A TopMan truck was parked in South Park near FIDM school promoting the new TopShop flagship store opening in The Grove on Feb 14, 2013
Today is the long anticipated grand opening and West Coast debut of UK-based Top Shop and Top Man at The Grove. (For those unfamiliar with Top Shop/Top Man, think of a higher quality, pricier version of H&M.) For years, New York was the only city Top Shop was located in, but eventually Chicago and Las Vegas were added last year and now Los Angeles will be the fast fashion retailer’s 4th location in the country.
I’m excited that Top Shop is finally opening in LA. However, I’m not thrilled that our first flagship store is opening in a faux-urban lifestyle center like The Grove. Most other great cities in the country have an urban shopping district, or high street, where flagship stores usually setup shop. In New York, it’s SoHo or 5th Avenue; In Chicago, it’s the Magnificent Mile; In San Francisco, it’s Union Square. It’s much more difficult for retailers to figure out where to go in LA because we lack that defined urban center. In fact, many top retailers aren’t even really in the City of LA at all but rather in other cities like Beverly Hills or West Hollywood that reap the tax benefits while Los Angeles loses.
With all that being said, however, there are definitely strong signals that point to more and more national retailers beginning to take notice of Downtown LA as a place where they want to target and see as a viable market. In fact, yesterday a Top Shop/Top Man truck was parked in front of Ralphs Fresh Fare (near FIDM) at 9th and Hope with the brand ambassadors passing out free Top Shop branded totes and gift cards (valued at between $20 to $1000). And who could forget the Guess clothing ad across Bottega Louie mistaken for an actual Guess retail store under construction? Or how about Urban Outfitters eyeing the Rialto Theatre space near 8th and Broadway? And Brooks Brothers coming back after leaving downtown. Oh, and of course, City Target opened last year and is already exceeding revenue projections.
None of these national brands would have taken notice of Downtown LA if there wasn’t already something substantial here, so I believe it’s only a matter of time before Downtown LA regains the urban shopping district it lost to the suburbs many years ago. One day, “Going shopping in the City” will actually mean something here in Los Angeles.
ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME! I think also what works in DTLAs advantage/favor is having soo much access to the fashion/design pool already with FIDM, Garment District, etc also you have national retailers with ties to the area already: GAP has their design studio here, J BRAND has HQ as well as GUESS, FOREVER 21, VF CORP, LUCKY BRAND (Why any of those haven’t been retail “pioneers” here in their own backyard, boggles my mind btw) NASTY GAL & AMERICAN APPAREL, among others also have HQ here, It potentially could be a true incubator of sustained untapped talent! Now the boutiques are starting to pop up and set the stage, “sow the seeds” if you will for DTLA to attract not just more national but also local & regional eyes! The future is SOOO BRIGHT for LA!! I see (hope) DTLAs mastering in the areas of fashion, entertainment, creativity & along with Westside, technology.
I want more retail of all kinds here. Badly. But how many shopping “centers” can the area support? If you’re jcrew say – you’re at the Grove, you’re in Glendale, you’re in Pasadena – all those places are a 15-20 minute drive from downtown. Is there a big enough market here to support another location? Possibly, given our growing population, USC, and all the hotels, but I can see why companies are blinking a bit.
It would be great to have a well-rounded, centralized place to shop, especially for tourists. That place now might be the Grove – someone told me that it has more yearly visitors than Disneyland.
I went to the Top Shop in Chicago recently. I was excited to see it but left thinking it was dreadful. There wasn’t a single item in there I would have bought. I like H&M and Zara much better. while I think downtown needs mainstream stores I also think that the caliber of stores we will be finding in Downtown will be much higher caliber than Top Shop. I think that you will find that the stores coming into downtown will reflect the kind of shopping you currently find on Robertson, or Abbott Kinney than what you will find at the Grove or traditional mall. I think that downtowners are more sophisticated and more discerning than those in other neighborhoods.
I went to the NYC soon after it opened and left kinda disappointed as well. My wife though loved it. I think downtown needs all kinds of retail, not just higher end stuff. While I personally would rather shop on La Brea than the Grove, we need a diverse retail situation here to really draw all kinds of people. Downtown shouldn’t become an enclave for the super wealthy.
I don’t think downtown will become an enclave for the super wealthy necessarily. We do have a Target now, and a Ross coming. But I do think that the majority of stores coming will reflect an urban sensibility rather than a suburban one. Downtown also has a very high household income compared to other parts of the city so the people living and working there will most likely demand better stores. We shouldn’t expect too many of the chains you would see in other areas of the city. The market will dictate which stores move in. I think people will be surprised with what moves in.
The market dictates we need more retail. And have for a while. Yet the market hasn’t provided.
It also dictates we need Trader Joes & Whole Foods. In-N-Out & Chick Fil A. Yet none of these companies are seriously interested in downtown (yet). Foolish market.
There hasn’t been enough people in Downtown until the last 4 or 5 years to support several grocers or retailers. The “market” is not just the desire for retailers but also the population to warrent them and Downtown simply hasn’t had the population until recently. Most office workers will not walk more than a few blocks from their offices so, while they might also be essential to the developing marketplace they will not entice major retailers as much as persons actually living in Downtown.
The other issue is rent, which in Downtown is far greater than other parts of the city including Silverlake, or Hollywood. Then you also have the parking issue. The people living in Downtown might be willing to walk to a Trader Joes but persons living outside of Downtown most likely will not pay to park at a Trader Joes and would rather probably shop in Silverlake or Hollywood where parking is either free or cheap. If given the choice I would rather drive to Glendale and shop at the Target there then pay to park at the Target in Downtown LA. The only time I shop at the Target in Downtown is if I’m already there and it is a matter of convenience for me. I defintately do not go out my way to shop there.
People have to remember that Downtown is in a transition period. While there has been a substantial population boom in recent years there still isnt quite enough people living in Downtown to entice larger retailers. However, that will change in the next 2 to 3 years.
Downtown (lower) Manhattan hasn’t been able to support major retailers until only recently. You would think that with the population of Manhattan that retailers would be flocking in, but the living population has evolved only recently in lower Manhattan. Downtown LA is no different.
With that said, I’m no fan of Trader Joes. I cannot deny that it is popular and that the majority of people living in Downtown want a Trader Joes but I’m happy buying my things from the farmers markets and local markets in Downtown.
Do you know how many times I needed one critical ingredient for something I was making and there is absolutely nowhere to get it except Ralphs or Target? I’m not talking something obscure (i’m not even really into cooking), but like a pepper or basil or tofu or oregano or something like that. There is nowhere reliable for that kind of stuff except Ralphs or Target or I want to get in my car. I’m not saying TJ’s is the answer, but there’s a disconnect between needs and availability in downtown in terms of food, especially if you live in the northern part of historic core where Target might be a further walk. As for Target, it’s a lifesaver for anybody who lives downtown. It’s just a Target, but I no longer need to drive for most essentials.
That said, I agree that downtown population isn’t high enough for most major retailers yet, especially chain clothing places. But tourists also need a place to shop, and there tons of tourists staying in downtown. With all the cultural activities and places like LA Live and good metro access it’s a great place to stay, but they need shopping for a more complete experience. So it’s not just for residents.
There arent enough tourists yet either. I work in the tourism industry and book with several hotels in Downtown. While tour and travel stays in Downtown are on the rise its still a relatively minor market for the Downtown hotels. Again, that will change also. Most of the people staying in the hotels are there for business purposes and have little time to shop or even eat in local places because most of their activities are self contained.
There are several markets in Downtown that might be willing to stock what you need if you ask them and if you will buy from them. Two Bits are really nice people and I would bet that if you went to them and asked them to carry a item they would do that for you. The farmers markets usually also carry a lot of the items you are talking about and they operate almost daily in Downtown.
brudy, if you’re in the northern part of the historic core, the Woori market in the Little Tokyo Shopping Center is pretty close to you and has a great selection of veggies, herbs and tofu, though you might have to walk through sketchier areas to get to it (unless you go up to 3rd St before you go east).
though i’ve been disappointed at the pace of development in downtown as well, i think many of the commenters are right– we’re just not there yet and it will take some time. a lot has developed quickly– quicker in some ways than other modern revitalized urban cores, but other areas like retail (and safety–my biggest concern) will naturally take some more time.
I’m over by Pershing Square so I’m in a bit of a no mans land. I do go to Woori sometimes, but it’s too far to walk in a pinch and for bigger loads. I don’t want to complain too much but I just wish there were a reliable market in the historic core. It’s not about having Two-Bits order Mueslix or something like that – it’s about staples you need to actually cook sometimes. I just have to plan better, but that’s not my strong point.
Since everyone seems to be talking about groceries here, I may as well chip in. I do not own a car, but I do own 2 feet and a bicycle. With those 2 options, I have absolutely 0 problems getting around downtown and getting what I need. Its a 7 minute bike ride to Ralphs or 20 minute walk from where I am at 5th and Spring. I dont understand why people are complaining about how far Ralphs, Woori or Target is.
Perhaps its because I grew up in evil Northridge, where everything you want to go to seems to be in a different time zone, so you had to walk for 2 years to get to the grocery store and back. So stop your whining and get out on your feet or bike.
On subject though, I am down for a Top Shop around here. Never been to one before, but it beats Family Pants or Ross “more of the same for Broadway” dress for less…