American Apparel on 5th?

it must have been since wednesday, because i am pretty sure i would have noticed it then, too.

So this is how the gringo invasion of Broadway begins. I’ve thought a lot about this for many years. It will be absolutely fascinating to see if American Apparel can succeed in this location. And, if they do succeed, how? Who will be their customers? Will the working class Latinos who throng Broadway check out the place and actually buy product? Yes, if they see value. Will loft dwellers descend from their homes to brave Broadway to buy product? I think American Apparel is uniquely positioned to pull this off. And if they do succeed, it will be fascinating to see how this effects Broadway’s existing retail activity.

For those not familiar with the company, American Apparel is a L.A. company based in downtown. They started making quality T-shirts and have expanded their product line greatly since then. They make simple, pricey, high- quality clothing. This is great news for the historic core. I look forward to shopping there.

Are they moving their Little Tokyo store or is this in addition to it? Not that it matteres to me. I can only afford the stuff made by non-unionized workers.

this may be an attempt to cater to the bunker hill and jewelry district crowds more than the loft dwellers.

i really doubt this will have any impact on broadway retail at all – as eric says, the location is tiny. and it’s a half-block off broadway.

maybe people will go there to buy expensive clothes with all the money they’re saving buying cheap cigarettes on the corner of fifth and broadway.

(and i thought the orpheum lofts and broadway bar were the opening salvo in the gringo invasion. i guess i missed a meeting.)

Gringo invasion? WTF? This is American Apparel, not Prada. A well rounded downtown with a vairety of services is hardly an invasion.

downtown news confirms the imminent opening, putting the date at “by november 1.”

Let me clarify my colorful comments since they seem to have inflamed some. As a resident on Broadway since the late 90s, I’ve noted that gringos, aside from Conservancy tourists on Saturday and the ever present photographers, don’t spend much time on Broadway. The street has the reputation as a emporium of cheap goods (not entirely true) and engenders a lot of trash talk (e.g. Fiesta Broadway is an annual lightening rod). Me, I like Broadway and spend a lot of time there. Despite the influx of new downtowners over the past few years, my wife still asks me where are all these people?

Another thing I’ve noticed about downtown is it is a pretty segregated place. Business types in the financial district, artist types in the artist district, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Latino shoppers on Broadway and in the Fashion District. The only in the Historic core have you started to see different communities collide. The Gallery Row folks are to be commended here. Yes, I know, I’m generalizing.

I think Jim is right. Since the store is not truly on Broadway, really on 5th between Broadway and Hill, the impact on Broadway is going to be minimal. Broadway is just too busy to notice. Originally, I thought the store was opening in the building on the southeast corner (i.e. the one with all the scaffolding).

Still, my larger point was how would this mainstream retailer (yeah, I know they try real hard to ‘keep it real’) make it on Broadway. I like it when cultures collide and mutate. A place like American Apparel right on Broadway would present a retailer which gringos would seek out. As Bert pointed out, a wide variety of stores and services is the ideal. But, I’d like it if the mix attracted some of the new residents and made them feel comfortable on Broadway. I doubt Gap is opening a store on Broadway anytime soon. But, I think American Apparel really could succeed in a big way on Broadway and the street would be better for it.

One more thing. No, I don’t consider the Orpheum Lofts or Broadway Bar comparable. Both effectively ignore the street. The Orpheum Lofts has a connection to underground parking. As a resident, you don’t have to walk on the street and, for the most part, they don’t. The Broadway Bar is a pretty exlusive place. Yes, there is a patio which is right on the street. But, the only time it is used is very late at night. At that hour, the street is pretty dead. It will be very interesting to see how the new condo conversion across the street will interact with the street. I hope it figures out a way to be part of the street and not wall itself off from it.

One more thing. I stopped by last night on the way home and struck up a conversation with a couple of guys getting the store set up. They told me they expect the the place to open in 10-15 days. They also told me the store would carried discounted product. It sounded like they were testing the market. One of the guys told me if things work out, they’d definitely move to a larger. They were already eyeing the renovation going on at Fifth and Broadway. With this in mind, their lease was month to month.

Seems this store is doing well. After a slow start, business is picking up. My wife is a regular shopper and gotten to know the staff. Typically, the store gets a new shipment of product each Wednesday. They are now up to three shipments each week.

I wonder now that Rite-Aid is moving, does this mean the retail along 4th Street has to move, too.

hey 5th & broadway is a outlet american apparel. that makes 3 that i know of, this store, the camarillo store (which is ALOT bigger than the broadway store) and one in newyork which i have never been. the outlet workers seem alot more nicer than normal retail associates. the guy inside the broadway store was talking to me forever. real cool people. check it out.