LOOKING FOR CREATIVE RETAIL AND RETAIL CONCEPTS!

Downtown LA needs creative retailers! We need visionaries who want to reinvent the future of retail in the 21st Century. So – do you know how brick and mortar can compete with cyber-stores? Do you know how department stores can reinvent themselves?

Do you have the next great concept for a fashion, book, art, furniture, speciality, collectibles or - whatever - store?

Well - if you have the right ideas - very soon, we will have a place where you can make them happen in Downtown Los Angeles.

Brady Westwater

bradywestwater@gmail.com or 213-804-8396

Downtown Fashion Walk Map Now Up!

A very slightly updated version will be posted tomorrow morning! Just hit were to go!

http://downtownfashionwalk.com/main.html

www.downtownfashionwalk.com

Downtown Fashion Walk Store and Event List!

Until we finish getting the events up on Downtown Fashion Walk the website, here are about 90% of the stores, pop-ups and special events that will be held Thursday August 20th. SO - UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE - THIS WILL BE THE MOST UPDATED LIST OF EVENTS. But final list and map will be on website Wednesday night.

And last few additions will be added to this this site by afternoon Wednesday - and they will be listed as an UPDATE - and a map to everything will be posted on the website on Wednesday night. Copies of the map will also be available up at most of the stores listed on Main and Spring Streets starting at 11 AM on Thursday morning.

Entertainment and Special events are listed letters.

Downtown Fashion Walk – Where To Go

Thursday August 20th, 2009

5:30Pm – 10 PM (thought most stores will be open by noon)

Stores & Events Listed By Street

MAIN STREET & SIDE STREETS

1. M'ouments (Store)
125 W. 4th St. #106 (Enter Off Alley)
213 626 6606
www.mouments.tumblr.com
Former Comme des Garcon Guerrilla Store now
M'ouments, carrying brands like Comme des Garcon,
Unholy Matrimony and Sonia Boyjian

2. Blends (Store)
125 W 4th St
213 626 6606
www.Blendsus.Com
Limited Edition sneakers &
Urban Clothing

3. Elmer Ave. (Store)
125 W. 4th St.
888 356 3728
www.Elmerave.Com
Rock and Roll Rebels Designing
High-End Formal Wear

4. Skin.Graft (Store)
125 W. 4th St. #102
213 626 2662 www.skingraftdesigns.Com
Raw underground Style combined with
Sleek high-end couture

5. Fremont (Store)
120 W. 4th St.
213 626 1756
www.Fremontapparelco.Com
Classic Cool Couture

6. 621 Main Street
Pop-up store TBA

7. Crewest (Store)
110 E. Winston St.
Los Angeles
213 627 8272
www.Crewest.Com
Stellar graffiti artist art & clothing

8. The Gallery@118 Winston
118 E. Winston Street
Second floor
Vintage, N.OM by Natalia Benson earrings,
& clothing designed by Flock.

9. Stelladottir (Store)
430 S. Main St.
213 623 8464
www.stelladottir.com
Hand made, vintage inspired clothes and hats.
Last year’s Downtown store of the year.

10. Main Street Tattoo
438 Main Street
213-622-0387
www.mainsttats.com

A. 7 & 10 PM screening of Project Runway
Patio of Café Bermuda
464 S. Main Street
213-622-6644

11. Pussy & Pooch (store)
564 S. Main St
213 438 0900
www.pussyandpooch.com
Pet Couture & Grooming

12. Upper Playground (Store)
125 E 6th Street
213 623 4300
www.Upperplayground.Com
Fusion of fashion with fine art
with locally and nationally known artists

13. Mr. Cartoon's Tattoo Shop (Store)
129 E 6th St
213 488 0313
www.Mistercartoon.Com
Urban clothes & classic tattoos

14. Soulful Commandoe Flagship Store (Store)
121 E 6th Street, #131
213 291 9601
www.Soulfulcommandoe.Com
Ultra Exclusive Street Apparel & Accessories

15. Pacific Electric Ground Floor
Corner 6th & Main
Sample & Clearance Sales
Multiple Fashion District name Brands

16. PE Annex (pop-up)
618 Main Street
Pop-up store TBA

17. 630 Main (pop-up store)
Rhys Dwfen
www.rhysdwfen.com
A women’s contemporary collection of luxurious knit

18. 632 Main (pop-up store)
Jenny Han
www.jennyhan.com
A contemporary-chic collection of sweet and sexy pieces

19. Known Gallery (store)
651 Main Street
http://www.knowngallery.com/
Urban Art & Urban clothes

20. 1-Man’s Trash (store)
651 S. Main Street
Vintage inspired couture, designer vintage.

21.TSL Armor Jewelry (store)
651 Main Street
Urban Jewelry
http://www.knowngallery.com/blog/post/tsl-armor-releases-their-new-line-for-agenda

22. Symbiotic Form (store)
651 Main Street
213.631.6971
vintage inspired woman's hand bags, hats, clothes and jewelry.
www.symbioticform.blogspot.com


SPRING STREET & SIDE STREETS

22. Ed Hardy (Store)
433 S Spring St
213 627 3932
www.edhardyshop.com
Vintage-styled Tattoo Wear
Only Ed Hardy Outlet Store!

23. Phyllis Stein Art (store)
207 W. 5th Street
213-622-6012
323-896-7465 cell
http://www.phyllissteinart.com/
Todd Goldman clothes, Molly Schiot clothes
and paintings by David Thomas.

24. Polyester Books (Store)
(Todd/Browning Gallery)
211 West 5th Street
213 623 1176
www.Polyesterbooks.Com
Fashion, Style, Art & Design Books
Vintage/Contemporary Photographs

B. You’re The Top
Spring Arts Tower Main Space. One Night Event!
Multiple hat dealers & designers, vintage hats, book signing
by Project Runway’s Kate Hahn and Andrae Gonzalo.
201 W. 5th Street - 5th & Spring
http://www.deepglamour.net/deep_glamour/2009/08/party-with-deepglamour-on-august-20.html

25. TBA (pop-up)
109 W. 6th
TBA

26. Takashi Masuda (store)
110 W. 6th Street
Cell 818-693-4180
Contemporary & vintage clothes, sunglasses

27. Flea (store)
112 W. 6th
213-626-2122
Vintage clothes, furniture
(needs to close by 5 PM today)

28. Salon on 6 (store)
111 W. 6th
TBA Music, Fashion & Make-up
213-623-5033

29. Apliiq (Store)
114 W 6th Street
323 300 6492
www.apliiq.com
Apliiq applies unique rare textiles to
your everyday garments.

30 New York Hats (Store)
217 W 6th St
213 228 1915
New And Old School Hats
Located in historic chocolate store
filled with Bachelder tiles!

31. Crack Gallery (Store)
204 W 6th St
213 622 3493
www.crackgallery.com
Crack Gallery wants to get the city hooked on a new drug:
their own blend of fashion and art.

32. Shoes & Hand Bags (store)
204-½ W. 4th Street
213 622 3493
www.crackgallery.com
Handbags, Shoes & Accessories

BROADWAY & SIDE STREETS
(some of these stores may close early)

33. Goodwill (Store – Fashion Walk)
235 S Broadway
(213) 628-1748
www.Goodwillsocal.Org
Vintage/Used/Huge Selection!

34. Uniforms (Store – Fashion Walk)
217 W 4th St
213 617 8495
http://www.broadwayarmystore.net/ArmyStore/Default.htm
Military & Civilian Uniforms, Shirts

35. El Fino (Braodway Walk)
412 – 416 Broadway
Boot & Denim & Western Shirt Sale (Broadway/Fashion Walk store)
Going Out Of Business Sale!

36. Judson Building (Broadway Walk)
436 S. Broadway
Shoes/Men’s Clothes

C. American Mart (Store - Fashion Walk)
437 S. Broadway
OVER TWENTY CREATIVE VENDORS!
Fashion, Art, Collectibles, Jewelry!

37. Shoe Hut (Store – Fashion Walk)
529 S Broadway
213 688 8310
www.shoehutusa.com
Huge Selection Of Baseball Caps
& Shoes

38. Blue Jeans (store – Broadway Walk)
553 S. Broadway
Men’s Clothing, Boots, Hats
Large selection

D. Comedy Walk!
Three Hours of Free Comedy!
Entrance to Broadway Spring Arcade
542 S. Broadway
www.comedywalk.com

30 New York Hats (Store)
217 W 6th St
213 228 1915
New And Old School Hats
Located in historic chocolate store
filled with Batchler tiles!

39. Chanelli Outlet
625 S. Broadway
Rarely Seen European Brand
Bags. Clearance Sale! Ask to see
the bags in the rear.

40. Red Zone Footwear (Store – Fashion Walk)
629 S Broadway
213 622 8649
http://local.yahoo.com/info-20366907-red-zone-footwear-los-angeles?tab=reviews#reviews
Excellent selection of creepers, heels and punk and rock shirts

41. Pop-Up Store – TBA
624 S. Broadway

E. Palace Theater - Lobby
630 S. Broadway
Steve Henao fronts the fast rising band –
Katerpillar! Starting at 7 PM.
Act Right Gear will also have shirts

Los Angeles Times Website Redesign A Home Run!

I just got back from the gym to find a IM from Dakota over at Curbed LA telling me to look at the LA Times website. And... my verdict is - the new design is a four bagger.

The design is far easier to read and far better organized. I'd go into my detail except.... I'm too busy writing my own website for next weeks' Downtown Fashion Walk....

Chief Bratton To Resign From LAPD!

Chief Bratton is about to leave Los Angeles after reforming and revitalising the Los Angeles Police Department and dropping crime and murder levels to far below what they were when he took over the department.

The first question is - what happens next?

The good news is that after Bratton left New York - the team he had built continued to reduce crimes levels - every year (except for a spike in murders last year) and this year - in a decline economy and with fewer cops, not only is overall crime still dropping, but even murders have resumed their decline in New York.

The second question is - will the Mayor and the City Council select the best person for the job - or will they allow politics to interfere - as has happened in the past with disastrous results.

Here is part of the LA Times story linked to above:

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton to step down
8:59 AM | August 5, 2009
William J. Bratton is expected to announce plans to resign as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department today to take over as head of a private security firm, sources have told The Times.

Bratton is expected to announce his decision at a noon press conference today. He did not return several calls seeking comment.

The decision by Bratton, who has dramatically reshaped the LAPD and pushed down crime rates since taking over in 2002, took the city’s political and police leadership by surprise.

As Bratton flew back to Los Angeles from a personal trip to New York Tuesday night, aides to his boss, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, said Villaraigosa knew nothing of the planned departure.

Likewise, members of the civilian panel that oversees the LAPD, as well as the deputy and assistant chiefs whom Bratton entrusts with the day-to-day operations of the department, were caught off-guard when asked about Bratton’s imminent resignation.

Bratton, 61, leaves with more than three years remaining in his second term. In Los Angeles, he cemented his reputation as one of the country’s leading law enforcement minds.

As he did during a short stint as head of the New York City Police Department, Bratton implemented a crime-fighting strategy in L.A. built around an obsessive focus on crime data and a computer mapping system that is used to identify specific areas of the city that require more policing.

That approach, along with a management style that placed considerable authority in the hands of his field commanders, has produced results: Crime rates have fallen steadily each year since Bratton’s takeover.
In a Los Angeles Times poll earlier this year, respondents expressed strong support for both the department and its chief. Almost eight in 10 registered voters said they either "strongly approve" or "somewhat approve" of police performance today.

It remains to be seen whether the changes made over the last 6 1/2 years have taken deep enough root to outlast the man who oversaw them. In recent interviews with The Times, Bratton has said that he believed the department was prepared for his departure. "If I left tomorrow," he said in December, "this would continue after I'm gone."

Bratton has long brushed aside frequent rumors about him leaving the LAPD for other jobs. British tabloids have often breathlessly announced he was a front-runner to take over Scotland Yard. And during the recent presidential campaign, he was seen as a strong candidate for a top federal law enforcement job, such as at the Department of Homeland Security. When asked by The Times last month whether his decision to place his Los Feliz home on the market was a portent of some brewing decision to leave, he said he had no such plans.

Regardless, the termination of the consent decree last month seemed to signal a major turning point for Bratton and his outlook on his tenure at the LAPD. With the department now free of what he believed was the heavy stigma of federal oversight, there appeared to be little new for Bratton to focus his energies on.

"I never want to go and just maintain something," he said in an interview late last year. "I want to be able to fix something."

--Joel Rubin

Update On Fashion Walk And Broadway Walk!

Less than two weeks ago, I posted a call for cultural organizations and fashion businesses to join us in launching a beta version of a Fashion Walk and a Broadway Walk on the third Thursday of each month - starting August 20th.

And we now have... over 110... individuals, businesses and organizations joining us for our first effort - and we haven't even sent out a press release - or put up a website.

So - what happened?

Well, first, Erin Magner of RACKED LA linked to the story...

http://la.racked.com/archives/2009/07/21/downtown_designers_get_a_walk_of_their_very_own.php

... and 24 hours later - the story made the front page of the Los Angeles Times website. Adam Tschorn, of the LAT's Fashion blog ALL THE RAGE, posted his story on the event - and linked to each of the other blog posts and his post ended up on the front page of the LAT site for much of the day.

The rest - as they say - is history.

So we now have a very long list of press and media (longer than for any event for which I had actually solicited press) waiting to get our formal announcement.

But first we need to hear from everyone who has wants to appear or show in the two new Walks. We want to get everyone we can in that first release.

So try and get us all your final proposals by this weekend, if possible, or at least tell us what you already know you can do so far.

We can still take additions after that - but this weekend is the deadline for anyone who wants to be on the first version of the website and in our first full press release.

Thanks!

Brady Westwater
bradywestwater@gmail.com
213-804-8396