Beverly Hills’s Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade, West Hollywood’s Melrose Place & Robertson Blvd are all internationally renowned shopping & dining destinations in Los Angeles & for good reason. With fashion houses such as Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Mulberry, Alexander McQueen, Oscar de la Renta & Vivienne Westwood lining their blocks these stylish streets are a must visit for globetrotting fashionistas & elegant Angelenos.
The 100 & 200 blocks of La Brea Avenue have crept their way into joining my short-list of favorite Los Angeles destinations & I imagine it will creep into yours as well if, like me, you enjoy the thrill of the hunt & a bit of a walk.
In the 1980′s the eastern end of Melrose district, which runs from Fairfax to Highland Avenue, became a popular punk & new wave shopping area, spearheaded by a raucous bunch of boutique retailers & restauranteurs. La Brea Avenue played a small part in this underground shopping scene then & made gastronomic waves with standard-setters like Nancy Silverton & Mark Peel of La Brea Bakery & the recently closed farm-to-table staple Campanile. Now La Brea has become a destination all it’s own with some of my favorite stores & cafés.
Mishka LA Store
128 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Mishka is streetwear brand that has influences from 80’s underground punk, indie rock, heavy metal, the skate community, comics, b-movies, horror flicks & pop culture. Starting as a Brooklyn t-shirt shop in 2003, Mishka has become a powerhouse brand with a cult following & recently opened it’s La Brea Ave storefront.
A + R
171 S. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
A+ R is a global design store by Andy Griffith and Rose Apodaca. They obsessively seek out the newest products, cherry pick the best from the best manufacturers & import them from anywhere in the world. It’s the kind of store where you find things you’ve needed for a while & a whole lot you didn’t think you’d ever need…but desperately want.
Undefeated
112.5 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90036
Undefeated was the first store in LA to sell sneakers & sneakers only! Since then Undefeated has become a pioneer in the sneaker industry by carrying limited runs of shoe-wear not easily available to the masses. You’ll notice the tiny shop by it’s white prison bars, it’s five-count logo & the billboard above their shop that they have curated since 2002.
Graffiti Café
180 S. La Brea Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90036
This is the only coffe shop I have come across that feels as expressive & beautifully designed as an art gallery, vibrant as a nightclub, cozy as a library with a fantastic fireplace & as fashionable as any other boutique on La Brea Ave. Graffiti Café serves Intelligentsia Coffee & pastries from Cake Monkey & Bouchon Chocolate!
American Rag
150 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90036
American Rag is a mainstay of California culture. Founder, Mark Werts, has been recognized as one of the most innovative and trendsetting retailers in the United States. By carrying high-fashion brands like A.P.C., Actual Pain, Ksubi, Linda Farrow, McQueen, Rag & Bone, Alexander Wang, Vivienne Westwood & a stunning handpicked collection of vintage pieces they stay contemporary, edgy & classic.
LAB ART Los Angeles
217 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90036
LAB ART Los Angeles is dedicated to an alternative exhibition of street art & installation. The gallery features works of more than 30 of the most prominent & recognized, as well as up-and-coming names of the Los Angeles Street Art scene & beyond.
leila
January 28, 2013 at 10:15 pm (142 days ago)wow. i really like this. learned a lot. thank you!