IN THE NEWS
CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS - COVER PAGE - 9/22/11
BLOGDOWNTOWN
FLEA Hopes to Offer Something for Everyone
Caryn Hofberg sits among newly-arrived furniture inside FLEA, her new store on 6th street.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Caryn Hofberg wasn't planning to open a store when she moved Downtown just a few months ago, yet most days you can find her inside FLEA, her eclectic new shop on 6th street. Offering furniture, vintage clothing, second-hand boots and a variety of other knick-knacks, Hofberg hopes "to have something for everyone."After stopping by this week, we emailed Hofberg some questions about her new spot and the process of opening up shop.
BLOGDOWNTOWN:So what people should expect to find at FLEA?
CARYN HOFBERG: Me! Ha! Ha! Dogs! Another Ha! Ha! But really, “All dogs are welcome at FLEA, as long as they don’t slobber on things and the boys aren’t leg lifters”. I’m going to have a bulletin board with pictures of the neighborhood dogs called “Flea Friends”.My goal is to have something for everyone. Furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories to fill your lofts and/or apartments. Vintage clothing for women, men and kids. Shoes, purses, scarves and jewelry for women and men. I will also carry some re-sale of clothing that isn’t vintage but current designers.And, in a few days we'll be hanging photos by a fabulous artist, Judy Ragagli, who paints photo realistic portraits of vintage glamour Barbies.
Eventually I will also offer Interior Re-Design and Professional Organizing services.
BD:You moved Downtown not too long ago, not planning to open a store. What made that change?
CH: I was living on the Westside and had a successful Professional Organizing and Interior Re-Design Business. I was also a vendor at the Flea Markets in the Los Angeles area. I decided to move downtown last fall and thought my business would be really successful here. It wasn’t. And I shortly thereafter stopped doing the flea markets because I didn’t want to give up my Sundays anymore and was finding them to not be as profitable as they once were. I had a storage space full of inventory. I noticed early on while walking around my neighborhood there were no Vintage clothing stores, fun furniture stores, antique stores or really many places to shop for fun funky things. I was sort of surprised because, like myself, I noticed many people walking around wearing Vintage clothing. I started to ask where people shop and most people said they had to drive to places like Silverlake or Melrose. Then all of a sudden it dawned on me to open a store for the community I was quickly falling in love with. 3 months later here I am. I had a vision and strong Faith and therefore I was able to manifest FLEA
BD:You've been open two weeks now. What has the reaction been from those who have been in the store or just walked by?
CH: Fabulous. Everyone is so excited to have a place to shop that is close to where they live. They love the furniture and in the first 2 weeks I sold over 30 bar stools, chairs and tables, as well as many other items.
BD:What's been your biggest surprise?
CH: How much work was involved in setting up a store.
BD:Open question: What would you want to say to Downtowners?
CH: Believe. Dreams do come true. My goal is to allow my neighbors to become happily involved with products and services provided by FLEA in the years ahead. And to live a favorite quote of mine by Margaret Mead:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
DOWNTOWN NEWS
They Wish for a Merry Shopping Season
Posted: Friday, November 25, 2011 9:01 am | Updated: 3:07 pm, Wed Nov 23, 2011.
AP Byline by Ryan Vaillancourt Los Angeles Downtown News |
1 comment AP Content
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Love it or loathe it, the holiday shopping season is here. But area retailers want those who cringe at the promise of traffic jams and chipmunks chirping "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to know that a round of gift-buying for family, friends and co-workers doesn't have to involve a car or a mall.For Downtown dwellers, December has long meant a trip to an established retail destination such as the Santa Monica Promenade or Old Town Pasadena. Those commercial clusters make for one-and-done excursions, where buyers can snag something for everyone from grandma to Fido.This year, area proponents claim there are more reasons than ever to stay in the Central City. They point to the numerous vintage clothiers, wine shops, bike vendors and gourmet outposts that have opened in Downtown in recent years.With a little ingenuity, a gift list can be entirely crossed off without leaving the Central City, said Caryn Hofberg, owner of Flea, a vintage clothing and accessories shop on Sixth Street, where the offerings range from modern furniture to antique bathroom kits."Some people, it's like they're on a mission and they walk from their loft to their car, and maybe they work on the Westside and they hit the Beverly Center on their way home," she said.To counter that instinct, Hofberg has been working since 2009 to establish the Historic Downtown Merchants Association, a still fledgling promotional operation for local retailers. Despite the addition of more stores, however, she said it's been a struggle to establish an identity as a shopping destination.Last year, Hofberg said sales at Flea didn't spike during December. Still, she and others are hoping for a holiday-sponsored bump in the coming month.Rodney Masjedi, the owner of DTLA Bikes, is stocking his Broadway shop with 30%-50% more inventory in anticipation of holiday buyers. He's also upping marketing efforts and promoting "Christmas Special" discounts. There's a brief if powerful reason for the move: Although the store opened in summer 2010, business really took off around December, "which is crazy, because it's a bike shop and it's winter," he said.Also looking for a bounce is Rocco Espinoza, the owner of Sixth Street vintage shop Round 2 LA, where the goods range from a $5, 1970s blouse to a $1,295 pair of green, sparkly Christian Louboutins. He said he has seen an uptick in business in the past three months, and almost all of his repeat customers live in Downtown.As a clothing shop, he doesn't expect a sales boost from people buying gifts, but instead from customers looking for a new party get-up."People won't necessarily buy stuff to give away, but they'll get outfits for themselves. It's a shopping frenzy this time of year and people always end up buying something for themselves," Espinoza said. "Hopefully I'm right."Espinoza's customers include shoppers like Happy Kang, who recently stopped in to peruse Round 2 LA after grabbing some kitchen accessories at the Dish Factory on Los Angeles Street. Kang said she frequents Downtown stores when shopping for gifts because local businesses have unique offerings."I don't like to give gifts that you could get out of a catalogue," she said.Still, she doesn't do all her shopping locally. At least not yet."It's definitely better," said Kang, who has lived Downtown for six years. "But I don't think it's there yet. I appreciate the unique stores, but I think we could still use more."Destination LocalDowntown has long been a magnet for shoppers in search of specific goods, namely affordable fashions and jewelry, both of which are clustered in their own well-known districts.General shopping, however, is not usually associated with the area within the freeway ring. Local players are trying to change that, said Hal Bastian, senior vice president and director of economic development for the Downtown Center Business Improvement District.Bastian points to Brigade, a high-end clothing and accessories boutique that opened on Seventh Street earlier this year."You go in there and you feel like you're in Beverly Hills," Bastian said.There are a few options for traditional gifts, including Macy's Plaza. The Seventh Street mall is one of the only destinations with big-name retailers such as Victoria's Secret and Hallmark. But it's the smaller, Downtown-specific shops that make shopping local most worth it, Bastian maintains."Regional malls are terrific, but I think what differentiates Downtown is that you can go to a Gap in many places but you can't go to these unique places, like the store at FIDM or the gift shop in the Central Library, anywhere else," Bastian said.For those who shop local, there may be no mind-numbing Christmas music, but the area will have a decided holiday feel. The Historic Downtown Los Angeles Business Improvement District will erect seasonal decorations in the Historic Core, the center of the most pronounced retail scene in Downtown."It's great for morale," said Blair Besten, who recently became executive director of the BID. "It makes the neighborhood know that we do feel like we want to celebrate with the residents and the businesses, and it's marking our little district."Perhaps, she said, it will also remind people putting together a shopping list to stay in the neighborhood.
