvel of construction at LACMA to the cocoon-like gowns in Viktor & Rolf's Russian Doll collection at the "Skin and Bones" exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art downtown, rarely has there been so much fabulous fashion on display at one time in one city. Taken together, the exhibits showcase some of the most radical, boundary-pushing designs from the last 50 years.

The LACMA exhibit features mostly Japanese and European designers but also turns the spotlight on hometown legends Rudi Gernreich (a to-die-for red knit dress), Gilbert Adrian (a very Hollywood heroine hourglass-shaped worsted wool suit) and James Galanos (a chunky, beaded lace overdress layered over a bodysuit).

Galanos' impeccable tailoring and hand beading earned him fiercely loyal clients, including Rosalind Russell, Dorothy Lamour, Diana Ross and, most famously, Nancy Reagan. He retired from fashion in 1998, after LACMA devoted an entire show to his career, and now nurtures his creative side with photography, some of which is about to find its way into a museum as well.

Galanos, 82, creates mirror-image landscapes, as well as abstract compositions. He uses ribbons, paper and fabric cutouts that look as if they could be scraps from the floor of his old studio on Sepulveda Boulevard. Now he does most of his work on his kitchen counter, but still with the same keen eye to color combinations, shadow and light.

In September, he mounted his first photography exhibit at the Serge Sorokko Gallery in San Francisco, with more than 40 works, many of which have already been purchased. Dixie Carter, Wolfgang Puck, Denise Hale and others turned out to fete the designer-turned-artist, while Robert Flynn Johnson of the Achenbach Foundation at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is selecting a photograph to include in the museum's permanent collection.

"It's intuitive," Galanos said on a sunny afternoon at his stucco house in West Hollywood, where the black granite floors are shined to perfection.

Tatiana Sorokko agrees. A couture enthusiast and former model who runs the gallery with her husband, Serge, she says of Galanos: "His tools are still the same, but the product is altogether different. I fell in love with these photographs as much as I fell in love with my first Galanos gown."

The Sorokkos learned of Galanos' new hobby through Ralph Rucci, another fashion designer who crossed into fine art, and exhibited his work at the Serge Sorokko Gallery. And to hear Galanos tell it, Rucci is just about the only designer working today who has earned his respect.

"Let's face it, we are living in an age of vulgarity." Even in the tony shops near his house, the clothes "look like rags," Galanos says. "In my day, you couldn't give them away."

Divine Design to be better, really

After a disappointing event last year, organizers are promising next week's Divine Design will be bigger and better than ever at its new home in the former Robinsons-May building in Beverly Hills.

Divine Design is the largest shopping fundraiser on the West Coast, with clothing, home accessories and furniture offered at 50% to 90% off the retail price. The event attracts about 10,000 shoppers over five days, raising money for Project Angel Food, an organization that supports people affected by HIV/AIDS and other illnesses.

Last year the goods, donated by fashion and interior designers, weren't as chic as they had been in seasons past, in part because of competition for donations from a similar event held in New York and chaired by Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour. So this year, Fern Mallis was hired as honorary chairwoman and Lauren Gurvich as fashion director.

Since both women work for IMG, the event production company responsible for producing New York and Los Angeles fashion weeks, their relationships in the fashion community run deep, and they were able to gather clothes from heavyweights such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Monique Lhuillier, Nanette Lepore, Vera Wang, Ted Baker London and Sue Wong.

"We wanted to get back to having it be a high-end event at good prices," says John Gile, executive director of Project Angel Food. "And we're happy to have some really big names."

In all, $4 million worth of clothing and products has been donated by designers and companies such as Mattel, KitchenAid and H.D. Buttercup. The L.A. holiday shopping tradition kicks off Thursday with a gala honoring Teri Hatcher with the Woman of Style award, Catherine Malandrino as Divine Designer and holiday ornament king Christopher Radko as Divine Philanthropist.

Tickets are $25 for general admission to the sale Friday through Monday, $275 and more for the gala, and $100 for shopping only Thursday night. For tickets and information, see www.divinedesign.org.

Rodeo Drive award for Versaces

Donatella Versace and her brother, the late Gianni Versace, have been selected to receive next year's Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award, the Rodeo Drive Committee and city of Beverly Hills announced this week. The ceremony will be held Feb. 8, when the Versaces will be honored with a plaque on the sidewalk on Rodeo Drive.

Donatella took over as creative director in 1997 shortly after her brother's murder. After a public battle with drug addiction, she has recovered and her collections have been a highlight of Milan Fashion Week for the last few seasons.

The Versaces will be the ninth and 10th recipients of the award, following Salvatore Ferragamo, Edith Head, James Acheson and Milena Canonero (2006), Herb Ritts and Mario Testino (2005), Tom Ford (2004) and Giorgio Armani (2003).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
booth.moore@latimes.com

[bjornson]

Sorry, I've been gone for a while. Went on vacation.

San Diego Beckons Bloomingdale's
By Emili Vesilind
SAN DIEGO — Bloomingdale's launched a 219,000-square-foot unit at Fashion Valley shopping center here on Saturday, marking the company's first foray into California's second-largest city.


Mulberry Blooms Stateside Stores
By Jennifer Hirshlag
NEW YORK — Mulberry has branched out, opening its first U.S. boutique in Man­hattan, and more are on the way.

The British luxury leather goods firm, with a track record of producing must-have bags and for accessorizing style icons like Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Scarlett Johansson, has opened at 387 Bleecker Street. More stores are expected to follow next month, including a flagship at 605 Madison Avenue, and units in the Americana mall in Manhasset, N.Y., and on Melrose Place in Los Angeles. A fifth location, at the Pier Shops at Caesars in Atlantic City, is expected in February.


Max Goes Green
BCBG's au naturel art installation

Friday, November 17, 2006

http://picsrv.fashionweekdaily.com/?fif=/fashionweekdaily/img_499_179717.jpg&obj=iip,1.0&wid=300&hei=191&rgn=0,0,0,0&cvt=jpeg
Patrick Dougherty's installation on the facade of the Max Azria boutique

(LOS ANGELES) Max Azria is looking to give his Melrose Avenue boutique an artistic jolt, commissioning artist Patrick Dougherty to create a large-scale outdoor art installation that he, along with Lubov Azria and Eva Mendes, will unveil at a party on December 4. The event will benefit the Environmental Defense Fund and feature the sounds of The MisShapes.

The entire facade of the first freestanding Max Azria boutique, located at 8026 Melrose Avenue, will be covered as though it were a rambunctious phenomenon of natural growth. Using tree sapling as construction material, the sculpture, which will be on view to the public through January 2008, will envelop the 2,700-sq.-ft. building like a piece of stick fabric and reproduce on its surface a fleet of organic swirls and eddies. “There is something very exciting about presenting a work of art on a major Los Angeles thoroughfare, as opposed to showing it indoors,” noted Azria of Dougherty’s first significant outdoor installation.

Three more Max Azria boutiques are slated to open by year’s end in West Palm Beach, New York’s SoHo, and Newport Beach, CA.
JIM SHI

[bjornson]

LA confidential: A hiding place for luxury
By Suzy Menkes / International Herald Tribune
Published: November 27, 2006

LOS ANGELES: Hair supremo John Frieda remembers the moment six years ago when he "discovered" Melrose Place, the pretty West Hollywood street, green with foliage, where ivy trails over low- rise houses and bushes spill from tranquil courtyards.

"I got out and started walking and they took me into this space - and I immediately felt: this is so perfect with my obsession with daylight and the water," says Frieda, referring to what was then the for-sale apartment with courtyard pool of the singer Neil Diamond. In its empty bathroom the king of crimpers found an eerie symbol: two abandoned John Frieda hair care bottles.

From that instinct has grown a fashion destination that proves that modern luxury hides behind a bush. The discreet salon (still with its pool) of the Hollywood hairstylist Sally Hershberger at John Frieda is now the anchor for upscale designer labels.

Among the antique stores that Carolina Herrera remembers visiting with Bill Blass way back when is her new 3,000-square-foot, or 278-square-meter, store, with a smart striped awning and the all-important back parking lot.

"I had my eyes on Melrose Place for four years and then this house came up," says the New York designer, who celebrated the official opening this month. "I think it is very chic and I am in love with this space. It is going to be the most important street in fashion. Rodeo Drive is for tourists."

Herrera is not the only enthusiast for this two-block street hidden behind Melrose Avenue off La Cienega Boulevard. Oscar de la Renta has taken premises, Marni already has its quirky store, along with the British designer Alice Temperley, while the Florentine beauty label Santa Maria di Novella will soon rub shoulders with both Mulberry and the first free-standing Marc Jacobs men's store.

Jacobs is leader of the fashion pack. His landmark Marc Jacobs 3,500- square-foot corner store, covered with ivy, is just one of his locations that include, in a former dry cleaner on Melrose Avenue, his more casual Marc by Marc Jacobs line. Opposite that, Diane von Furstenberg's boutique has joined the designer cluster which, if realtors are to be believed, will soon add Chloé and Vera Wang.

Robert Duffy, president of Marc Jacobs, says that he waited five years to "wear down" the antique dealer who finally vacated the premises where Duffy took a 15-year lease - for which he has since been offered millions.

"I wanted that billhead and building," says Duffy. "It is one of those things - a perfect store for me. Melrose Place reminds me of Bleecker Street or Mercer Street when we started 12 years ago."

Duffy was referring to the Marc Jacobs stores in New York for which the designer chose unexpected areas and made them destinations - as he now plans for London. The designer will open in Mount Street, Mayfair, next spring (significantly, a stiletto toddle from John Frieda's London flagship).

The intimacy of Melrose Place compares to the bustling, youth-oriented Robertson Boulevard, a five-minute drive away, and the glossy plate glass and palm trees of Rodeo Drive (which has chandeliers as its Christmas lights).

Melrose Avenue was first colonized by the Fred Siegel store 30 years ago. That ivy-clad emporium with its red, white and blue lettering has become a hangout for show-off young Hollywood (hence its mention in Pink's "Stupid Girls"). Another Melrose fixture is Decades, Cameron Silver's classy vintage store, which now has Paul Smith's pink store opposite.

But Melrose Place itself, once best known for Rose Tarlow's antique- meets-Bel Air furnishings, has a special feeling, perfumed with intimacy.

As Herrera puts it: "This is a house with two entrances and my boutiques have to be like a home."

Duffy says that the paparazzi have arrived, but while the "young actresses purposely go to the Marc by Marc store," the Jacobs store "gets back to old-fashioned retail - the quality is there and a direct relationship with the designer."

"When we first opened, we were the only clothing store," says Duffy. "There is a natural inclination for other people to follow, but we are considered a neighborhood store."

Could it have happened without Sally Hershberger at John Frieda?

"My father was in property and I have a nose for what is the next place," says Frieda. "From day one, my idea was always about being very discreet, thinking that if I was one of my clients, where would I want to go?

"Is it going to lose some of its charm? You are in a beautiful place. Because of architecture, you are hidden away, and there are a limited number of spaces. [b]This street is fabulous - a discreet, tree-lined avenue. To me this is beauty."


Well, this article has a lot of errors, but it does the corridor justice. First off, Chloé is coming. It's Vera Wang that's not confirmed. Second, Fred Siegel is spelled "Fred Segal."

[BrighamYen]

^ There is an old building on Melrose Place (on the north side closer to CH) that needs to be replaced or reinvented into one of the designer boutiques because it really hurts the almost perfect image of Melrose Place.

Since J. Mendel is also looking for a place to open up shop in LA, I would now expect it to open up here at Melrose Place. I can see Kate Spade open next to Marc Jacobs (if there's even space left!).

The ONLY thing I hate about all this is the disconnection between Rodeo/Roberston/Melrose. If combined, this would rival the best shopping in the world. But then again, most of the people who are wealthy enough to TRULY shop at these places prefer valet anyway.

[bjornson]

^ There is an old building on Melrose Place (on the north side closer to CH) that needs to be replaced or reinvented into one of the designer boutiques because it really hurts the almost perfect image of Melrose Place.

Since J. Mendel is also looking for a place to open up shop in LA, I would now expect it to open up here at Melrose Place. I can see Kate Spade open next to Marc Jacobs (if there's even space left!).

The ONLY thing I hate about all this is the disconnection between Rodeo/Roberston/Melrose. If combined, this would rival the best shopping in the world. But then again, most of the people who are wealthy enough to TRULY shop at these places prefer valet anyway.

Hahah what does it currently look like? I haven't been to Melrose Place in a long while. Where the hell is Kate Spade looking? It irritates me that they don't have a store here. I knew Melrose was packed, but is it that packed?

I know Juicy Couture doesn't plan to open up a store (in L.A.) here since the independent boutiques carry all their merch (I guess since they were born from Fred Segal). There are so many indies that carry their products (more than anywhere else) that they don't want directly compete with them by opening a boutique. To hell with it, open one up in Hollywood! Come on, with SoCal locations in SB, Malibu, and Newport...then five in Manhattan alone, and a flagship in SF. Sorry, things like this irritate me when L.A. fashion doesn't represent itself.

Well, this is L.A. I feel there is always going to be a definitive disconnection. I hope I'm wrong. VALET IS THE WAY TO GO!


EDIT: OOOOOOOOH scratch the flagship in SF because there's going to be a flagship and a store in the SF Centre! WOOOOOO. GO LA based designers setting up shop in other places that's not L.A.! I'm being way too cynical.

[BrighamYen]

--This isn't from SoCal, obviously, but I thought it was interesting to see how fashion truly does affect the lives of people in ways we never really thought about...


Congo cult has a passion for fashion


Though poor, addicts of designer clothing spend lavishly to flaunt an over-the-top style.

By Edmund Sanders
Times Staff Writer

November 28, 2006

KINSHASA, Congo — He struts down the muddy, trash-strewn alley like a model on a catwalk, relishing the stares and double-takes from passersby.

In a country where many survive on 30 cents a day, Papy Mosengo is flashing $1,000 worth of designer clothing on his back, from the Dolce & Gabbana cap and Versace stretch shirt to his spotless white Gucci loafers.

"It makes me feel so good to dress this way," the 30-year-old said when asked about such conspicuous consumption in a city beset by unemployment, crime and homelessness. "It makes me feel special."

But Mosengo can scarcely afford this passion for fashion. He worked eight months at his part-time job at a money-exchange shop to earn enough for the single outfit, one of 30 he owns, so he'll never have to wear the same one twice in a month.

He doesn't own a car. He lets an ex-girlfriend support their

5-year-old son and still lives with his parents, sleeping in a dingy, blue-walled bedroom that is more aptly described as a closet with a mattress.

Friends, family and his new girlfriend implore Mosengo to stop pouring all his money into clothes and liquidate the closet.

"Man, we could buy a house with the money," said Dirango Mubiala, his clothing dealer, estimating that Mosengo spends $400 a month.

Mosengo won't budge. "This is just what I am," he said from behind a pair of oversized white Gucci sunglasses. "I'm a Sape."

Mosengo is part of a fashion cult born decades ago in this Central African nation, its name drawn from French slang for clothes.

Before bling and ghetto fabulous, before the dawn of the metrosexual, Congolese men have been pushing the limits of outlandish fashion and heterosexual male vanity, roaming the streets like walking advertisements for the world's top labels. These fashionistas were donning fur coats and gaudy jewels as early as the 1970s, when American hip-hop star Sean Combs was still accessorizing with a grade-school lunchbox.

"The white man may have invented clothes, but we turned it into an art," said Congolese musician King Kester Emeneya, who helped popularize the Sape movement with the legendary Papa Wemba, who is often called the pope of the Sapes. Emulated and admired by a generation of African musicians, Wemba once called fashion his religion, advising devotees that what they wore was more important than school.

Some saw the movement, which dubbed itself the Society for Leisure Lovers and Elegant Persons, as a rebellion against former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, whose patriotic programs included renaming the former Belgian colony Zaire and replacing European fashion imports, such as suits and ties, with traditional African garb.

Wemba laughed off any political motivations.

"It was never about that," he said recently. "It was just about looking good."

His cult survived years of conflict and economic devastation in Congo.

After Mobutu was chased away by rebels in 1997, the country, renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo, endured nearly five years of civil war and invasion by neighboring countries. An estimated 4 million died of hunger and disease, which continue to beset parts of the northeast. International leaders hope last month's presidential election — the first democratic ballot in more than 40 years — will jump-start the rebuilding process.

*

AS the Sape movement has endured among a tightknit group of musicians and well-off businessmen, it also has inspired, for better or worse, a new generation coming of age amid violence, poverty and uncertainty.

On a recent Saturday night along the main drag of Kinshasa's Bandal district, a small gang of young men sipped warm beer, watching the crowd watch them.

Most are twentysomething and unemployed, their only money coming from dealing cocaine, opium and marijuana.

There's little question where the money goes. They ticked off their designers like actors on the red carpet. Yves Saint Laurent. Jean Paul Gauthier. Thierry Mugler.

One wore his leather Versace coat inside out to show off the label.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2006-11/26624458.jpg


It made little difference to them that they sat at a grubby plastic table near an open sewer line. A blackout had cut electricity in the neighborhood, leaving them and their clothes visible only by the headlights of passing cars. Reared in an era that has offered them little hope or opportunity, they said they draw their identities and self-worth from what they wear.

"When I dress this way, and sit here with a beer, no one can touch me," said Patou Coucha, 29, in a tomato-red Paul Smith suit with thigh-length coat. It took him a month of selling cocaine to raise $1,500 for the outfit, which was bought secondhand by a friend in Europe. "I don't hear anybody else. I do what I want."

Japanese designers are the hottest right now, they said. Yamamoto and Miyake. They pooh-poohed American rappers and hip-hop stars for copying their style.

"They don't really know how to dress," said Dede Forme, 27, wearing red Dolce & Gabbana pants and a matching sailor shirt. "We're the one setting the tone."

They are one of many Sape gangs in Kinshasa, calling themselves 100 Years War. Rivals in other neighborhoods include Endless War, Europe of 12 and 1,000 Years War.

They don't carry guns and rarely brawl, but occasionally they invade one another's turf, dressed to the nines, of course, in what they call a "Defi de Sape," or fashion challenge.

Think "West Side Story" meets "Zoolander." They flash labels, not knives.

"If we see them walking down our street, we run home, change into our best and come back out to prove that we're not nobodies," said Willy Biselele, 28, a leader of the 100 Years War.

The winner is the team with the most expensive or rarest collection. One recent standoff was televised by a local station. :haha:

Back at his parents' house, Mosengo was preparing for a night out at a friend's wedding. He planned to wear his most prized possession: a Versace black-and-white leopard-print suit with matching cap.

He rummaged through clothes piled on the floor, climbed over 100 pairs of jeans packed in five large suitcases, and sorted through shirts and shoes hanging from nearly every inch of the wall. Neighbors have nicknamed him "Bilele," the Lingala word for clothes.

"I really need my own place," he grumbled.

As he dressed, Mosengo spoke awkwardly about his future. He failed his high school exams four times before passing and has no career ambitions, other than perhaps one day turning his closet into a clothing store.

When a visitor tried to take his picture before he'd finished dressing, he modestly held up a shirt to shield his pudgy face or ducked out of the way.

Minutes later, after he donned the Versace suit, Mosengo was transformed. He emerged from his bedroom a rock star, raising his chin with thuggish aloofness, mugging for the camera.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2006-11/26624487.jpg


"The ladies are impressed," he said. "But that's not why I do it."

Seated nearby on a couch, applying a milk facial before the night out, his girlfriend shook her head.

"He wastes a lot of money," said Nancy Kalemba, 24. "To be honest, I don't really like it. I'd rather he spend the money on something else. Not necessarily me, but on his future."

Clothing salesmen Papy "Vedelo" Siamina, 33, caters to the Sapes. Those who are wealthy enough sometimes change their clothes twice a day.

"Everything must be designer, even down to the underwear," Siamina said.

But many of the struggling young men, like the one who recently bought a $1,400 Thierry Mugler coat, rely on credit. "He's giving me $700 up front and then $200 a week," Siamina said.

Clothing salesmen aren't the only beneficiaries of the Sape movement's push into lower-income neighborhoods. It has helped spawn an unlikely cottage industry: roadside manicurists. Rather than visit pricey beauty salons, struggling Sapes receive the obligatory nail shines from street kids, many of the onetime shoeshine boys who now carry portable manicure kits and signal customers by clinking tiny glass bottles.

"They can't live without an appointment every two weeks," said manicurist Akunia Dimu, 21, adding that nearly half of those buying his 20-cent manicures are Sapes.

*

AT his mansion in Kinshasa, where he was auditioning singers for his band in the garden, Papa Wemba said it pained him to see impoverished young men overextend themselves in an effort to live up to the movement he helped create.

"That's not what I wanted," Wemba said. "They're not being responsible."

Recently Wemba softened his devotion to fashion, particularly after he was imprisoned for illegally smuggling Africans into France by claiming they were part of his band's entourage. He came out of jail professing a renewed commitment to Christianity.

"Now we just want to dress to cover the body," Wemba said, even though he was wearing pastel plaid Romeo Gigli pants and a printed shirt by a new designer called Kassamoto, whom he is helping to promote in Congo.

Fellow Sape movement founder Emeneya was even blunter.

"I really regret it," he said. "We set a bad example. If I had invested my money instead, I would own several houses. It was like a drug."

Across town, taking a break from his job at the money-exchange shop, Mosengo considered the words of his mentors. He reflected a moment and then nodded.

"You know, they're right," he said. "They're damn right."

An epiphany? Was he ready to quit the clothes?

"Those guys did spend a lot," he said from behind the Gucci sunglasses. "But that's not me."

*


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
edmund.sanders@latimes.com

[bjornson]

Most of you have probably read this. It's from the section "What Los Angeles Gave to the World."

In addition to being the contemporary art capital of the world, L.A. has also established itself as the contemporary fashion capital of the world.

Dress down, power up
Here, the glamorous wear sweats to swanky restaurants and flip-flops with gowns. Chalk one up for the lifestyle that redefined — and demystified — what chic meant.
By Booth Moore, Times Staff Writer
December 3, 2006

PARIS gave the fashion world the little black dress, Milan the perfectly tailored jacket. And Los Angeles? The Juicy Couture tracksuit. That's right, thanks to Southern California, sweats aren't just for the gym, jeans aren't just for weekends and flip-flops aren't just for the beach.

That's because Southern California made casual chic. Sure, our relaxed aesthetic has had its low points: aerobics gear at the mall, baseball caps at the public viewing of a fallen president. But in this land of leisure, where the ideal (if rarely the practice) is that you can surf and ski on the same day and Hollywood is forever in the spotlight, formality doesn't always cut it.

In the 1920s, around the time Coco Chanel made it fashionable to have a suntan, Southern California became a destination for summer vacationers. They traveled west to enjoy the temperate weather, ditching their European-inspired designer clothes for versatile, lightweight casual wear. In the 1930s, Lou Van Roy introduced the idea of sportswear separates, creating casual pantsuits, culottes and playsuits. Cole of California designed bathing suits with matching skirts in the 1940s to enable a smooth transition from poolside to dining room.

Fashion designer Rudi Gernreich liberated women from structured bodices and put them in knit separates in the 1960s, proving that sporty and sophisticated could go together. The same principle applies to the Juicy Couture tracksuit (designed to flatter a woman's curves enough to take her from yoga class to lunch at the Ivy), as well as today's multi-functional knit pieces from such L.A.-based brands as Three Dots, Ella Moss and C&C — pull-on skirts, kimono-shaped dresses and tie-front tops.

Southern California's beach and mountain playground has bred a generation of weekend warriors and billion-dollar action sports brands to dress them. The Huntington Beach-"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" aesthetic has even turned up on the Chanel runway in Paris. And kids from Iowa who've never seen the ocean can buy into the lifestyle with Quiksilver board shorts and Reef flip-flops.

The inherently California desire to conquer the outdoors (or at least to dress like it) might be a holdover from the frontier era, or from the days kids spent watching heroes Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone on TV in their coonskin caps. Hollywood took the Western look mainstream, but the rhinestone-studded snap-front shirts, jackets and chaps worn by Roy Rogers, Gram Parsons and Elvis Presley were worlds away from what was worn on the ranch. These weren't ordinary cowboys, they were showmen, outfitted by San Fernando Valley-based Nudie Cohn and other rodeo tailors, whose brand of cowboy cool has never gone out of style.

Levi's was born out of the rugged frontier image too, in Northern California. Yet Southern California brands like True Religion, 7 for All Mankind and Frankie B. gave denim enough refinement to go out to dinner, dropping the waists for a sexy, body-conscious fit. Los Angeles-based Tom Ford added beads and feathers to the cuffs, elevating jeans to the realm of luxury fashion.

Today, the more money and influence you have, the more you can afford to dress down. That's why Bill Gates conducts business in a button-down shirt and khakis. And why Sharon Stone showed up at the Oscars in 1996 in a Gap turtleneck and a Valentino ball skirt.

For all the ink spilled about the red carpet, the rest of the world connects with how celebrities go casual. Whether it's Marlon Brando's T-shirt and leather motorcycle jacket, the full-cut pants Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall popularized or the Ugg boots, short shorts and bug-eyed sunglasses Nicole Richie wears to shop on Robertson Boulevard, people have an insatiable interest in copying what celebrities wear.

After all, who can afford the $15,000 backless gown Hilary Swank wore to the Golden Globes? And where would you wear it in a world where casual is king?

[Buckeye Native 001]

There's something to be said for that "little black dress with flip flops" look. I find it attractive.

[bjornson]

Me, too.

[bjornson]

Cruising Westward
Chanel to show in L.A.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

(NEW YORK) Having taken over Grand Central Station for his most recent Chanel cruise collection showing, Karl Lagerfeld—who this morning presented his Pre-Fall Paris-Monte Carlo Collection at the Opéra Monte-Carlo—seems keen on the idea of remaining in the U.S. This time, however, he’s westward-bound: Chanel confirmed today that the company will stage its upcoming May cruise runway show in Los Angeles. A location has yet to be selected.

[BrighamYen]

Just because I'm bored and there's nothing going on...Juicy Couture is now open in Malibu.

The two other SoCal locations that are opening are Santa Barbara and Newport Beach.

Mulberry is also going to open on Melrose Place.


I just checked their website and I don't see Malibu or LA listed anywhere in their locations?

[bjornson]

^You're right. I noticed that a while back, too. However, if you go to Malibu Country Mart or check out the Malibu Country Mart Website, then you will find that, that's where it is.

http://www.malibucountrymart.com/category.html#apparel

[BrighamYen]

Does anyone know if the Title Guarantee Building in Downtown will be getting any ground-floor retail space. It's critical that there be retail space fronting 5th street in order to develop Pershing Square as one of the future major hubs of Downtown. The same could be said for Park Fifth, which I hope plans on having retail space fronting Pershing Square as well.


This info may be a little outdated, but at the time I was at the DCBID, the tenant expected to lease out of the Title Guarantee building at 5th/Hill was a "new concept Starbucks store." This Starbucks would also include eateries of some sort? I'm not sure if that is still what the developer wants.

I hope they keep the "Thrifty" sign on the floor in the front entrance. That might not fare well with these ultra-luxurious units with Sub Zero appliances, but it's historic and it's so LA! Wasn't Thrifty from LA before Rite Aid bought them out?

[bjornson]

Haha yep Thrifty was L.A. based. Found in 1919, and the name Thrifty came out in 1929. Then bought out by Rite Aid 1996. Isn't the ice cream still alive?

Oh, LAB, here's an article about Juicy's expansion from WWD.

Published: Friday, October 06, 2006
Juicy Couture Targets Uptown Girls
By Julee Greenberg
NEW YORK — Shopping on Manhattan’s Upper East Side just got juicier.
Juicy Couture is opening its first uptown location today at 860 Madison Avenue in a 2,000-square-foot, two-level space.
The launch introduces the overall design concept that will carry through all Juicy Couture openings in the near future. There are dark painted walls and bright pink fixtures that are backdrops for merchandise and kitschy props placed throughout the store.
Co-founders Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor created the design elements for the newest location — as they will for others — to scream the message: “Madison Avenue meets Alice in Wonderland.” There is vintage furniture, mini teacups with charms inside them and even a larger-than-life birdcage in the front window displaying a white lace gown from the recent Couture Couture collection.
The lower level features a shoe salon and accessories area, where footwear and handbags are prominently displayed on wall shelves. Props are found throughout the store to show off the signature Juicy sense of humor, such as the pink man-in-armor statue and the Juicy pop art wall of fame, near the winding staircase.
“Pam and Gela’s influence is stronger than ever in this store,” said Philip Johnson, Juicy Couture’s visual director. “We are really starting to infuse their taste level into the design of the stores, and we will begin to update the existing Juicy stores accordingly.”
There are jars full of candy on shelves and even a painted pink clothing steamer peeking out of a utility closet. With luxury neighbors like Chloé, Prada and Gucci, Skaist-Levy and Nash-Taylor said Juicy would prominently display its higher­-end collection on the main level.
“We think all our neighbors will be fantastic,” Skaist-Levy said. “We love Chloé and the closeness to Hermès, our French Godfather, our Grand Pere....And we get to walk by Fred Leighton and be dazzled on our way to the store.”
And customers seem to be paying attention. Several shoppers walking on Madison Avenue knocked on the doors, hoping to get the first look inside the store on Thursday as designers worked double-time to clear boxes and dress mannequins. “Those women are like magicians,” said one onlooker.
“It’s one of the most glamorous streets in the world,” said Nash-Taylor, who is enamored of the store’s decor. “[I love] the portrait gallery, the gilded birdcage where Couture Couture is housed and all the antique touches that display the crown jewels.”
Soon, the company plans to add cosmetics and home products to the Juicy lifestyle that already includes watches, shoes, swimwear, fragrance, baby clothes, pet apparel and a slew of other accessories. The next Juicy Couture store will open on Oct. 19 at 12 Newbury Street in Boston.
The Madison Avenue store is the 12th Juicy Couture unit and the company’s second in Manhattan. The first store opened here in June and the next will open downtown in January at 368 Bleecker Street. That location, 3,400 square feet, will be the company’s New York flagship, housing the full array for women, men, children, pets and home. By the end of 2006, there will be 19 Juicy Couture stores worldwide; 20 more are planned for 2007.
Just last month, the company signed an agreement with the Lane Crawford Joyce Group for exclusive distribution rights to the Juicy Couture brand in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. This is a major step to growth throughout Asia, and Juicy will add 24 freestanding locations to the company’s 2,400-square-foot flagship in Tokyo that opened in March.
Next year, stores will open in Milan, Hong Kong, Chicago, Dallas, Malibu, Calif., and Palm Beach, Fla. Juicy Couture will open on Prince Street in SoHo and on 57th Street in 2007, giving it five stores in Manhattan.
Juicy Couture has been on a fast-growth track for the past few years and is considered a real gem to parent Liz Claiborne Inc. Juicy, which started in 1997 with the fashionable velour tracksuit, is on its way to becoming a true $1 billion megabrand.
“It’s just shy of halfway there,” said Trudy Sullivan, president of Liz Claiborne.

[dragonsky]

Lowe's Home Improvement to Anchor CIM Group's Midtown Plaza
Wednesday December 6, 1:28 pm ET
An Urban Retail Center in the Heart of Los Angeles


LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CIM Group has secured a 116,000-square-foot Lowe's home improvement store for Midtown Plaza, the company's 390,000-square-foot urban retail center in central Los Angeles. Set on 12 acres at the corner of San Vicente Blvd. and Pico Blvd., Midtown Plaza is an innovative design that combines major retailers such as Lowe's with a diverse group of smaller retailers and restaurants along with a new bus transit terminal.
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"Lowe's Home Improvement is a top retailer known for its strong focus on customer service in addition to its extensive array of quality products," noted Shaul Kuba, principal and co-founder of CIM Group. "We are transforming a large property that has been an eyesore in the community for decades and Lowe's is the ideal anchor for this significant project."

Located along the Pico Blvd., or north side of the property, Lowe's Home Improvement will include a 17,200-square-foot garden center in addition to a substantial stock of building products, fixtures and appliances that currently are not available to local shoppers.

"This is a milestone in the evolution of this community which retailers have overlooked for years. The area's large and diverse population currently travels miles to find the shopping options that most of us take for granted," noted Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson. "It represents a successful collaboration between the Community Redevelopment Agency, the CIM Group, the community and my office, all of whom worked hard to make this project a reality."

Construction on the Lowe's Home Improvement store is expected to get underway in the first quarter of 2007 with an anticipated opening in winter of 2008. The $114 million Midtown Plaza development is an interesting stacked design that takes advantage of the different elevations on the site. The Venice Blvd. frontage on the south side, which is higher, will bring a broad spectrum of retailers and restaurants in 166,000 square feet of space. A modern MTA bus terminal has been built into the site at the corner of Pico and San Vicente with 11 berths and 15,000 square feet of street front retail that includes a Panda Express, Footlocker, Wells Fargo and Starbucks. Combined surface and structured parking will provide 1,400 spaces.

With the bus terminal and in-line shops complete, construction on the remainder of the project is expected to get under way in the first quarter of 2007 with completion anticipated for winter 2008.

"Midtown Plaza will become a shopping destination and a welcome amenity for the community. We meet regularly with the neighbors and have solid insight into the types of retail and restaurants that appeal to them. We are in active negotiations with other great businesses," added Kuba.

About CIM Group

CIM Group is an integrated, full service real estate investor with in-house acquisition, development, finance, leasing, and management capabilities. CIM Group directs its efforts towards districts of high population density, including the downtown areas within large cities, smaller "main street" districts within towns and suburban cities, and other locations which lie within the metropolitan areas of the country. Since its inception in 1994, CIM Group has been a leading force in the creation of great streets in the cities of Santa Monica, San Diego, Pasadena, Brea and Hollywood.

[BrighamYen]

L.A.-area designer teams with Carrefour


BCBG Max Azria Group will create women's clothing for the retail chain's stores in Europe.

By Abigail Goldman
Times Staff Writer

December 8, 2006

One of Los Angeles' best-known fashion designers announced Thursday that it was teaming with a French retail giant to produce women's apparel for its European stores.

Vernon-based BCBG Max Azria Group Inc. is partnering with Carrefour, the world's second-largest retailer behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in a deal estimated to be worth over $1 billion in sales to BCBG over the next 4 1/2 years.

"To do a deal like this, with the second-largest retailer in the world, is an honor," said Max Azria, the group's chief executive. "Everybody has the right to reach a fashion that they can afford. It's a great challenge for our company to design from the lower prices to the higher prices."

The deal is the latest in a flurry of partnerships between mass merchants and designers to develop exclusive collections.

Carrying the tagline "Designed in Los Angeles, Made for the world," the collection will be in 450 stores in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Greece by mid-2007, BCBG said.

"It's a big deal from a revenue standpoint," said Frederick Schmitt, a principal at Sage Group, a Los Angeles investment bank that specializes in apparel, retail and branded consumer products. "But I'd be interested in seeing what it looks like in terms of profitability for BCBG."

BCBG is privately held and doesn't disclose its financial results. Azria, who also is the company's founder and designer, said the arrangement with Carrefour was unusual in that the two companies would team up to create a unified women's fashion label for the stores in the six countries.

BCBG, which manufactures clothing worldwide, has 8,000 employees and expects to hire an additional 150 as a result of the deal. About 3,000 of its workers are based in California, including 1,700 in Vernon.

The company designs an array of women's clothing that includes contemporary line BCBGirls and couture gown line Max Azria Atelier. The group has 1,166 stores in 31 countries, including one of its new acquisitions, the 208-store France-based chain Alain Manoukian.

In addition to operating more than 340 BCBG Max Azria retail stores worldwide, the company in August opened the first Max Azria boutique on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

BCBG's Max Rave this year acquired G+G Retail, which operates more than 480 Rave, Rave Girl and G+G stores in the United States and Puerto Rico. Those stores are being converted to Max Rave or True People stores.

With this agreement, Carrefour said it planned to reinforce and boost its apparel offerings at its hypermarkets, which combine groceries with general merchandise similar to Wal-Mart Supercenters.

"This collaboration with an internationally renowned fashion company is integral to the Carrefour group's strategy to further develop its sales in the nonfood sector," said Jose Luis Duran, chairman of Carrefour's management board.

Mass merchants are increasingly turning to designer names to develop exclusive merchandise.

Discounter Target Corp., looking to build on a reputation for affordable fashion, carries exclusive lines from high-end designers Isaac Mizrahi and Cynthia Rowley.

Wal-Mart previously announced a deal with designer Mark Eisen to develop fashions for a segment of its George line.

And in August, Kohl's Corp. announced a partnership with Vera Wang. The designer, known for her $10,000 wedding dresses, will create a new fashion and lifestyle brand called Very Vera by Vera Wang for fall 2007.

J.C. Penney Co. has teamed with designers such as Nicole Miller to develop its own affordable collections.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
abigail.goldman@latimes.com

The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.

[BrighamYen]

MALL TALK

From shopping centers to lifestyle centers


Shopping malls are finally fulfilling their original destiny: re-creating the essence of urban life.

By Virginia Postrel
Virginia Postrel (dynamist.com) is a columnist for the Atlantic and the author of "The Substance of Style."

December 10, 2006

I WAS SHOCKED the first time I went to Universal CityWalk, several months after it opened in 1993. I'd read all about the place beforehand. Social critics had proclaimed it the new white-flight fortress against the crime, disorder and diversity of real city life. It exemplified "a Victorian-style separation of classes in our public life," wrote Norman Klein. George Will called CityWalk "a melancholy comment on metropolitan America." Mike Davis said, "It fulfills our worst prophecies." At best, CityWalk was a fake city, built for customers who, in Lewis Lapham's words, "had no intention of going to see the original city four miles to the south."

After that buildup, I expected something at least as visionary and disturbing as Disneyland. What I found was a mall. Yes, it was outdoors and full of tourist traps. The store facades were more exuberant than the typical Banana Republic. But it was still just a shopping center. CityWalk seemed no more revolutionary — and less fortress-like — than the Beverly Center. What a letdown.

A decade later, I returned to see what had happened to the famous harbinger of Fortress Los Angeles. On a Sunday evening in July, the place was absolutely packed. Families and friends by the hundreds were out enjoying the bustle, the neon lights, the night air, the music blasting from the public stage. A few people carried shopping bags, but most seemed just to be hanging out. Contrary to the prophets of a decade earlier, they were generally locals, and I was about the only pale-faced blond in sight. CityWalk wasn't separate from the real Los Angeles. It was emphatically part of it. It seemed less like a mall this time and more like a city.

That, I now realize, was itself a false dichotomy — a remnant of postwar suburban thinking. Real city living has always been about commerce and security, the two main reasons people gather in close proximity. (A third is finding sexual partners.) Those who condemn malls for offering havens might as well condemn hybrid cars for not burning enough gas; these critics mistake the side effects of urban density for its purposes. Like mall visitors all over the country, CityWalk patrons aren't looking to escape urban life but to experience its pleasures.

In fact, CityWalk says far more about the state of shopping centers than it does about the state of cities. Over the last decade and a half, the once-monolithic mall has become more diversified, more aesthetically appealing and more porous. Outdoor "lifestyle centers," often without department stores, are reinventing the city street, while traditional malls revamp to provide more entertainment, more restaurants, more appealing public spaces and more reasons to linger. After five decades of experiment and evolution, the American shopping center is finally beginning to fulfill its inventor's dream: to re-create the human-scale European city "filled, morning and evening, day and night, weekdays and Sundays, with urban dynamism."

That dreamer's name was Victor Gruen, an architect in exile. In the mid-20th century, he lived in Beverly Hills but longed for Vienna, the city he'd been driven from by the Nazis. Like many emigres, he missed the cafes and conversation that defined Central European cities before the war. "I haven't seen people sit at sidewalk tables on Ventura Boulevard because there is nothing to look at," he lamented. To recover that lost urbanity, Gruen invented the shopping mall, imagining it as a human-scale alternative to the impersonal canyons of industrial downtowns and the drive-by anomie of postwar suburbia. The shopping center of his imagination would include not only stores but "a community center, an auditorium, a children's play area, a large number of public eating places and, in the courts and malls, opportunities for relaxation, exhibits and public events." It would be, as we say now, a "third place," a congenial gathering spot separate from home and work.

Gruen sold his designs to retailers and succeeded as a commercial architect. But the economics of the time left his dreams severely compromised. Instead of centers of sociability, developers built "machines for shopping," designed to move customers efficiently from store to store, stopping only for essential fuel. In their day, malls were pretty exciting. Those of us who grew up in the 1960s and '70s can recall the thrill of having big, climate-controlled spaces where you could walk without fearing the elements (a major selling point in most of the country) or dodging cars. Unfortunately, there was no place to sit comfortably — surely a reason that most of the people socializing at the mall were teenagers walking in groups. Architecturally, malls were monolithic buildings, physically and psychologically separated from their environment. To the road, they presented nothing more inviting than a department store sign. The action was on the inside.

That old model has lost its appeal. For pure shopping efficiency, a big-box discounter is cheaper, a drive-up center is faster and an online retailer doesn't make you leave your desk. To compete, malls have finally realized the rest of Gruen's original vision, adapting it to the contemporary scene. Children's play areas, soft seating to encourage relaxation and lots of those "public eating places" have become de rigueur. Instead of getting shoppers in and out to buy shoes, today's malls encourage them to hang out, working on laptops or chatting with friends. It's the Starbucks strategy: provide an appealing environment so that people will make it a part of their daily life and spend money while they're there. You may come for the Wi-Fi, but you'll pick up a sandwich and maybe a shirt or two.

Hence the Westfield Group's $330-million expansion of its Topanga center in Canoga Park included a children's "Playtown" with a double-decker carousel. The $127-million renovation of the Westfield Century City mall upgraded the AMC theater and replaced the old food court with a large upstairs terrace offering fresher fare, more stylish surroundings and, on occasion, live music. It's a 21st century cafe, a place to talk, work, read or just enjoy the sun. Just off Santa Monica Boulevard, you can sit at a sidewalk table and have plenty to see.

The traditional enclosed mall, even in its retrofitted and reinvigorated form, can't fully represent the new urbanity. For that, you have to turn to large-scale lifestyle centers — the Grove is a midsized local example — that re-create the urban street. Lifestyle centers have grown as the department stores on which traditional malls relied have shrunk. Specialty retailers are still looking for new locations, and Chico's and Build-a-Bear Workshop can't wait for space until Macy's is ready to commit to new malls. Like malls, lifestyle centers segregate their parking from pedestrian areas, making them different from old-fashioned strip centers. With their smaller shops and open-air design, they resemble city streets. Many feature apartments, offices or hotels.

Take SanTan Village, now rising in Gilbert, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix. Describing itself as "a 500-acre urban village," the development includes 18 buildings laid out along a grid of streets, some of which will allow cars, with parking areas scattered throughout. Like modern enclosed malls, SanTan Village will group similar stores together — teen wares here, luxury goods there, mid-priced fashion over here — to save time and encourage related purchases. But because this shopping center has no central doors to shut at 9 p.m., restaurants and theaters can stay open late even if the children's stores are closed. Here, in exurbia U.S.A., the shopping center has reinvented the pedestrian-oriented city street.

Surprisingly, even in the heat of Phoenix, open-air centers ring up the highest sales per square foot. "The shopper has voted with their dollars by saying they enjoy that outdoor experience," said David Scholl, a senior vice president of development at Westcor, SanTan Village's Phoenix-based developer. (Westcor is owned by Macerich Co., the Santa Monica-based real estate investment trust.) "A husband and wife can go out and spend three or four hours seeing a movie and dinner and strolling the streets of a lifestyle center," Scholl said. "I think that given the choice, people would love to be outside."

As if to prove the point, plans were announced last week for a major new residential and office development adjacent to Universal CityWalk. Shoppers are no longer trying to escape their environment but to enjoy it. Even in suburbia they value the hum of city life.


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[BrighamYen]

MALL TALK

A space station with good parking


The closest humans have come to their dream of living in an airtight outer space paradise is the indoor shopping mall.

By Tim Cavanaugh
Tim Cavanaugh is the Web editor of The Times' editorial pages.

December 10, 2006

IT'S NO COINCIDENCE that throughout the post-World War II ascendancy of the indoor shopping mall, American culture was haunted by a vision: the vision of the space station. The off-world colony appears again and again in the period's popular culture: The 1959 children's classic "You Will Go to the Moon" envisions a space station as a combination ship's quarters and soda counter. The space station in Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" boasts a brand-name hotel. The Bruce Dern vehicle "Silent Running" depicts the last forester in the solar system tending a grove of redwoods inside a habitat near Saturn.

Most spectacularly, Rick Guidice's illustrations for a NASA space station study and for Gerard K. O'Neill's 1977 manifesto, "The High Frontier," envisioned the space station — with heartbreaking, Thomas Kinkadian ecstasy — as a perfect world of vast atriums and terraced, landscaped residences, a sort of spinning, air-locked Sausalito, where swells would hang out on sunny decks and gather in manicured gardens.

These visions expressed a popular desire of the Space Age: the wish for an airtight paradise. Given enough human ingenuity, any environment could be re-created indoors. The impulse for a self-contained environment, a natural-artificial community, powered the creation of domed football stadiums — and reached its absurd terminus in the Biosphere 2 experiment of the early 1990s.

The classic "introverted" shopping mall of the postwar period has been defined in many ways — a grim, sterile prison; an efficient "consumer trap"; a promising "third space" in a nation rapidly losing its town square environments to exurban sprawl.

More than any of these, however, the mall was the closest most of us will ever get to a space station. Its central walkway resembled nothing so much as the centrifugal rim of the classic bicycle-wheel spaceport. Its open, multiple tiers captured the sense of airless airiness we all imagined would be a feature of the off-world habitat. It was possible to believe that gravity was slightly lower near those skylights. The fake sylvan groves, the artificial fountains, the false spontaneity of the common areas with their tables and benches — it was all real because it was so obviously invented. Even the lighting pattern — tiny bulbs designed to kick in at sunset to reduce the sense of time passing — boldly announced the mall's independence from Earth's obsolete 24-hour cycle.

The space mall and space station share a sort of birth year. In 1954, Collier's magazine completed its serialization of Wernher von Braun's "Marsprojekt" series, complete with Chesley Bonestell paintings of the spinning-wheel space stations from which the Red Planet would be conquered. That same year, Viennese designer Victor Gruen created the indoor mall template with the Southdale shopping center in Edina, Minn.

From there through the 1980s, the spaceport of dreams and the mall of reality eerily tracked the hopes and anxieties of the country. The artificial environment was not just an exciting progression but a necessary safeguard against the various apocalypses — killer bees, overpopulation, the greenhouse effect, nuclear holocaust — that were always five to 10 years away. If the space station provided an escape from a planet going to hell, the mall was widely seen (and frequently condemned) as a respite from cities free-falling into unstoppable crime. Inside our airtight, radiation-shielded, zombie-proof environments, we could still thrive

Of course, it turned out the planet wasn't going to hell, at least not as advertised. The human extinction event still hasn't happened, nobody's eating Soylent Green and major cities experienced an unexpected renaissance in the 1990s.

This good news turned out to be the death knell of the artificial paradise. The contained mall — typified in Los Angeles by the hermetically sealed Beverly Center — has yielded to extroverted, upscale shopping centers like the Grove. As it happens, people like being outdoors. Space station plans were gradually winnowed too, and the International Space Station that straggled into low-earth orbit a few years ago was not even a shadow of the original idea. The last gasp of the vision came in "Star Trek's" Deep Space Nine station, whose two-story central promenade closed the loop — now it was the space station that was trying to look like a shopping mall.

The indoor mall rose — and fell — with the vision of the space station. Like all futuristic dreams, it could survive anything except a better future. At a time when you can get whatever you're looking for with a few clicks on a mouse, it's hard to imagine anybody ever wanted to creep around Chess King, General Nutrition Center or Orange Julius in search of material relief.

Amazon.com is the shopper's equivalent of unmanned space exploration — a better, less heroic way to see the universe, and one that makes the shiny dreams of the past seem vaguely embarrassing. When NASA announced plans for a moon base earlier this month, the space agency might as well have said it was bringing out a new eight-track player. The space mall and the space station — glamorous icons of futurism — ended up having no place in the future.


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[dragonsky]

Tesco looking at 300 sites for grocery stores
The British firm focuses on the Southland as it prepares to spend as much as $2billion over five years on its launch.
By Jerry Hirsch, Times Staff Writer
December 5, 2006


Normally reticent British retailer Tesco lifted the veil a bit on its U.S. market plans, saying Monday that it was eyeing sites for 300 small grocery stores in Southern California, Las Vegas and Phoenix and was prepared to spend as much as $2 billion over five years on its launch.

Tesco USA Chief Executive Tim Mason said his management team was negotiating for 300 sites, although "not all will get opened."

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The first stores will open in the second half of next year, and the pace of development will pick up as Tesco gets its distribution network operational, Mason said. He said many more stores could follow.

"If this is successful, this is a very big country," Mason said at the public opening of the company's U.S. headquarters in El Segundo.

Tesco has kept secret most of the details of its launch — which focuses on Southern California and the Southwest — out of fear that rival grocers will develop a strategy to foil its plans. Tesco on Monday again declined to detail any of the locations it is moving forward with. But in September, the company leased a shuttered Albertsons market in Glassell Park.

The company plans to push into underserved urban areas that need to be "re-energized," Mason said.

"We think there are a lot of good opportunities there," he said, adding that Tesco had experience in running successful stores in distressed urban areas in England.

Tesco's entrance into Southern California will provide a potent new competitor to traditional grocers such as Kroger Co.'s Ralphs, Safeway Inc.'s Vons and Supervalu Inc.'s Albertsons. The British company's arrival ratchets up the stakes at a time when the supermarkets already face pressure from the expansion by discount chains Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. into food offerings.

"It is already a competitive market, and I would be lying if I said the rest of our membership was looking forward to the arrival of Tesco," said Peter Larkin, president of the California Grocers Assn. in Sacramento. "But the grocery chains are accustomed to new challenges and will be ready to compete when Tesco opens its stores."

Mason said Tesco was looking for sites of about 15,000 square feet, with about two-thirds devoted to sales space. That would make the typical U.S. Tesco store about the size of an average location of Monrovia-based Trader Joe's.

Tesco expects to hire about 2,500 employees in its first year as it opens "a format that we call the 'neighborhood market,' " Mason said.

He said they would be "smaller, simpler grocery stores" that would allow shoppers to quickly pick up what they need without having to make multiple trips to a variety of stores, including packaged goods and packaged prepared meals.

"One of the things that we found unique about American consumers is that they shop frequently here, and that they shop in a lot of different stores," said Simon Uwins, chief marketing officer for Tesco USA.

Tesco plans to emphasize the freshness of its food by building what Mason characterized as a speedy, efficient distribution system.

"One of the problems of distribution in a place as vast as America is that most of the freshness is used up in trucks rather than in people's refrigerators," he said.

Tesco has bought an 88.4-acre site along Interstate 215 south of Riverside for its local distribution center. It has brought along two of its largest British suppliers, Natures Way Foods and 2 Sisters Food Group, which plan to open U.S. branches in the Inland Empire. Natures Way provides Tesco with produce, lettuce and prepared salads; 2 Sisters supplies poultry.

Mason said Tesco was looking at the range of hourly wages paid in the areas it planned to enter and would offer a competitive pay package that could include bonuses, a 401(k) savings plan and health benefits.

"We know that we have to be a good employer if we want to attract people in this market," he said.

Although he was approached by members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union at the opening Monday, Mason said the company had not decided whether it would have a union workforce.

Tesco, with about $80 billion in annual sales worldwide, already operates in 13 countries and employs more than 300,000 people.

[rs913]

"One of the things that we found unique about American consumers is that they shop frequently here, and that they shop in a lot of different stores," said Simon Uwins, chief marketing officer for Tesco USA.

That's kind of interesting that these British Tesco guys say that about Americans. I always thought American shoppers (at least when it comes to groceries and staple goods) were perceived as shopping less frequently, buying more in one shot, and going more for one-stop big-box shopping. There are many trends in the U.S. that favor this - suburban sprawl and the proliferation of Wal-Marts and Super Targets, more storage space in homes, longer work hours that require "efficient" shopping, etc. Europeans' food-shopping patterns are closer to the traditional image of getting your bread from the baker, your meat from the butcher, etc., though that's probably changing...

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

hopefully we'll get one in DT LA.

[RAlossi]

Very glad that Tesco is coming here (I told my British coworker about the Glassell Park location, and she was ecstatic). I'm also very glad that they will be focusing on underserved markets. There are several locations that spring to mind immediately when I think of good locations for a new store.

The combination of new retail entrants to the US (Famima!!, Tesco, Pinkberry, Beard Papa, and so on) in LA make it so interesting for out-of-towners. I went to the LA Auto Show earlier today and stopped at the Famima!! on Figueroa. I overheard someone saying that they really like LA because of the interesting places to shop.

[bjornson]

Great news on Tesco! It's good they're choosing to place stores in California and the southwest. If I read right, they chose to based on demographics?

What a nice new store to add to the ever expanding diverse options Angelenos are now getting.

Oh, RAlossi, Pinkberry is L.A. spawned. It's "The taste that launched 1,000 parking tickets," as quoted from the L.A. Times. I hope DTLA gets one and Hollywood as well. As for Famima!!, I haven't been there, but I'm curious about it. I hope more Japanese retailers come over here first instead of NY (i.e. UNIQLO).


There was an L.A. Times article about this, but it's a different article.
L.A. Retail: Keeping Kids Haute
By Emili Vesilind
LOS ANGELES — Specialty children's apparel retailers here say the demand for shrunken-down versions of adult apparel is growing, fueled by an increase in the awareness of edgy boutique brands spearheading the trend — through magazines, TV and the Internet.


Lacroix to Unveil First N.Y. Store
Christian Lacroix is opening his second store in the U.S., in New York.

The designer has signed a lease for a flagship at 36 East 57th Street, a site previously occupied by the flagship for Oxxford Clothes, the Chicago-based maker of men's tailored clothing, which moved to 717 Fifth Avenue.

Hopefully L.A. will get a Lacroix store soon after the NY location. Las Vegas was the first location in the U.S.
Same for Manolo Blahnik. First store in NY, then LV and nowhere else.

[fridayinla]

The new DSW Shoe Warehouse opened this weekend at the Galaxy center on Hollywood Boulevard. That marks the third major tenant for this building after Long's Drugs and LA Fitness.

[BrighamYen]

RAlossi - How do you know there is going to be a Tesco in Glassell Park?

[BrighamYen]

Born in the USA

American Apparel sticks to simple lines but doesn't skimp on saucy

By Barbara Bradley
Contact
December 10, 2006

Many Memphians have never heard of American Apparel, the retailer and manufacturer that opened a store here in May at 528 S. Main. But in other cities, the chain is cutting a swath of green over the retail landscape.

It sells basic clothes made in America and without logos and it's famous for its socially and environmentally conscious corporate culture. Stores are spreading like wildfire, with three to six opening all over the world each month.

Daniel Lombardo, 21, a senior at Rhodes College, had not heard of the store before it arrived here, but is a convert now because of the garments' "quality." He's bought several T-shirts, underwear and a tricolored hoodie he says is "awesome. The fabric is really comfortable and it keeps its softness." The slim-cut T-shirts fit him better.

The brand was also new to Johannah O'Malley, 18, a freshman at Christian Brothers University, who bought a pair of leggings and two V-neck tops. The style is "more me," she said. "It's low-key but still cool 'cause of the way they're cut." She likes not having to have "huge brands displayed across my chest," and she's aware of the company's social hipness. The clothes are "made in the USA and with legitimate jobs. Not just slave wages."

American Apparel was founded by Montreal native Dov Charney, whose downtown Los Angeles factory employs 3,800 and is the largest single apparel plant in the nation, according to a recent report in the Los Angeles Times. Charney has rocked the apparel industry by managing to compete while paying his factory workers among the highest wages in the industry ($12.50 an hour). The company also provides low-cost health care, dental, and other goodies, including free massages.

American Apparel wins approval from environmentalists with its line of organic cotton T-shirts and its scrap recycling. It even provides bicycles for employees to get to work.

American Apparel garments are designed, cut and stitched at the factory. They come in a huge selection of colors, many are done in cotton knit, and they are spare on details so they mix and layer easily. Some styles are unisex.

Shoppers can create a lot of fashionable looks with a few pieces. The most expensive item in the South Main store is a thermal-lined, zip-up hoodie for $48. T-shirts are about $18; bandeau dresses, $34; Henley thermal tops, $20; and long, flowing skirts, $30.

These are not preppy clothes. They tend to be slim-cut and body-conscious and with saucy items including tube mini skirts, short shorts, rompers and little bandeau bras. Lindsay Lohan and Kate Moss wear the brand. And American Apparel displays provocative ads, especially on its Web site, that have ruffled some feathers.

But that doesn't seem to have hurt sales. The company, which started as a wholesale business and opened its first retail store in 2003, saw sales triple to $250 million last year, according to company spokesman Cynthia Semon. It also does a big online business at americanapparel.net.

"Dov's team (which scouts for store locations) look for neighborhoods that were once cool and had culture but that need reviving," said manager Ann Earnheart, 25, who grew up in Memphis. South Main fills that bill, she said. But it may take a couple of years to get established in this more conservative Southern environment. "These are edgy clothes and you have to market them harder here."

Most of her customers are between 17 and 30 years old, she said. One of the most popular items for girls is the "bandeau dress," a jersey dress with straps that can be worn like a halter or tied into a bandeau top. "Girls from Ole Miss come and get them" to wear to football games or for dates, she said. Guys like "leisure shirts," a '70s-style fitted knit shirt with a generous collar and short sleeves.

The company is testing jeans called "slim slacks," which should hit the store early next year. With any luck, they'll make it cool to go label-less in jeans, a development sure to be popular with those on a budget.

Fashion editor Barbara Bradley can be reached at 529-2370 or via e-mail. Our models are Claire Nelson of Colors Talent Agency, Inc., and Cort Percer.

MORE BRADLEY COLUMNS »

Copyright 2006, commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.

[RAlossi]

RAlossi - How do you know there is going to be a Tesco in Glassell Park?

I don't remember where I read that (I should've posted it here! Sorry!), but it was a press release by Tesco stating that their first store would be in Glassell Park. Google "Tesco Glassell Park" (without the quotes) and you'll get some good info.

[bjornson]

I remember seeing something about that as well. I believe it's going into the former Albertson's.

[bjornson]

Mulberry Launching on Melrose Pl.
By Emili Vesilind
British luxury leather brand Mulberry is opening a 1,400-square-foot boutique on Melrose Place in Los Angeles today, the company's third store launch in the U.S. in the last month. It is the first unit in California.

[BrighamYen]

I spoke to a few people and Tesco will almost certainly be opening in Downtown LA as part of their expansion plans. They are currently looking for space right now. Looks like Downtown will be getting a few more grocery stores afterall!

[WesTheAngelino]

^ Really??? How big are Tesco stores? Like, are we talkin' Ralph's size or more like a TJ's?

[LA/OC/London]

It really depends on the type of Tesco outlets planned for Los Angeles. For instance, in central London you have Tesco Local, which is about the size of a Famima store but manages to have all the basics you need. There's also Tesco Metro, which is a bit larger than a Trader Joe's. I'm guessing that the company is going to follow the Tesco local model for downtown - lots of smaller corner markets scattered around the area, probably filling some of those vacant loft retail spaces. A metro sized store would be nice too.

In areas outside of central London you have regular Tesco markets, which are about the size of a standard Ralphs grocery store. This is probably the type of Tesco stores we will see popping up around the rest of the L.A region

[bjornson]

Welcome to The Grove: An Oasis in the City
By Joe Dungan, Dec 15, 2006
The lure of malls has always been convenience and safety. With The Grove, you get plenty of both. Plus a huge Christmas tree. And snow.

You’re going to hate me. You’re going to think I’m a sellout, that I’m a no-talent shit-scribbler who doesn’t even have the brains to write press releases for a pharmaceutical manufacturer. (That last part isn’t true. I don’t have the stomach to write press releases for a pharmaceutical manufacturer.)

I can honestly say I’ve never met a real estate developer I didn’t like, only because I have never actually met any real estate developers. I’m inclined to distrust most people who push new things on us, not because of the things they make, but because of their motivation. They don’t want to make something better; they just want to make a fortune -- either by creating something no one needs and manipulating us into thinking it’s necessary, or by fucking up something old that worked just fine.

But there is a real estate developer here in Los Angeles, who, by all accounts, is a nice guy, and has actually developed a relatively new large piece of real estate that is not a monstrosity. The nice guy of the moment, Rick Caruso, may have more of an impact on the direction of Los Angeles real estate in the next 30 years than anyone else. (Side bet: five bucks he gets a street named after him.) And his non-monstrous creation, The Grove, is not just a pleasant place to shop and eat. It is a pleasant place to be.

***

The first time I went to The Grove, it was about a year ago for what turned out to be a great first date with a woman with whom future dates did not uphold that promise. She was a fan of The Grove, primarily because it was near her apartment. After I stopped dating her, I didn’t associate The Grove with that lovely first date. I associated it with her.

That all happened last Christmas season. When this Christmas season descended upon us, it reminded me of The Grove and the holiday spirit it displayed last year. I figured enough time had passed for it to deserve another chance. I was especially forgiving of The Grove because, unlike the woman, it never tried to manipulate me into coming back.

***

The lure of malls has always been convenience and safety. With The Grove, Caruso supplies both. Since he sees malls as town centers, there is no better place for The Grove than the unofficial center of Los Angeles. And it provides a sense of security that is anything but false. One wouldn’t expect anything less from a former president of the Los Angeles Police Commission.

Not that we need to encourage consumption in the most materialistic city in America, but the amenities at this mall have raised the bar for malls everywhere. The parking structure features an LED board with a running tally of the number of open parking spaces on each level. Someday, such things will be no more amazing than retractable cupholders, but for me, that day hasn’t arrived yet. Every time I drive in there, I still gawk at a machine that knows that there are exactly 138 available parking spaces on the level I’m circling, and 221 on the level above if I’m feeling finicky. And this is from one of those old-fashioned drivers who needs only one parking space at a time. (Now, if Caruso can come up with a machine that provides a live count of the number of people blocking traffic on an entire row because they’re waiting for a close parking spot to open up, I’ll name my first child after him.)

The Grove also has a concierge. It is a mall, people. There is no hotel on the grounds. But it has a concierge. This is no customer relations counter with staffers in matching polo shirts, either. It is a real concierge. How real? In 2002, a Wall Street Journal writer declared it the best in the country. Better than concierges at five-star hotels. In the entire country. To serve people who want to go to the movies and browse for sexy shoes.

There is a double-decker electric trolley that runs the length of the mall. I’m still not sure why, but it’s a nice touch -- like cell phones that take pictures. The décor is contemporary with neither that cheap ticky-tack feeling that developers love nor the art nouveau horseshit that everybody hates. The streets are unusually clean and the foliage is well manicured. At risk of insulting the place, it’s vaguely reminiscent of Main Street at Disneyland.

And maybe I’m just imagining it, but on windy days, the wind doesn’t blow in The Grove. And it’s an open-air mall.

This wouldn’t be Los Angeles if there weren’t something to make fun of, however, and Christmas at The Grove provides an extra dash of unintentional cheer. Twice a night during Christmas season at The Grove, it sort of snows. At 7:00 and again at 8:00, the chimes ring, announcing to all that the snow will begin -- in seven or eight minutes. (Nothing in Los Angeles starts on time.) Then "Let It Snow" comes on over the outdoor speakers. Machines all over the mall rev up simultaneously and shower the assembled with… bubbles.

From a distance, it looks like a blizzard. Up close, it looks like soap. It makes bubbles when it lands in the pond. Street vendors have to clean it off their wares when the five-minute storm stops because it makes their stuff dirty, which would be hilarious if it were actually soap. Turns out, it’s actually gelatin and water. And the snow machines are so loud that they have to turn up the music. And everybody cheers when it begins. For east-coasters looking to trash Los Angeles, it is a dream come true.

It also makes children happy. And nobody freezes their ass off. And chances are really, really good that the stuff is non-toxic. So suck it, east-coasters.

Then there is the Christmas tree. In the center of the mall is a white fir over 100 feet tall. According to a mall representative I talked to, in order to squeeze the tree into the mall, they had to cut another tree down.

It is also taller than the tree in Rockefeller Center. Suck it again.

***

Caruso’s greatest trick with The Grove may have been something that was out of his hands entirely. My image of a land developer is someone who swoops down on the most expensive real estate he can afford, destroys whatever is on it, and builds whatever the hell he wants. I only think this because it happens all over Los Angeles all the damn time. Distant rumblings that my own apartment building will someday be torn down -- for another apartment building -- only fuel my cynicism.

A developer that arrogant might, say, take over Farmers Market -- the generations-old open-air shopping and dining plaza and unofficial center of Los Angeles -- and put, oh, a giant mall on it with high-end chain stores owned by corporations. Farmers Market is a tempting target. Except for one thing. The city declared it a cultural and historical landmark. It is no more available for development than Jupiter.

We may never know if Caruso Affiliated would have razed Farmers Market if the city hadn’t played the "landmark status" card a decade earlier. But I’d like to think that even if Farmers Market were his for the razing, Caruso would have been too smart for that. Farmers Market is not only a city institution, it is not only a damn charming place to eat and shop, but it attracts huge business from locals and tourists alike. The smartest thing any mall developer could have done would have been to take advantage of all that foot traffic by placing a complementary shopping center next to it.

You tell me how to hate something enjoyable, convenient, and reveres what’s left of our city history, and I’ll be happy to do it. Until then, I’ll be gawking at the parking space counter and taking a free trolley ride to Farmers Market.

[LAMetroGuy]

I hate the grove.... big time!

[BrighamYen]

I'm ambivalent about it again. I don't hate malls, so I'm wondering why I have this feeling toward The Grove. (Just a side note: One of the reasons why I like malls is because of its controlled environment. Sometimes it actually does rain in LA, or it might be freakin' cold outside and I don't feel like walking in the muy frio.)

Anyway, I do think the Grove looks aesthetically pleasing. It isn't horrible and something I hate. What I do hate is walking by the endless SHIT I see in Skid Row and the dirty ass streets. This is almost along the same vein as what citywatch might say. The Grove is a place where I might take some outside visitors every now and then. And I think the Farmer's Market adds a bit of "authenticity" to the place and somewhat redeems the lifestyle center's bad reputation.

I think there is a chance to really improve The Grove if the Whole Foods/Kmart across the street were developed as well, but this time, with stores facing 3rd St. toward The Grove. This would make the area a more authentic pedestrian environment--something you could see in Tokyo, just without the subways.

[Codex Borgia]

^ Ditto Only thing that I like about it is the Farmers Market. Other than that, there are so many things wrong with that development! Ugh! It is Inward facing, does not engage the streetscape or shall I say enliven the streetscape around it. Third Street is a prime example, driving down 3rd Street across from that Faux Florentine Horror (FFH for short?!) Palazzo, is the HUGE BLANK WALL of The Grove, where Outdoor cafes with broad sidewalks and retail should exists instead, offering all of the same establishments that exist behind the fortess like Parking structure. Caruso should have looked at instigating a public/private partnership to extend that Trolley down Fairfax and/or Beverly actually connecting with the local neighbourhoods., and perhaps one day finally connecting with the Purple Line on Wilshire (sigh!) one can only hope. Getting rid of half the Parking Structure and putting in residences instead.

[rs913]

Chalk me up as someone else who can't stand the Grove. (And I like malls, so that says something). It's just so ridiculously over-the-top fake and cheesy - trolleys? fake snow? a dancing fountain? - and the only way to appreciate it is to embrace the cheese factor, as the author of the above article has done. If I want to drive across town to hang in a pedestrian-friendly zone, I'd head to the much cooler, real-er 3rd St. in Santa Monica or Old Town Pasadena.

I'll bet a lot of its popularity comes from midwestern and southern tourists who want to get pictures of themselves shopping at Banana Republic "L.A. style". Why it draws celebs, especially when the shopping is mostly chain stores rather than high-end chi-chi stuff, is beyond me. Why it's become so popular among Angelenos is another mystery. Are a Gap, a Victoria's Secret and a Barnes & Noble that much of a draw?

I agree that the Farmers Market rules and is the Grove's only redeeming quality, and I'm not so sure the individual(s) who developed this cheesy monstrosity wouldn't have paved over the FM if given the chance. Hopefully the Grove is actually bringing more visitors to the FM, not just the other way around as mentioned in the article.

[bjornson]

I hate the Grove as well! That blank wall that says "The Grove" against Third St is really uninviting. That, and the over-the-top cheesiness of it from the mini Bellagio type fountain, fake snow, and the architecture that's "supposed to emulate Los Angeles architecture." I don't hate all malls. Some malls can be done right, but if they're malls with great retailers, yet have no regard to the surrounding area then it's horrible (The Grove and Beverly Center). Basically fortresses of DOOM.

Fortunately for the Grove, there's historic Farmer's Market. Hopefully, like LAB said, there is a chance to improve Third St and possibly Beverly Blvd into more pedestrian friendly areas instead of the big monolithic fortresses.


Most of this is South Coast Plaza openings. Lately this mall has seen premieres before L.A.
Oh, and South Coast Plaza is opening Simon Pearce's first Southern California store. SCP just opened Fresh, making it the third Los Angeles area location after the ones on Sunset Blvd, and Third St Promenade in Santa Monica.

Shu Uemura begins it's U.S. expansion by opening two California stores, one in SF, and the other in SCP.
Jo Malone London begins U.S. expansion by opening a store at SCP. A L.A. store will open at the Beverly Center.

Emilio Pucci's first California store opens at SCP.

[dragonsky]

The Grove is my favorite.

[Easy]

Tesco sounds fantastic! Another article - this one from Forbes - gives pretty much the same story plus a few more details. I think that these stores will be a big hit and will be perfect for downtown. I really like the "fresh & easy" approach. Also, 15,000 sq. ft. is big enough to have just about everything that you need, yet small enough to allow areas like downtown and Hollywood to perhaps have multiple locations.

On a related note I'm not at all impressed by Famima. They carry very few items that I would ever have any use for.

Forbes 40 U.K.
Trailblazing Tesco
Parmy Olson, 12.05.06, 6:00 AM ET



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London - Ah, to make it big in America. So far it's been nearly impossible for British supermarkets like J Sainsbury and Marks & Spencer to set up shop in the U.S., but Tesco, the U.K.'s biggest retailer, wants to buck that trend.

Next year it will open a chain of small, 14,000-square-foot convenience stores in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. Tesco (otcbb: TSCDY - news - people ) aims for the chain, which is based on its "Express" format of small grocery outlets for Britain's busy professionals and will reportedly be called “Fresh & Easy,” to break even after two years in operation.

Right now Tesco has an office with 100 staffers in El Segundo, Calif., and land on the edge of Los Angeles for its first distribution center. Product-wise, the retailer says only that it's "got something which doesn't exist in the market already."

And that's pretty much all you'll hear about the matter from the tight-lipped retailer. So secretive has Tesco been about its U.S. plans that it recently built an entire "test store" inside a warehouse in California and told curious passersby that it was a film set.

Analysts, however, say early signs look encouraging. UBS investment research pointed to the "suitable locations" Tesco had chosen and the help it has received from local governments. The community of LA's Glassell Park, for instance, seems keen on Tesco taking over the site of a former Albertsons store with one of its first American outlets.

Industry watchers are betting the stores will sell fresh vegetables and fruit, include a delicatessen and have parking spaces for around 70 cars.

Tesco is apparently focusing on the convenience format in a bid to attract affluent, on-the-go Californians who'd rather not spend 30 minutes in a superstore just to pick up some chicken drumsticks or resort to a microwave burrito and a Slurpee at a 7-Eleven.

Fresh, healthy food and quick service may be a winning strategy in Tesco's attempt to stand out in the market and appeal to local customers, says John Cutler, operations director of management consultancy Culturewise.

"It's an organization that has done extremely well by focusing on the requirements of its market," said Cutler, who points out Tesco's solid track record overseas, with 2,700 stores in 13 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia. International units account for 26% of all sales. "Making things as simple as possible [for consumers] is one of Tesco's fortes in terms of the product propositions, and that's probably as good an approach as any for entering the U.S."

Not everyone has been as successful. Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) learned the importance of local tastes when it tried, unsuccessfully, to sell pre-packaged fish in China, where consumers are used to choosing live specimens in their supermarkets.

Another challenge: A rival from overseas with surprisingly similar plans.

FamilyMart, Japan’s third biggest convenience store chain after Seven-Eleven Japan and Lawson, is already setting up six convenience stores in California with a view to grow that to 250 by the end of 2009.

Operating under the name "Famima!!," the stores are billed as a combination of grocer, restaurant, neighborhood deli and convenience store, “tailored to the savvy American consumer that appreciates the finer things in everyday life."

Based in West Hollywood, the shops peddle sushi and a host of other products aimed at the area's large Asian community.

There are plans to expand to New York City, Arizona, Nevada and Washington by 2009, and based on having pitched its tent in Korea, Thailand and China, FamilyMart believes Famima!! will eventually become a household name in the U.S. too.

Tesco won't comment on Famima!!, perhaps because it doesn't see them as a real competitor. With 31.4% of all supermarket sales, Tesco is the market leader in Britain, the most respected company in the U.K., the fourth largest retailer in the world and has a knighted chief executive to boot.

The statistic that “£1 in every £8 is spent at Tesco” has become a hackneyed phrase in pubs and dinner parties across the nation, as Brits try to fathom the chain’s growth in the last decade.

The growth is largely due to Tesco having dispelled the “pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap” mantra of its 1920s founder Jack Cohen, instead opting in the 1990s to target consumers of all incomes.

Citing a more customer-centric strategy, its food products were separated into, “Tesco Value,” “Tesco Finest” and name brand items, making a kind of three-tier range of prices.

Then came the "nonfood" explosion. From socks to cell phones and from DVDs to Tesco-branded software and even an insurance, savings and mortgage business, Tesco went from cheap grocer to retailing leviathan. Today the company's nonfood products account for 20% of its sales, which totaled £22.7 billion ($43 billion) for the first half of fiscal 2006.

And while its hopes of cultivating a new niche market are ambitious, they are also timely. Americans, with a near-insatiable hunger for the bargain prices of Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target (nyse: TGT - news - people ), have in recent years grown attracted to higher-end retailers like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market (nasdaq: WFMI - news - people ), reflecting a trend toward healthy eating.

Still, a smattering of convenience stores may not be enough to satisfy Tesco's thirst to "make it big" stateside. Considering that it's chosen to set up shop on the West Coast, where big box retailer Wal-Mart is comparatively underrepresented, it raises the question of whether Tesco might eventually launch superstores and go head-to-head with the big boys. That would be a lot pricier than the $450 million a year budget it's given itself for Fresh & Easy and undoubtedly a lot more risky.

[RAlossi]

Several comments. I don't like the name "Fresh & Easy"... to me, it sounds absurd. Personal opinion on the name aside, it will be great to have these.

I'm saddened that Trader Joe's has either missed the DTLA boat (unless they're currently actively seeking out potential DTLA sites) or will come in too late to the game to make as much of an impact as they would have several years ago or even this last year. I love TJ's, but seriously, that was a shortsighted move on their part to skip out on DTLA for five years(?). Maybe they didn't anticipate the residential growth, retail growth, or the type of people moving into the DTLA area. Who knows.

I like Famima, but you have to accept it for what it is, and not make it into something it's not. It's great for a quick stop-in on your way to work or if you don't feel like cooking at home and just want a quick bite. They really need to figure out their product mix, though. An entire section for stationery? I don't know about that. They would do well to make that a shelf instead of an entire half aisle. The DTLA one (I don't know about the others) even has an entire store section for Papyrus gift cards -- that whole section could be condensed and more relevant products placed there (more prepared food?). It'll take a while, but they'll get there. I just hope they don't pull out of some of the important locations before that happens, though.

[WesTheAngelino]

^ The reason it's shortsighted is not just that they missed the downtown boat, but also failed to recognize the drawing power of their own chain. I knew tons of kids (myself included) at SC who would make regular trips to the TJ's @ 3rd/ La Brea or in Silver Lake. And you can bet your bottom dollar that there are thousands of residents in South L.A. ( I can't believe I'm actually using that term with legitamacy these days) who are in desperate need of a specialty grocer, especially one that is relatively CHEAP like TJ's (as opposed ot the overpriced monstrosity that is Whole Foods). That being said, I don't think they have missed the boat. I think even if they waited another five years to get into the downtown market, they would make hand over fist due their drawing power....like a miniature, far less hellish version of IKEA

[edluva]

^yeah I don't care, I still call it South Central.

[Rational Plan2]

Just thought I would add an extra article or two about Tesco's plans for the US west coast.

Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket chain, is taking two of its favoured British food suppliers along on its bid to open a new chain of small-sized supermarkets in the western United States next year.
Natures Way Foods, which produces prepared salads and lettuce for Tesco, and 2 Sisters Food Group, one of Britain's leading poultry processors, are both planning to establish sites adjacent to Tesco's planned distribution centre in southern California.
The move is the latest surprise in Tesco's bold US expansion strategy, which centres on an unprecedented bid to establish both a store network and a proprietary distribution system at the same time.
Both suppliers are privately owned. Natures Way, headed by Robert Langmead, was initially set up in 1994 exclusively to serve rising demand from the retailer for lettuce and salad. It now supplies other customers, including McDonald's.
The company has not previously worked outside the UK, but has now set up a US subsidiary, Wild Rocket Foods, which is recruiting staff for its US operation.
2 Sisters Food Group produces Buxted and Hermanns brand poultry, as well as own-label products for supermarkets including Tesco. In 2005, it acquired Rannoch Foods, a producer of prepared foods.
The company is owned by Ranjit Singh and operates poultry processing plants in the UK and the Netherlands, with annual revenue of more than £350m ($671m).
Tesco's decision to rely on established relationships with British suppliers rather than new relationships in the US is believed to reflect both its desire to avoid unpleasant surprises and a belief in the industry that the prepared meals business in the UK and Europe delivers higher standard products than are currently seen in the US.
Prepared meals – including salads and cooked chickens – are expected to be play a significant role in Tesco's plans to open about 150 small neighbourhood market stores around Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
It is not clear whether Tesco has taken a stake in the US operations of the two companies, which have both set up Delaware-based corporations. Both are seeking planning approval for facilities on land at a business park at Riverside, California that is part of an 88 acre lot bought by Tesco earlier this year.
Planning documents describe the site as "a Tesco food distribution and manufacturing campus". However, their plans may be complicated by a legal challenge that is calling for additional environmental reviews of Tesco's plans for its site, located in a business park in a former US Air Force base.
Ray Johnson, a lawyer who has in the past challenged developments by Wal-Mart, the US retailer, is calling on the planning authorities to subject both suppliers' projects to a potentially time consuming environmental impact study.
Source: msnbc.msn.com


CHICAGO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Safeway Inc. is "anxiously" awaiting the U.S. arrival of British retail giant Tesco Plc
and believes it is ready for the competition, Safeway's chief executive said on Tuesday.
Britain's largest retailer plans to open small convenience stores on the U.S. West Coast starting in 2007, but it has not disclosed much detail.
Safeway Chairman, President and Chief Executive Steve Burd said Tesco has a great reputation and appears to be going after consumers looking for prepared meals and convenience items, areas where the No. 3 U.S. grocer has already made its own strides.
"We don't think we're neophytes in this area," Burd told analysts and investors when asked about Tesco during a meeting on Tuesday.

The top news, photos, and videos of 2006. Full Coverage
Safeway has introduced items such as refrigerated gourmet soups and fresh sandwiches and side dishes aimed at consumers looking to dine at home without having to prepare a full meal. Such products help give the company confidence that it can grow its long-term earnings per share by 12 percent to 15 percent.
One area Tesco is focused on is Southern California, where Safeway has been competing for a century, Burd said.
He said Safeway knows where Tesco is looking to open stores and that they range from low- to high-income neighborhoods, making it tough to know exactly what Tesco's goals are, he said.
"We anxiously await their arrival," said Burd. "We don't take them lightly, they're a good retailer."
Safeway has more than 300 Vons stores in Southern California, more than in any of its other operating areas.
Vons and other retailers in Southern California came under scrutiny during a bitter labor dispute in late 2003 and early 2004. A strike and lockout affected nearly 900 stores owned by Safeway, Kroger Co. and Albertsons in the area and was the longest work stoppage in the history of the U.S. grocery industry.
The union contracts in Southern California will be up for renewal in 2007 for the first time since that strike, just as Tesco prepares to open its doors.

[solongfullerton]

Trader Joe's totally confuses me too. All the TJs i've been to on the westside are constantly packed. this makes it nearly impossible to do a full shopping trip since youre constantly bumping into people and holding up the lines when your cart is full. I think they could double their presence on this side of town and not be wasting a dime. Main St. Santa Monica and/or Venice are dying for a TJs or other similar type of store. I heard Whole Foods plans on opening a store over here somewhere, but I think the low prices of TJs would be a better draw for local consumers.

[Easy]

I theorize that Trader Joe's has very rigid parameters that they use when deciding locations for new stores and I'm not surprised that the average income levels in DTLA don't meet these specifications. The residents of Bixby Knolls in Long Beach (a relatively affluent area) begged and petitioned Trader Joe's to open a store there for years. The reason they always gave when declining was that the area did not meet their economic criteria. They eventually opened one a few years ago and it seems to be doing very well. The fact that they have amazing drawing power across a wide range of incomes is noticeable to everyone but them. Do any Trader Joe's not do well?

[rs913]

Didn't Trader Joe's get a major boost in the L.A. area a couple years ago during the big grocery strike? I thought I read somewhere that since the strike didn't affect TJ, a lot of L.A. shoppers "discovered" TJ as a result and haven't stopped since. Not sure if Whole Foods (which seems to be more popular) was also unaffected, but at least some TJ stores that aren't near WF must have enjoyed a boost.

[WesTheAngelino]

^ Yeah, I remember that. The great strike season of '03. The MTA completely shut down and so did all the major grocers (Ralph's Albertson's, Vons). That's when I went from union promoting protectionist to union bashing Pinkerton goon.

I think what happeneded was that people realized that they were an actual grocer and you could get everything there, i.e. they are not just a granola hut for health food junkies.

[BrighamYen]

--I hope they continue to use the "Made in Downtown LA" slogan throughout their stores...


American Apparel Sold for $385 Million

By LAURENCE DARMIENTO - 12/18/2006
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

American Apparel, the Los Angeles-based casual clothing chain headed by controversial co-founder Dov Charney, is being sold to a publicly traded investment group for $385 million, the New York Times reports.

The sale of the company to Endeavor Acquisition Corp. was unexpected given Charney’s hands-on management style, which includes designing and manufacturing all the clothing in the company’s downtown Los Angeles warehouse location. American Apparel has 145 retail outlets.

However, the retail chain, founded in 1998 and known for its tight t-shirts, has seen its explosive growth slow. The Times reports that the key retail indicator of same store sales growth fell to just 7 percent in 2006, from 45 percent last year and 74 percent in 2004.

Endeavor was founded last year by Jonathan J. Ledecky, who started U.S. Office Products in 1994 and turned it into a Fortune 500 company. The Times, which cited “people briefed on the matter” as sources for its story, said Ledecky wants to expand the chain into 800 stores worldwide, equivalent to Abercrombie & Fitch.

Endeavor will pay $250 million in unrestricted stock, assume $110 million in debt and pay out $23 million in bonuses, restricted stock and stock options to certain employees, the Times reports. It’s unclear how much Charney’s take will be.

Charney will remain at the helm of the company despite a controversial management style that has resulted in sexual harassment lawsuits, the Times reported. He personally takes the photographs of semi-naked women that are used in his company’s advertising and has admitted to sleeping with employees, but has denied the harassment charges.

American Apparel declined immediate comment about the sale, saying its chief spokesperson was on a plane and unavailable.

[MapGoulet]

I theorize that Trader Joe's has very rigid parameters that they use when deciding locations for new stores and I'm not surprised that the average income levels in DTLA don't meet these specifications. The residents of Bixby Knolls in Long Beach (a relatively affluent area) begged and petitioned Trader Joe's to open a store there for years. The reason they always gave when declining was that the area did not meet their economic criteria. They eventually opened one a few years ago and it seems to be doing very well. The fact that they have amazing drawing power across a wide range of incomes is noticeable to everyone but them. Do any Trader Joe's not do well?


^ It's this kind of unmet demand that leads me to believe the market is ripe for a competitor to take up the remaining market share. If TJ's remains as conservative in their growth rate and real estate choice as they have so far, I feel it's only a metter of time before some other chain gives these frustrated people what they want.

[edluva]

--I hope they continue to use the "Made in Downtown LA" slogan throughout their stores...


American Apparel Sold for $385 Million

By LAURENCE DARMIENTO - 12/18/2006
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

American Apparel, the Los Angeles-based casual clothing chain headed by controversial co-founder Dov Charney, is being sold to a publicly traded investment group for $385 million, the New York Times reports.

The sale of the company to Endeavor Acquisition Corp. was unexpected given Charney’s hands-on management style, which includes designing and manufacturing all the clothing in the company’s downtown Los Angeles warehouse location. American Apparel has 145 retail outlets.

However, the retail chain, founded in 1998 and known for its tight t-shirts, has seen its explosive growth slow. The Times reports that the key retail indicator of same store sales growth fell to just 7 percent in 2006, from 45 percent last year and 74 percent in 2004.

Endeavor was founded last year by Jonathan J. Ledecky, who started U.S. Office Products in 1994 and turned it into a Fortune 500 company. The Times, which cited “people briefed on the matter” as sources for its story, said Ledecky wants to expand the chain into 800 stores worldwide, equivalent to Abercrombie & Fitch.

Endeavor will pay $250 million in unrestricted stock, assume $110 million in debt and pay out $23 million in bonuses, restricted stock and stock options to certain employees, the Times reports. It’s unclear how much Charney’s take will be.

Charney will remain at the helm of the company despite a controversial management style that has resulted in sexual harassment lawsuits, the Times reported. He personally takes the photographs of semi-naked women that are used in his company’s advertising and has admitted to sleeping with employees, but has denied the harassment charges.

American Apparel declined immediate comment about the sale, saying its chief spokesperson was on a plane and unavailable.


Charney's a very smart businessman. I can see in AA what I consider to be a niche appeal being very short-lived.

[bjornson]

Beverly Hills Shop
Versace's revamped Rodeo Drive boutique

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

(LOS ANGELES) Versace is shedding some new light on Beverly Hills.

The company last Wednesday reopened a newly revamped boutique following seven months of renovations. Located at 248 North Rodeo Drive at Dayton Way and Via Rodeo, the new store has shrunk from its previous 9,000 sq. ft., now covering a retail area of over 5,000 sq. ft. with an integrated appearance that is strikingly modern, streamlined, and elegant throughout. The company had moved its store into a temporary location while construction was underway.

The boutique carries the Versace ready-to-wear and accessory collections for men and women, as well as the Versace Home collection. The main floor is dedicated exclusively to men’s and women’s accessories and displays the full range of bags, shoes, belts, eyewear, and Versace Precious Items. The second floor of the boutique showcases Versace ready-to-wear for men and women.

Terrazzo marble floors and matte white walls and ceilings follow the same architectural dynamics as in the other recently refurbished flagship boutiques in Milan, New York, Brussels, and London. Lighting, used as a decorative effect, complements the black lacquered wood and Antelio crystal display furnishings and helps to create an even more sophisticated atmosphere.

“We are looking to create an environment where the architecture of the stores supports the presentation of our collections in a way which is modern, refined, and accessible to our customers,” the Versace Group said in a statement. “This store is the prefect showcase for our new approach to retail, which is designed to make shopping at Versace both inspirational and accessible. As part of a larger overall renovation strategy in the U.S, the Los Angeles boutique is the fifth store to undergo renovation, and demonstrates our continued commitment to the growth in the American market.”

The official opening of the L.A. boutique will be celebrated on February 7 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and cocktail party for 300 guests, including members of the Rodeo Drive Committee, clients, friends of the house, and press. The next night, as previously announced, Donatella Versace and the late Gianni Versace will receive the 2007 Rodeo Drive Walk of Style award.

Donatella, now the creative director of the 28-year-old fashion house, will be on hand for the awards ceremony, where she will accept her award, as well as the award for her late brother—significant, considering that 2007 marks the tenth anniversary of Gianni’s untimely death. Both will be honored with a permanent plaque featuring a quote and signature placed in the sidewalk on Rodeo Drive. Gianni and Donatella Versace will be the ninth and tenth recipients of this award, following previous honorees Salvatore Ferragamo, Edith Head, James Acheson and Milena Canonero, Herb Ritts and Mario Testino, Tom Ford, and Giorgio Armani.
JIM SHI


From some person on Curbed regarding Tesco:

From what I have been able to gather two of Tescos suppliers in the UK have announced that they will be setting up their own food processing centres besides the Tesco distribution centre. One specialises in prepared salads. The other company specialises in prepared chicken meals. What can not be determined is what level of investment Tesco has made in their suppliers to induce them to move across the Atlantic.

Analyists believe it means that Tesco is determined to avoid any nasty suprises from US suppliers and the widely held Industry belief that prepared meals are more highly developed in Europe compared to the US.

Two more sites have leaked out. One in Fullerton and another in Laguna Hills.

Meanwhile a story in Reutors reports that while Safeways is worried by the arrival it is confident it has begun to improve its prepared meals to combat the threat. Though they do say they can't get a grasp of any particular strategy as Tesco seem to be agressively persuing sites neighbourhoods of every different income bracket.

What has made Tesco's so succesful in the UK is that it has managed to appeal to people of all income groups. Other chains have either tended to to appeal upper or lower income groups. Tesco has product ranges that match different price points.

According to a recent news release, they have identified 300 sites, but not all of which will be developed in the next few years.

[BrighamYen]

^ I saw the new Versace a few nights ago! It is much more modern looking and adds a substantial presence to Rodeo Two.

[bjornson]

^ Really? Is it just the inside or the outside as well? I haven't been to Rodeo Drive in a long time.

More news for Melrose Place (!) which is becoming a mix between SoHo and Madison Avenue.

Now We Know Our A.P.C.

Parisian fashion line A.P.C. is coming to LA this spring. According to Women's Wear Daily, the boutique is opening in April right off (where else?) Melrose Place. The stylish street, which has been this year's preferred star shopping destination, also recently welcomed posh bag line Mulberry.

[BrighamYen]

^ I'm really excited about APC!!!! I love their clothes and I always wanted them to open up in LA! :) Thanks for the update!

[bjornson]

LAB, I found the status of Miu Miu in an article from a while back.

Dommage, Miu Miu
Prada's secondary line closes L.A. store

Monday, August 07, 2006

(LOS ANGELES) Miu Miu’s 6,900 sq. ft. store at 8025 Melrose Avenue quietly closed over the weekend, The Daily has learned. Located near Fred Segal, the boutique reportedly had location issues—Melrose Avenue attracted significantly less foot traffic than nearby Melrose Place, home to Marni and Marc Jacobs—and suffered from sluggish sales. This past Saturday was the store's last official day. “We’re closing our doors today,” a saleswoman informed shoppers on Saturday. Though much of the well-received fall collection was already on display, the company decided at the last minute to rent out the space and re-open in another, unspecified locale—but with no time frame set. The sales associate indicated that much of the merchandise would be shipped to its two New York stores, in Soho on Prince Street and at 831 Madison Ave. The Miu Miu boutique, which opened with much fanfare in January 1999, was the only location in L.A. where the entire range of the company’s offerings was available.
MERLE GINSBERG


Other News:

Carlin Hits East Side for First L.A. Store
By Emili Vesilind
Los Angeles designer Octavio Carlin, who opened his first retail store on Dec. 8 in the city's Los Feliz neighborhood, has clear-cut ideas about his clothes and his customer.

[BrighamYen]

^ Miu Miu is most likely going to end up on Robertson/Beverly (possibly taking over Ghost which left finally :(! or Robertson/Melrose area (like Costume Nationale). Or if there's even anymore space left, Melrose Place (duh!).

[bjornson]

Ah Geez, Ghost. Wasn't that the only U.S. location? What happened? You have more insider info than me.

Yeah you're probably right about Miu Miu. I wouldn't mind either, as long as it's not in Beverly Hills.

Oh, and Oscar de la Renta is opening in January.

[bjornson]

Older article than the one I posted about the closing, but it gives a hint on where the Miu Miu might go. I said in the previous post that I hope it wouldn't be in Beverly Hills, but oh well.
Miuccia's got L.A. on her radar
And so do Oscar and Carolina

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

(LOS ANGELES) What was Miuccia Prada doing in Los Angeles a few weeks ago? During a quick visit to New York, she flew out to Beverly Hills for one day to check out Prada’s old space at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Little Santa Monica Boulevard, which remains unoccupied. Word is she’s thinking of relocating the L.A. Miu Miu store—on Melrose near Fred Segal—to the old Prada space on Rodeo to increase the store’s foot traffic. Meanwhile, both Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera are about to open boutiques on new L.A. retail hotspot Melrose Place. No doubt, VIP rooms for awards shows will be part of the scenario.

[BrighamYen]

^ That space is now occupied by Theodore from the last time I checked. Rodeo Drive DOES NEED to strengthen its appeal toward the back of the street (near Brooks Brothers) because pedestrian activity does seem to wane as you walk that way. Beverly Hills should not be viewed separate from LA. It is part of LA. LA was never a city defined by traditional municipal boundaries. It's an amalgam of communities patched together (haphazardly) forming our great metropolis! :) Having the subway extended to the Westside will finally give LA (including Bev Hills, Weho, SM) coherancy.

[bjornson]

You're right, even the residents of BH and WeHo see themselves as in "L.A." I never really thought about it like that.

I haven't been to Rodeo in, like, two years. I don't remember what the back end of the street looks like.

Oh, is the Roberto Cavalli store still open on Rodeo? It's next to the Sergio Rossi store, I think. It wasn't listed on the website, but I hear it was open in November.

[BrighamYen]

^ Yup it's still open!

Re: LA - I think everyone has a different definition of LA, but it really boils down to three ways of looking at it, 1) strictly based on city boundaries of the City of Los Angeles, or 2) basing it off of LA County (akin to the OC - where it is viewed upon as a one entity), or 3) West Central. :)

Anyway, I prefer to view the core of LA as "West Central" and I tend to be more apt to define "LA" in the LA County way? Whatever it doesn't really matter! Just bring back Miu Miu damnit!

[colemonkee]

Then going by LAB's definition of the core of LA, there are two new retail stores in "West Central", or Little Tokyo, to be more exact. There's a new trendy shoe store on the south side of 2nd Street between San Pedro and Central. It didn't have a sign and was closed when I walked by, but it reminds me a bit of the shoe store on 4th Street in the OBD (Blends), but with a larger selection of "non-retro" shoes.

And across the street, there's a new boutique men's and women's fashion store. That one was closed too and I was too hung over at the time to get the name.

I'll try to snap some pics on my next Little Tokyo update.

[rs913]

It's always interesting to hear various definitions of the L.A. core (unlike SF, where it's pretty clear-cut) I always thought of it the way most guidebooks depict it - a rectangle with Santa Monica on one end and downtown L.A. on the other, with the hills and the 10 as rough north and south boundaries.

I'm guessing that's the definition these chi-chi retailers use too, as it includes all the prestige "big-name" neighborhoods. It also clearly includes Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Santa Monica as part of "L.A." But it also excludes lots of areas (South Bay, Valley, East L.A.) that might feel they're just as much a part of L.A.'s core, so it's hard to nail down something like this.

Re: "West Central"...I wonder if that can catch on. Hold up three fingers on your left hand. Cup your right hand. Cross 'em. WC representin'!

[bjornson]

Thanks, coleman! Nice of you to get involved even if this thread isn't much a big deal. Oh, I think that shoe store is called RIF. It's from the creators of LA Avenue shoe store. That brings the total of downtown shoe stores to three (Blends, Lions Den, and RIF). As for the fashion boutique, I think it might be American Apparel, since it's on 2nd. Haha, hung over. Looking forward to photo update!

Re: LAB - Haha, I guess I haven't lived in the LA area long enough to look at it that way! I think I know what you're talking about though! West Central!

rs913, you're right!

[bjornson]

Published: Friday, January 05, 2007
Yurman Opens Flagship in Beverly Hills
By Marcy Medina
BEVERLY HILLS — David Yurman opens today on Rodeo Drive with a 1,000-square-foot flagship and a new look for the company.

The boutique, the 10th freestanding store for the $500 million brand, features dark brown zebra wood and marble interiors and exteriors, and an elegant, Japanese-inspired aesthetic designed by architect Yabu Pushelberg.

This boutique is the second for California. The other is located at South Coast Plaza.

[BrighamYen]

^ OMG I've been waiting eagerly for Yurman to open up! I've passed by it several times wondering what it will look like. I can't wait to see it soon! Thanks for the update!!!


Edit: BTW, check out my photos of Beverly Hills. I have a photo of David Yurman under construction: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/161808946GgJvXH

[WesTheAngelino]

Could you give some boundary definitions for "West Central"......I've always been curious. And, no, my asking is not in any way an endorsement of that term ~_^

[BrighamYen]

It's the central western portion of the Greater LA area. basically, santa monica to downtown LA, south of the santa monica mtns, north of the 10 freeway.

[WesTheAngelino]

Damn, I missed out on living in West Central by two blocks!

[RAlossi]

I was just at Weller Court today in Little Tokyo, and Marukai Market is in the process of moving from its location at the southern end of Weller Court into the northern portion of the plaza. I don't know if the new location will be larger or smaller, and I don't know what's going into the former location.

Anyone have any info?

[solongfullerton]

I went to H&M for the first time today, the one at the Beverly Center. I didn't buy much, but only because they were missing my size in a bunch of stuff I wanted. Anyways, I was really impressed with the clothes they had, and even more so by the prices. The quality isn't the best, but by the time you wear out your clothes, there will be a new style anyways. I can definitely see H&M as a great place to go to cheaply refresh your wardrobe once or twice a year. Way better than paying for designer stuff at Nordstrom or some place like that.

[bjornson]

Oh, I wish I could answer your question, RAlossi. I haven't explored LT for a long time.

SLF - I was there for the Grand Opening (Viktor and Rolf collection) and I had to wait on the fifth floor in the garage behind the 400+ people waiting for their giftcards. It was a fun experience.

Comprehensive review

Re: LAB - Oh, I've seen those before! As you know, Iceberg moved to somewhere else on Rodeo. In it's place is Breguet (only here and NY). David Yurman is the next jewelry store to have a SoCal market only as of now (maybe Vegas, too). Others:
Mikimoto (BH, SCP, & Vegas)
Mimi So (BH)
DeBeers (BH & Vegas)
Chopard (BH, SCP, & Vegas)
Van Cleef & Arpels (BH, SCP)
Harry Winston (BH & Vegas)
Breguet (BH)
Buccellati (BH)
Lalique (BH, SCP, & Vegas)

Robertson Blvd news:
Oh, and I remember you posting something a while back about Paracuso. They're opening a store on Robertson sometime this year. The Canadian based company currently has a showroom in L.A. in the New Mart building.

L.A. based True Religion Brand Jeans has opened a store on Robertson.
Los Angeles
Spreading Religion: True Religion Apparel Inc. recently opened two new branded stores in Los Angeles and New York City. Located at 130 S. Robertson Blvd., the L.A. location carries the True Religion line including denim, jackets, hoodies, and sportswear. The New York location is in SoHo on Prince Street. The fifth True Religion store will open in Miami in 2007. Next year, the company expects to expand its retail presence to a number of key fashion cities around the country.

Melrose News: Oscar de la Renta's set to open sometime this month on MP. Chloe is to follow some time this year. New York-based Opening Ceremony is set to open its second location in LA and they're apparently looking towards Melrose.

French designers
Malandrino, who designs a luxury ready-to-wear line under her last name and a signature contemporary collection, is working on an ambitious retail expansion plan. She has six free-standing stores, including a Paris flagship, and 2007 will see store openings in Las Vegas, Los Angeles (currently has one on Sunset Plaza), Boston and Tokyo. The company plans to have a total of 30 stores by 2011, Malandrino said.

J. Mendel -Sales this year are expected to reach $30 million, and he plans to open more free-standing stores, either wholly owned or franchised, at the pace of two to three per year. In addition to its flagship store in Paris, J. Mendel already has free-standing stores in New York City, Long Island, New York, and Aspen, Colorado.

[BrighamYen]

WONDERFUL UPDATE!!!

What would i ever do without you !!!:)

[colemonkee]

Here are the two new stores on 2nd Street I was talking about last week. Both of them have only been there about 3-4 weeks. Next time you're in the neighborhood, check 'em out.


Arch Rival (http://www.thearchrival.com)
349 East 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Don't be fooled by the sign - this is no fish market. But you will find a hipster's paradise boutique shop with men's and women's shirts, jackets and shoes with a decidedly urban twist (check the bmx bike frame). Reasonable prices and cool artwork too.

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/2489/archrival200701061tu8.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/3314/archrival200701062yn1.jpg


RIF (http://www.rif.la)
334A East 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Right across the street is RIF, another shop with no sign. They offer a great assortment of newer and retro sneakers and are a good accompanyment to Blends a few blocks away. They have the largest selection of Jordan's that I've ever seen.

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/2843/rif200701061ca5.jpg

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/7258/rif200701062fw3.jpg

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/4766/rif200701063ns6.jpg

[bjornson]

Wow, how amazing! Thanks for this little update in a not so important subject. I wasn't too sure about the fashion store you were talking about. I thought it was American Apparel at first. LT is becoming the spot! I hope more retail like these stores come to downtown. It wouldn't bother me at all not having the big name franchises in downtown.

Here's a description of RIF:
Spawned from the popular Japanese sneaker store LA Avenue, RIF specializes in consignment for rare sneaker styles. Its location? Little Tokyo, of course.

Across the street from the Japanese Village Plaza in Downtown sits a little piece of shoe heaven called RIF. Short for "reinforce," RIF deals in exclusive sneakers, some of which are sold through a consignment program. Sneaker collectors can bring in unused pairs (or mail if they live outside of Southern California) and if approved, set a price and have their shoes sold at the shop at an 85-to-15 profit (seller gets 85 percent, store gets 15). For even the most novice of sneaker wearers, the selection is awe-inspiring: almost every style of Nike’s Air Jordan and Air Force One is represented here. The stark space consists of two shelved walls lined and a few benches, but the real treasures are inside the glass case and behind the register. Those enclosed in glass include Tokyo SB Dunk version made only in Japan that currently fetches $2,500. Pairs behind the register that are for display only include an exclusive Nike Dunk Low created by graffiti artist Stash; only about 200 were made, and RIF has 4 pairs. RIF ensures that all the shoes on the store floor are unique—there aren’t duplicates to make the selection look larger. —Enid Portuguez


Nice find on Arch Rival by the way. Unfortunately, I don't have a description. I'll check it out when I'm in downtown though. Also check out Crewest on Winston & Main. Have you ever heard of Lions Den on New High and Ord?

Here's a description on Lions Den:
Those with enough panache to sport rainbow-camouflage sneakers and Hawaiian-print jackets shop at Lions Den.

Raymond Tseng's narrow corridor of a sneaker and clothing store, with graphite gray walls and pure white-light shelves, is a stark, modern contrast to its Chinatown neighbors, which include a string of C-rated Chinese takeout restaurants, Asian video shops and cluttered sidewalk grocery markets. The neighborhood's urban grit complements the boutique's cutting-edge, limited-edition sneakers from New Balance, Alife, Puma, Reebok and Keep. Tseng's sense of humor and unselfconscious style is seen in his selection of electro-1980s hot pink, lime green and turquoise Reebok pump sneakers and busy printed men's clothing from Leroy Jenkins, Stussy, Freshjive and WESC. For the ladies, there are Hysteric Glamour's printed tees (which are just as fabulous as their name suggests), skinny rocker jeans from X-girl, Boxfresh sweaters and funky striped socks. As if another reason to make the trek off the beaten path to Lions Den is necessary, Chinatown is one of the few charming pockets in LA with nary a Starbucks in sight. —Rhea Cortado


Like I said earlier, that brings the downtown sneaker stores to a total of three. Colemonkee, if you see any more interesting retail, tell us! Thanks a lot!!!

[colemonkee]

^ Actually, two doors down from Arch Rival is Popkiller, another boutique fashion store with men's and women's clothing, but that's been there for at least three months now. It's about the same size as Arch Rival, but with a more eclectic selection of vintage clothes and knick knacks. Defintely another hipster hotspot. The one time I ducked in there briefly I bought a sweet butane lighter in the shape of a gorilla - very befitting of my screen name...

[bjornson]

Hmmm gorilla butane lighter....haha. I didn't realize what retail options 2nd St. had.

LAB, another old article about Melrose Place, but it shares more info on who wants to set up shop.

Melrose Place the new Rodeo?
Mark Lacter • Bio • Email

Well, no, but fashion houses Oscar de la Renta, Monique Lhuillier and Chloe will be opening new boutiques on Melrose Place next spring. New York–based Carolina Herrera held a red-carpet opening for its new boutique on Nov. 13, and Karl Lagerfeld, Theory and Diesel are rumored to be opening there, according to the California Apparel News. One reason for all the interest: Many Melrose Place shoppers are wealthy women who regularly get their hair styled at celebrity salon Sally Hershberger at John Frieda. From the Apparel News:

High demand for retail space and its short supply have more than tripled the price for a square foot of commercial space since Marc Jacobs opened in March 2004, according to Carol Chait, the vice president of Stafford Commercial Real Estate Inc. Some of the most sought after properties on the street can command prices of more than $20 to $25 per square foot. But it’s a good deal compared to Rodeo Drive, where, according to Chait, prices can fetch more than $40 per square foot.


I honestly think some of these retailers should just put their stores on Melrose Avenue near the Marc Jacobs store(s) or the intersection of Melrose & Melrose, so then the foot traffic will be there. I guess I'm really referring to Theory and Diesel. That, or get a celebrity hair salon on Melrose Avenue.

[BrighamYen]

^ What they need to do is form a Business Improvement District to fund street improvements that the City of LA is not willing to invest to improve the pedestrian experience along such a potentially powerful fashion-rich avenue. It could be called something like "MWBID" (mew-bid) for Melrose West BID since Melrose East already has the strong pedestrian connections that make walking there somewhat enjoyable.

I think improvements really need to start from the corner of Fairfax/Melrose where the Bank of America and that UGLY two-story commercial building now stands. You can create an innovative visual connection from funky/eccentric Melrose East that ties/melds into Melrose West. Currently, the two sides are completely severed by Fairfax. 99% of the people shopping on Melrose East would NOT make the effort to cross over to Melrose West because it's absolutely pedestrian unfriendly.

Since you can't really remove Fairfax High School (it could definitely improve its campus a bit though), you have to create a strong pedestrian flow on the north side of Melrose Ave. Remove that two-story commercial building on the NW corner of Fairfax/Melrose and build a fashion-oriented retail structure with relatively above-par architecture. Make it stand out. In addition, remove that Prena gas station and build another commercial structure with design aesthetics on par with the other building, which will create a strong enough connection to get people to cross the street.

From there, the MWBID could create a design consistent all the way to Melrose Place. Possibly adding street furniture or lighting and aggressively marketing the area as the new hip zone for not only trendy/high-fashion clothes, but restaurants as well. Working for the DCBID, I focused a lot of attention on attracting restaurants and the theoretical MWBID could do something similar.

Anyway, it's just such a pity that so much of LA's wonderful pockets of thriving neighborhoods are cut off from each other. Imagine a Melrose Ave. with fabulous retail from La Brea all the way to Robertson Blvd. that is unbroken by blight and deadzones. It would be incredible.

[BrighamYen]

STYLE NOTEBOOK


Designs on L.A.


Paris transplant Lloyd Klein has opened up a couture castle, complete with turrets, just blocks away from local designer Kevan Hall.

By Booth Moore
Times Staff Writer

January 6, 2007

Fashion designers could face some hometown competition when it comes to the Golden Globes gown derby this year. Local talent Kevan Hall has been quietly adding to his stable of starlets over the last few years, dressing Felicity Huffman, Virginia Madsen, Debra Messing and others for the red carpet. And now, Paris transplant Lloyd Klein has opened up a couture castle of his own, complete with turrets, just blocks away from Hall on Beverly Boulevard.

Klein, 39, gained notice on the Paris runways in the early 1990s as head designer for the venerable house of Madame Grès before launching his own business. More recently, he's attracted attention for his unusual muse and constant companion Jocelyne Wildenstein, the plastic surgery enthusiast who split from her art dealer husband in 1997 and was dubbed "Catwoman" by the tabloids for her increasingly feline features.

Klein's clothes are also a bit sauvage, as they say in France, with draped silk jersey gowns in electric blue or cocoa, with leather insets and straps. He also makes a nice tailored jacket with epaulets lending a military feel and his signature sleeves cut on a slant. But the most exciting thing he has going now is a new line of sweater-knit gowns in earthy colors with fishtail trains. Nubby silk knits cling to curves deliciously and look great paired with the low-slung belts, horn-handled purses and ebony beads he also stocks in the store. Prices range from $4,700 for a knit gown to $24,000 for a paillette-embroidered one. Jersey tops start at $180 and suits at $3,600.

"When I was in Paris and I opened the newspaper, the only thing I would see was stars in dresses," said Klein. "Everyone was reaching for those stars to generate sales. So I said, I'm going directly to the source. Nicolas Ghesquière, Olivier Theyskens, they just had one dress on Madonna and the pictures went all over. Information from L.A. goes all over the world. Information from France stays in France."

In planning the extensive renovations of the store, it helped that Klein had a background in architecture, which he studied up until the day he attended his first runway show in Paris at the invitation of a model-friend. The designer was Hubert de Givenchy, Audrey Hepburn was in the front row and the experience, he says, was architecture in motion.

Klein began studying fashion, presenting his first runway show on stage at the Opéra Comique in 1994. Soon after, he was named head designer for Madame Grès, where he learned his draping technique. He left after five seasons to start his own label, which he moved to the U.S. in 1998. The store on Beverly, close to La Brea, is his first since franchise boutiques in Europe in the 1990s.

"My friends and customers told me they like to go to Rodeo Drive, but they would not shop there because it's too touristy and the product is not very insider," said the soft-spoken Klein, who wore a navy blue velvet suit and pointy black leather shoes. "As a designer, I like to be able to project a little bit, so I said Beverly Boulevard is the next place."

The 1928 building, a city landmark, was constructed using bricks from L.A.'s original City Hall, Klein said. The decor was inspired by George Cukor's 1939 film "The Women," with lots of Art Deco gilt and Neoclassical touches. Klein wanted to create a place for women to hang out and gossip, just as they did in the film, which he said he has seen more than 30 times.

Save for the gorgeous etched Italian mirrors on the walls, the inside is draped entirely in gray ultrasuede, even the vaulted ceilings. "I thought since we are a fashion house that I would dress the walls," Klein explained. "And there is a lot of real work of couture in the seams."

The floors are carpeted in the same gray, creating a neutral surface for the clothes displayed on shiny black mannequins. There are several rooms in the boutique, one showcasing accessories, scented candles and a stunning glass mural of astrological signs by David Harriton that was original to the building. There's a husband's waiting room with overstuffed chairs, an atelier in back for alterations and fittings, and a space for Klein's archives dating to 2000.

"We had to start from scratch," said John Arguelles, president of Lloyd Klein Couture since 2000. "Not one electrical thing was correct — 176 recessed lights, and I remember each and every one of them."

Upstairs in the designer's office, a distinguished black cougar stands watch. Klein calls the statue his "baby." It was a gift from Arguelles, a special events planner for 17 years in L.A. before he met Klein at a dinner party in Paris seven years ago. Arguelles had celebrity connections and Klein was looking to dress celebrities; it was a perfect match.

Klein hired Arguelles, moved his business office to L.A. and began showing in New York. But he kept his studio in Paris.

Then, en route to the Paris airport in 2004, on his way to New York Fashion Week, Klein was in a car accident that left him critically injured. The show was canceled and Klein spent several days in a coma. He recovered to show an ill-conceived jungle-themed collection a few weeks later at L.A. Fashion Week, where the runway was awash in dizzying leopard print, sequins, bustiers and tulle skirts.

Back in New York the next season, a more understated collection of elegantly draped dresses was better received by the fashion press.

But L.A. was calling, and when the building on Beverly opened up, Klein decided it was meant to be.

His taste has continued to mellow since that L.A. show. And now Klein is less about flash and more about the mix, pairing red-carpet gowns with leather bags handmade by the Masai in Kenya. It appears to be paying off — among those stopping by at his shop recently were Christina Aguilera and Faye Dunaway.

After a break from the runway, Klein plans to show again next season. But he's more excited about L.A. as the new home base for his made-to-order couture and bridal business.

"It is fabulous to do factory clothes, but I think couture is intellectual. It is considered a true art. And it's important for me to be able to say L.A. is the inspiration."

booth.moore@latimes.com

[Rational Plan2]

More Tesco titbits!

La curbed reports the filing for alcohol licences for 9 Tesco stores. 2 in Fontana, 1 in Rialto, 2 in Upland, 1 in Covina, 1 in Anaheim, 1 in Laguna Hills and 1 in San Diego, addresses provided in the link in La Curbed. Looks like store openigs will radiate outwards from its new distribution centre in Riverside.

[BrighamYen]

Where the hell is Fontana ;)

[MapGoulet]

Where the hell is Fontana ;)

That's where the breeders live.

:P

[dragonsky]

Some like it haute
By Jessica C. Lee, Special to The Times
January 14, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-01/27326085.jpg

Watch out, Melrose. Move over, Robertson. The Mid-City West neighborhood of Picfair Village — once rarely garnering a second look — is on its way to becoming L.A.'s next trendy place to live and play.

Beginnings

By 1922, the Santa Monica Land and Water Co. had developed the area into a residential community called Pico Boulevard Heights and lauded it as "the New Wilshire ... [and] a delightful place for a home," according to the neighborhood association website.

Although various communities in Los Angeles had covenants determining who could and could not live there, Picfair Village was accessible to minorities and attracted many Jewish and African American residents.

Picfair Village, a part of L.A.'s Mid-City West district, is south of Pico Boulevard, north of Venice Boulevard, west of Hauser Boulevard and east of Fairfax Avenue — hence its name, derived from Pico and Fairfax.

What it's about

In November 2004, Picfair Village was named one of Los Angeles Magazine's "10 Most Overlooked Neighborhoods in Los Angeles." Less than a decade ago, auto-body shops and vacant retail spaces lined Pico. But residents say those days are over.

According to the Picfair Village Community Assn., Pico has undergone a renaissance over the last five years. "There's a movement of more boutique business in the area, and I see it improving [Picfair Village] positively," said Alissa Solomon, an agent with Prudential California Realty's John Aaroe division.

With high-end clothing stores such as the Pinky Rose Boutique and organic cuisine at Bloom Café, Solomon said that Picfair Village could easily become the next Melrose Avenue or Robertson Boulevard.

The annual Picfair Village Street Fair has given a shot of life to the community as well. The August event is celebrated with food, live music and dancing.

Insiders' view

"People stay here a long time. It's not the kind of place where people move in and leave," said 13-year resident Diane Isaacs. Isaacs added that the improvements in the area contribute to that "staying-put" attitude.

She said she was initially drawn to Picfair Village because of its proximity to the Santa Monica Freeway and major arteries including Fairfax and Pico, but she also cherishes its cohesive atmosphere.

Sydney Stinette, who's lived in Picfair Village since 1978, says she finds comfort in knowing her neighbors on a first-name basis.

"I actually speak to my neighbors," she said. "It's just the most wonderful feeling."

Good news, bad news

Police say crime in the community, which has its share of gang-related tagging, has decreased over the last five years.

More negatives? Well, there's nothing quite like old sycamore trees to give streets a majestic feel, but the roots of the ones in Picfair Village are wreaking havoc on sidewalks, causing cracks and making them difficult to walk across.

And finding parking for guests can be a bear along the many permit-only streets.

Housing stock

Most of the homes were built in the 1920s and 1930s and are Spanish Colonial Revival, English Cottage and traditional in style. Houses range from 1,200 to 1,800 square feet and typically have two to three bedrooms and one to two bathrooms.

One downside to some of these homes is fireplaces that are in need of a new foundation due to the high levels of lime used in their construction.

On the market now is an 864-square-foot traditional-style home priced at $675,000. Built in 1927, it has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a remodeled kitchen with stainless-steel appliances and a new gas fireplace.

A 1,928-square-foot Spanish-style home built in 1935 is listed at $799,000. This home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a den and hardwood floors.

For $849,000, home seekers can purchase a completely renovated, 1,656-square-foot traditional-style house. Built in 1937, this home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and is gated.

Report card

Picfair Village is served by the L.A. Unified School District. Many residents seek to enroll their kids at Mid-City Magnet School for kindergarten through eighth grade. The school scored 723 out of 1,000 on the 2006 Academic Performance Index Growth Report. Children from kindergarten through the fifth grade also attend Saturn Elementary, which scored 676. Mount Vernon Middle School and Los Angeles Senior High scored 578 and 523, respectively.

[BrighamYen]

^ Easily become the next Melrose or Robertson! I don't think Miu Miu will be opening up there anytime soon...

[Rational Plan2]

More Tesco News

Here is a list of all the Tesco stores in California so far found.

CALIFORNIA

Ventura County
Thousand Oaks: Wendy Dr & Old Conejo Rd

Los Angeles County

Los Angeles: 4211 Eagle Rock Blvd, Glassell Park

West Covina: 1000 W Covina Pkwy, nr Westfield Shopping Center

Glendora: Grand Av & Gladstone St

Riverside County

Redlands: Brooklands Ave & Lakeside Ave

Moreno Valley: Iris Plaza, Iris Ave & Perris Blvd

Indio: Shadow Hills Plaza, Jackson St & Avenue 42

Orange County

Laguna Hills: Moulton Plaza Shopping Center

Fullerton: Euclid St & Orangethorpe Ave (2008)

Anaheim: 3150 W Lincoln Ave

San Bernadino County

Upland: West Foothill Blvd & San Antonio Ave

Upland: Grand Ave & Gladstone Str

Fontana: Baseline Ave & Citrus Ave

Rialto: N Cedar Ave & W Foothill Blvd

Rialto: Shoppes at Creekside, I-210 & Riverside Ave (2008)

San Diego County

San Diego: 955 Catalina Blvd

[LAMetroGuy]

Where is Long Beach???

[rs913]

More Tesco News

Here is a list of all the Tesco stores in California so far found.

That's an interesting, and seemingly random, list...so has it been established that their plan is to squeeze into the most under-served areas, rather than to go head-to-head with Ralphs, Vons, etc. in major strip-mall corridors?

[Rational Plan2]

Apparantly the target is to open 150-200 stores in Southern California. So I imagine the first stores to open, will be in newly built suburbs or locations where old stores that have been vacated. Stores in more contested locations will take longer to open as they will be competing with other retailers and/or deal with more complicated planning procedures if it has to invlove demolition of pre-exisitng buildings.

Additionally it will be easier to attract new customers in underserved areas as they have limited choice. As brand recognition rises it will be easier to open in more competitive markets.

[BrighamYen]

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-01/27548612.jpg
The Ford Brady showroom, a renovated Chinatown movie theater, plans to host monthly parties to showcase its latest furnishings. “Downtown needs more places like this,” says interior designer Bret Witke.
(Lawrence K. Ho, Los Angeles Times)
Jan 16, 2007


DESIGN

Taking a seat downtown and hoping for company

Ford Brady is the latest showroom to open in L.A.'s land of lofts. Will the shoppers come?


By David A. Keeps
Times Staff Writer

January 25, 2007

THEY'VE crunched the numbers: Tens of thousands of new condos and apartments in the heart of Los Angeles equals millions of square feet needing to be furnished. Skeptics might disagree, but Willard Ford and John Brady are gambling that the city's next design district will be none other than downtown.

Their new showroom, Ford Brady, already looks promising. A cocktail party in the space — a renovated Chinatown movie theater — drew a crowd estimated at 2,000, and the venture joins an emerging assortment of design businesses downtown: retailers such as Loft Appeal and the Dock, as well as the studio and furniture showrooms of Team HC Workshop and Orange 22, producer of bent metal and laser-cut tables that have won so much attention at recent design exhibitions.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-01/27548613.jpg
The “Triple Moon” lamp, made of natural rubber and silkworm cocoon, was designed by Angus Hutchenson.
(Lawrence K. Ho / LAT)
Jan 16, 2007


"We want to contribute to something happening downtown," Ford said, "to create a place where creative people can find each other."

Because of the well-established design thoroughfares in West Hollywood, Culver City and Santa Monica, Ford Brady is trying to carve its niche with distinctly modern furnishings for tenants in the converted industrial spaces and newly constructed open-plan lofts dotting the city's core. It's a wager that other downtown pioneers say still carries plenty of risks.

Clarence Chiang Jr.'s Team HC Workshop has operated out of the Bradbury Building since 2004. He just finished designing and furnishing a 3,000-square-foot penthouse loft for a walk-in client downtown, but most of the firm's clients live elsewhere.

"People will say they think it's cool for you to have a studio there, but it's hard to get them to come," Chiang said. "I think it will take some time for downtown to catch on."

Dario Antonioni, founder and creative director of Orange 22, has given it three and a half years. His retail showroom is on 4th Street near Spring Street, but he plans to relocate in the next few months to Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice.

"Downtown has a lot of creative energy," Antonioni said. "But it hasn't made the transition as quickly as we had hoped. We were hoping the loft dwellers would become customers, but they are nonexistent. They only come out at night and on the weekends, when we are closed." The neighborhood is a great place for an art gallery, he added, "but if you are a shopper looking for a retail experience or a retailer looking for foot traffic, you are in trouble."

FOR Ford and Brady, a furniture showroom downtown wasn't exactly planned. Brady, a former pro bicyclist, and his friend Ford were riding through the neighborhood one day when they spied the Kim Sing, an old movie house that seemed ripe for development. With Xten Architecture, Brady and Ford transformed the lobby into a strip of storefronts that could provide rental revenue. They turned the heart of the theater into a living space for Ford.

When it came time to shop for the new space, Ford said, "I thought there must be better design out there."

The search for unique furniture quickly defined a new venture: a showcase for contemporary furniture designers, open by appointment for architects and interior designers as well as the public. Ford dedicated much of the living space in his two-level residence to the furniture and accessories, which includes the work of 10 designers from Los Angeles, New York and Thailand. Local pieces include Tao Urban's Hex-Loc, a set of octagonal ottomans that can be linked together — "like a DNA chain," Ford said. L.A. designer Guy Clouse's minimalist aluminum storage units painted cherry red also are showcased.

Most of the furniture is eco-sensitive. Thai designer Singh Intrachooto turned reclaimed teak into pieces that are monumental in scale and angular in form — more sculptural objects than comfy seats. Architect Duangrit Bunnag steam-bent teak into a rocking chaise called Lazy. New York designer Akemi Tanaka's Tagei is a space-efficient bamboo plywood coffee table that pulls apart to become an upholstered bench with side tables.

"We wanted the materials to speak for themselves," Ford said. "The whole midcentury trend is played out and co-opted by Design Within Reach. We didn't want to compete with B & B Italia and make a more comfortable couch. It's important to have diversity in design, and we're hoping these are the classics of tomorrow."

Ford Brady's entertaining approach may help. The showroom plans monthly parties for those who couldn't view the furniture in the crush of its opening night a couple of months ago, when guests included Ford's actor father, Harrison. Ford Brady will host a party for CA Boom, the spring modern design exposition in Santa Monica. Last week, Ford mingled with about 100 fashionably attired guests, including his godfather, art gallery owner Earl McGrath, who hangs work from his Robertson Boulevard space at Ford Brady.

"Art makes furniture look better," McGrath said as he searched the kitchen for vodka. "It's the first time we've ever done this, and it's nice to bring it out of the gallery."

For interior designer and restaurateur Bret Witke, who lives in Koreatown, Ford Brady offers an easy alternative to other design districts.

"I shop in Chinatown and Little Tokyo for ceramics at Flux and Asian antiques stores on Chung King Road," he said. "Downtown needs more places like this."

Robbi Chong, an actor and screenwriter who lives in a downtown loft, called the showroom's approach "phenomenal."

"Some of the coolest, most stylish people are living and working downtown," she said, raising a glass. "For socializing, why should we have to go west of Vermont?"


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
david.keeps@latimes.com

*

(INFOBOX BELOW)

Downtown designs

Among the design destinations that have migrated to downtown Los Angeles:

The Dock: Discount outlet for home furnishings and accessories is open Tuesday through Sunday at 1481 E. 4th St. (323) 446-0281, http://www.thedockdowntown.com .

Flux: The Chinatown ceramics gallery is usually open Wednesday through Saturday; in January it's open by appointment only. 943 N. Hill St. (213) 621-4011, http://www.fluxgalleryla.com .

Ford Brady: The furniture showroom is open by appointment at 718 N. Figueroa St. (213) 620-1066; http://www.fordbrady.com .

Loft Appeal: Vintage movie prop, neon sign and contemporary furniture store is open daily at 903 S. Hill St. (213) 629-9105.

Orange 22: The design studio and retail showroom is open weekdays or by appointment at 125 W. 4th St. Studio 102. (213) 972-9922, http://www.orange22.com .

Team HC Workshop: The interior design firm is in the historic Bradbury Building, 304 S. Broadway, Suite 1-A5. (213) 625-1689, http://www.teamhc.com .

— David A. Keeps

[BrighamYen]

LIVE PERFORMANCE

http://www.calendarlive.com/media/photo/2007-01/27545937.jpg
Violinist Hilary Hahn joins singer-songwriter Tom Brosseau for an in-store performance at Amoeba Music in Hollywood.
(Christine Cotter / LAT)


In the classical aisle

Hilary Hahn arrives with her violin as Amoeba reaches out to classical artists.
By James C. Taylor


Special to The Times

January 25, 2007

Of the many contrasts on display at Amoeba Music's first foray into live classical music, none was more vivid than the image of three punk rockers — two with Mohawk haircuts — strolling down the store's main aisle as world-renowned violinist Hilary Hahn played the cadenza from Paganini's D-major Concerto.

The three young men, wearing cuffed jeans and black leather jackets, noticed the virtuoso, watched for about three seconds and quickly went down a side aisle to peruse new albums from the band the Damned.

Officially, Tuesday night's performance celebrated the release of the non-classical CD "Grand Forks" by Tom Brosseau, which features Hahn's accompaniment on a number of tracks. But Hahn's fame and reputation — plus the fact that Amoeba's Hollywood store has never hosted a major classical artist — made this much more than just another live set by a young singer-songwriter.

With last year's closing of Tower Records, Los Angeles lost its major retail outlet for classical music. Amoeba, with its selection in the back room, now has arguably L.A.'s largest inventory of classical recordings.

Amoeba could run from this niche market — or embrace it. The store's decision to highlight Hahn on posters and signs and let her play an extended solo set of honest, unamplified 18th and 19th century music suggest that Ameoba may try to support classical CDs at a time when many record labels are downsizing or directing resources to iTunes.

Fans of classical music are not as won over by iTunes as their rock and hip-hop counterparts. Waiting for Hahn and Brosseau to go on, some music students from Cal State Northridge said they regularly make the trek to Amoeba to buy CDs instead of just going online.

Michelle Kim and Bryan Gonzalez, both 20, went to hear Hahn at Walt Disney Concert Hall but came Tuesday out of curiosity.

Despite the promise of a star letting her hair down, Hahn performed as she always does, albeit in jeans rather than an evening gown. Hahn played modestly and without theatrics. After opening with the Paganini cadenza, she performed the chaconne from Bach's D-minor Partita.

Despite noise from shoppers, cash registers and phones, Bach's melody not only held the ears of those who had come to hear Hahn, it also grabbed the ears of the punk rockers.

After picking up a few albums and a "Clerks 2" DVD, they could be seen listening to the chaconne. The three, it turned out, are musicians themselves — part of a group called the Astounding Roy Gorbisons. Matt Finkle, the group's bass player, said he doesn't listen to classical music: "Hilary Hahn. Never heard of her .... It's complicated, very complicated music, but it made me stop and listen."

Much of the audience was, like Finkle, younger than 25, but many were familiar with Hahn's work. More than 50 people lined to up get the 27-year-old violinist's autograph, including Danny Martinez. He had never been to Amoeba but drove from the South Bay for the event. Martinez, 21, plays the violin and studies music at Cerritos College. "I have all her CDs," he said. "She was one of my first idols when I started to play."

A good deal of music students were in the aisles that night, but not every young Hilary Hahn listener is a budding fiddle player. Brian Ramos has been to many of Amoeba's concerts: "I've come here before to hear Blackalicious and the DJ from the Beastie Boys, Mike D." He saw the sign on the marquee outside the store and decided to come. "I have one of her albums," he says, "but it's my first time seeing her — and for me, it's all about live."

A few members of the audience were older and dressed more for Disney Hall (where Hahn performed Sunday) than a giant record store with Jimi Hendrix and Sex Pistols posters lining the walls. Adrienne and Oscar Mandel drove from Bel-Air. "We had never heard of Amoeba," he said. "We thought it was a concert hall." The Mandels said they usually go to private concerts on the Westside. But, she said, "we read the review [of her Disney performance] and heard about this on the radio and were determined to hear Hilary Hahn."

When they arrived at the huge, bustling Amoeba warehouse, they were surprised. "I thought maybe Amoeba was part of the Capitol Records building," she said. "I was expecting an intimate, recondite studio. This is very, well ... different." He felt that the acoustics were awful and complained there was no place to sit but was surprised by the breadth of classical CDs for sale at Amoeba. "Now that Tower is gone, I'll come back for the CDs," he said, "but not for a concert — although for a half hour it wasn't so bad."

Indeed, it was better than "not bad." Naturally, you couldn't hear the effects of Hahn's precision playing — the cavernous space limited the ability to hear the instrument's tone even when the din of the store didn't overwhelm it.

The violinist herself didn't seem to care. After the show, Hahn said she didn't mind the noisy, uncontrolled ambience: "I just play. Not worrying about the acoustics can be a relief in some ways." Hahn clearly likes branching out, not just in terms of collaboration (she's performed on other popular albums and will play with Brosseau again Feb. 6 at Largo) but also by bringing her classical technique and repertoire out of the concert hall.

"For ages, acoustic instruments have been played everywhere; the violin doesn't need everything to be set up for it," Hahn said. "There's always room for it. People may not always listen, but you can still play."

At Amoeba on Tuesday, people did listen. More than 100 gathered around the small stage. Her performance palpably changed the dynamic inside the store, even if only for a few minutes. During the soft, lyric passage at the center of the 15-minute chaconne, the clamor of the store momentarily subsided. Like the punk rockers stopping to hear Paganini, the noise of commerce dipping to make way for Bach's music seemed too perfect, almost scripted — even for a concert in the heart of Hollywood. It was then that Kara Lane, the Amoeba employee who manages these in-store events, leaned over and whispered: "This is the quietest the store has ever been.... I'm shocked."

[colemonkee]

Bummer that Orange22 is moving to Venice...

[MapGoulet]

Bummer that Orange22 is moving to Venice...

"Downtown has a lot of creative energy," Antonioni said. "But it hasn't made the transition as quickly as we had hoped. We were hoping the loft dwellers would become customers, but they are nonexistent. They only come out at night and on the weekends, when we are closed."

So........ open at nights and weekends? Seems like a no-brainer. There's no pedestrian activity.....except for when there's pedestrians around.

:sly:

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

exactly what i was thinking MapGoulet. some people shouldnt run thier own business.

[Rational Plan2]

Interesting little article on Tesco's.

U.K. food giant Tesco brings to the U.S. what its research says Americans want - a neighborhood grocery with fresh food, express service
By Jennifer Davies
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 28, 2007
Coming soon to San Diego County: a convenience store more likely to stock arugula than Big Gulps.


Tesco, the British grocery giant, is betting U.S. customers are hankering for a neighborhood market that offers fresh foods along with quick shopping trips.
While the concept might seem, well, foreign, Tesco has grown into the world's fifth-largest grocery retailer by anticipating what consumers want in such diverse countries as Poland, Turkey and China.
With technological advances, top-notch supply chain management and an emphasis on customer service, the company has annual sales of more than $80 billion and about 2,800 stores in 13 countries.
Now the grocery giant has set its sights on the United States, with plans to open as many as 100 stores in Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas by the end of the year.
Tim Mason, CEO of Tesco USA, said the company has looked at as many as 600 locations and is in the process of closing deals on a number of sites. At least two stores are slated for San Diego County – one on Ash Street in Escondido and another in Point Loma, at 955 Catalina, a former Albertsons site.


“They have a global reputation as world beaters in the grocery business,” said Bert Hambleton, president of Hambleton Resources, an industry consultant.
Although Tesco is considered the Wal-Mart of the United Kingdom in terms of its size and strong management, the company's foray into the United States will be decidedly un-Wal-Mart, with a concept that centers on small markets, rather than big boxes.
The smaller format is not completely new to Tesco, as the company has thrived in large part by offering a variety of different types of grocery stores and experiences, ranging from the megastores (a la Wal-Mart) to more traditional groceries, as well as smaller stores in urban areas and convenience stores.
Tesco said its concept for the United States will be based on its Express format, which has more than 1,000 stores around the world.
For its part, Tesco is being purposefully vague about its U.S. plans, saying it hasn't nailed down all the particulars – such as the name of the stores – and doesn't want to tip off competitors.
What Tesco will say is that it plans to spend $400 million annually over the next five years to launch its business in the United States. The company is building an 820,400-square-foot distribution center in Riverside.


Through its extensive research, which included creating a dummy store in a Los Angeles warehouse and having researchers live and shop with 50 households for an extended period of time, the company said it had decided that what the U.S. consumer really wants is a return to the neighborhood market.
Mason said the stores will concentrate on fresh, nutritious foods and will be conveniently located in the heart of a neighborhood. Despite the planned stores' relatively small size – around 12,000 square feet – they will be places where “you can do all your shopping.” The stores will especially appeal to consumers with fast-paced lifestyles, with healthy prepared meals to go, he said.
Mason stressed that there is no particular type of neighborhood Tesco was going after in terms of affluence and that the company has a reputation of being able to appeal and attract all income levels.
“What we are in the business of doing is making fresh, high-quality food more accessible and more affordable,” said Simon Uwins, Tesco USA's chief marketing officer.
Although many analysts and industry watchers have compared the size and scope of Tesco's U.S. stores to Trader Joe's, especially with its emphasis on signature brands and fresh produce, Mason said the new store will be something entirely different.
“You shouldn't be thinking this is Trader Joe's because it isn't,” he said.
And Mason is careful to point out that Tesco has no intention of force-feeding traditional British fare to wary Americans, saying of the food choices: “I'm not sure they'll be Brit, but they'll be tasty.”


Advertisement document.write(''); Still, some analysts are unsure whether Tesco's grocery concept can succeed in a U.S. culture where bigger is often considered better as consumers demand a wide variety of brands and products, which translates into the need for more shelves and more aisles and results in larger stores.
“Everywhere you go people say they want a smaller store that offers you everything. What happens is that stores keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” said David Livingston, a supermarket consultant based in Wisconsin.
“I don't think this is going to be a slam dunk for them.”
Still, other analysts point to Tesco's performance around the globe as proof that it typically gets the local market right.
Mike Griswold, a research director at AMR Research, said that if Tesco were a football team, they would have an 11-2 record, stumbling only in Taiwan, where a strong nationalistic streak favors local companies, and France.
“It could be as much an England-France thing as a Tesco thing,” he said of the company's struggles there.
Jack Brown, president and CEO of Stater Bros., a regional grocery store chain with 10 stores in San Diego County, said Tesco could be a formidable competitor.
Brown is intimately aware of Tesco's operations, as the two companies were part of a grocery retailers group that would share information to help bolster performances of member stores. As far as Brown is concerned, Tesco “is one of the most technologically advanced companies in the world,” with hourly scans that help it track its inventory and sales.
Griswold said Tesco's initial launch is a way to gain a toehold in the U.S. market. The selection of Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas is due in part to the affluence of the areas and the growing populations in those markets.
Industry watchers also say it is no coincidence Tesco is picking areas where Wal-Mart has yet to secure a dominant position, as local zoning initiatives have made it difficult for the company to open its giant retail centers. Where California has a total of 21 Supercenters, which is Wal-Mart's largest store format, Tennessee has 90, Missouri has 83 and Texas has 273.
Aside from Wal-Mart, the British company's arrival also is sure to place further pressure on the increasingly competitive and fragmented grocery market, especially in the Southern California region that has yet to stabilize after the bitter grocery strike three years ago.
“I'm not sure that right now Tesco is concerned about Wal-Mart,” Griswold said. “They are concerned about small convenience stores and the traditional supermarkets.”
Hambleton said grocery stores should be worried about Tesco's stores as well. Increasingly, consumers' dollars are being spread out beyond traditional grocery stores. He estimated that less than 50 percent of a household's grocery budget is now being spent at the established chains, which could bode well for new stores and new concepts such as Tesco's.
“People are saying, 'I don't have to go to a traditional store. I can go to Costco. I can go to Whole Foods. I don't have to go to Vons, Ralphs or Albertsons,' ” Hambleton said. “There are just more players that consumers will accept.”
Stephanie Miller, spokeswoman for Albertsons, said that her company is convinced it can withstand the new competition. Still, she acknowledged that “at this point, we are definitely watching Tesco closely.”
Brown of Stater Bros. said that Tesco's format will face plenty of competition from stores such as Bristol Farms and Trader Joe's, as well as from small, locally owned grocery stores.
“That's where the game will be played,” he said, adding that Tesco will face a bigger challenge because it is entering a foreign market that has its own quirks.
“It's always a challenge when you go to another country,” Brown said. “But I would never bet against them.”

[colemonkee]

A couple more boutique fashion shops in Downtown that I've been meaning to post here. Both are located on 5th Street in the Shy Barry Lofts building, just a stones throw away from Pershing Square.

Rocco (http://www.myspace.com/rocko_la)
308 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Rocco's actually been there for quite some time. They outlasted the American Apparel store, which opened up and has subsequently shut it's doors. It's very fashion-forward clothing for men, with many different styles and countries represented.

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/5674/rocco20070127cf0.jpg


Aluma (http://www.myspace.com/alumafashion)
304 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Two doors down is the sister store to Rocco. Same owners (who are very cool, and live downtown), and I believe this store took up the space vacated by American Apparel. You should check out both stores when you're in the neighborhood!

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/9988/aluma20070127gd9.jpg

[colemonkee]

One more retail, or rather restaurant spot that opened up recently.

First Cup Caffe
333 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

That's Caffe with two f's!! This place kind of popped up under the radar, but it's pretty good. Your standard coffee shop with a big counter of baked goods, but with some good choices for breakfast and lunch, all prepared fresh and at pretty reasonable prices. I've tried both breakfast and lunch, and both times I've been very satisfied. Like Lost Souls, it's off the street, tucked away inside the pathway underneat the giant parking structure on Spring across the street from the Ronald Regan Building. Very nicely done dining room.

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/9736/firstcup200701271ze9.jpg

My Crepes Dejeuner (eggs, ham and swiss cheese wrapped in sweet crepes) from Saturday - yes, they're open on Saturday!! One thing to note: the cup of fruit was one of the best I've had in a while - not one piece of bad or sour fruit.

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2844/firstcup200701272js8.jpg