Spaces Still Available for Thursday June 17th Downtown Fashion Walk!

This Thursday’s June 17^th Downtown  Fashion Walk will have both  over  20 stores open on Main & Spring  between 4^th and 7^th Streets  AND over 20 designers and boutiques who will show for one night only in spaces along Main Street between  6^th and 7^th from  6 to 10 PM.  In addition, there will be special Father’s Days specials for this Sunday’s gift giving.

We will release the first list of participating brands and stores this Tuesday and if you have a brand or a store that would like to participate – spaces are still available to qualifying vendors at only $25 each.  For more information contact:

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

$25 Artist & Vendor spaces at June 10th Thursday Art Walk and June 17th Fashion Walk!

Thursday June 10^th Downtown Art Walk Vendor Booths – Onetime special price of $25!    http://www.pelofts.com?

After the PE Lofts ground floor at 6^th and Main was closed for 3 months –  it reopens  to artists, clothing designers, jewelry and creative retailers this Thursday June 10^th Art Walk - when 25,000 people will fill the streets of Historic Downtown  and Gallery Row - and on next Thursday’s Fashion Walk on June 17^th. 

Since the all glass ground floor retail space is just now available, prices to show will be far below usual.  Only $25 will changed for each space - AND each vendor or artist needs to bring their own table or easels or racks, their own lighting and their own extension cords.  Set ups start at 4 PM during the day Thursday June 10^th and doors open to the public at 6 PM until 10:30 PM.

For more information contact bradywestwater@gmail.com  or call 213-804-8396.

Jeffrey Deitch's Secret LA Life Before MOCA

Even before I first met Jeffrey Deitch, I knew first hand the DNA of Los Angeles was etched deep into his brain. But that didn't keep me from being surprised by his first MOCA press conference. In only a few sentences, he explained LA's financial and cultural condition more succinctly than any economist or university professor I've heard. He then explained his vision of how to fix our city with simplicity - and a complexity - that has long eluded all of our political or business leaders, with the partial exclusion of Eli Broad.

Most of all, though, it demonstrated Jeffery's Deitch's unique connection with our city.

I'll begin with a quote from gallery owner, Bert Green:

There are not many people in positions of influence in the art world who have the dedication to making a point to go out and see everything they can, and get a real idea of what is going on out there. In New York, Jerry Saltz is probably the best at that, and in Los Angeles, we have Peter Frank. Both of these men go to see almost all the shows that there are to see.

Jeffrey Deitch is also one of those people. I opened a small, out of the way gallery in 1999 in Los Angeles, and one of the early signers of my guest book was Jeffrey Deitch When I moved downtown in 2004 his name showed up again at my new location.

What Bert doesn't add is that in 1999 he didn't just open a new gallery, he helped start a new arts district when he opened in East Hollywood. And when he opened in Downtown - the first new gallery on the fledging Gallery Row - it was still a drug dealer infested area most of LA's art leaders never visited until the Art Walk - which was started by Bert Green.

Two turning points in the development of the LA World - small and large - and each time New Yorker Jeffery Deitch was there before most Angelinos.

The second example is more complicated.

It was LA in the early 1990's - riots, earthquakes, rising crime and collapsing businesses. I no longer made monthly trips to the New York art world but was more active in LA until my only non-working activity was power lifting at Gold's Gym.

Eventually, my art world activities required me to change my gym hours, and the loss of my usual training partners, but a close knit group of hard core lifters, without my having to ask, were quick to spot me on my heavier lifts.

Two days later, one of them recognized me from a past world and launched into a story of the night I had fought his brother in a warehouse. Luckily for me, the story's end was that his brother had appreciated how I had ended the fight in way that left him with his dignity intact.

Most of lifting friends had known his then late brother and had heard the story from him, so I was accepted in a way that would normally take a lot longer time. But there was a smaller sub-group of them - guys who were clearly into the gangster life - who had no use for me until one of them noticed my art world friends and began working in with me on a regular basis.

He turned out to an artist - who also did tattoos. But he didn't want to talk about himself; he wanted me to tell me about a friend of his. A kid who had been jumped into his gang a year ago (i.e., physically forced to join the gang) and who had suddenly started doing some amazing work.

I offered to do a studio visit and, once he realized this naïve white boy was not joking - he explained to me his 'studio' was the safe house for his gang. But he said he would ask the kid if he could show me a few of his drawings.

Some weeks later my new friend showed up at Gold's with two new lifters. A big guy who clearly spent a lot of time in the gym and a younger and much smaller in height guy whose build demonstrated he must have lived full time in that same gym. The tattoo guy and I began doing inclines - but once we moved over to the flat bench - my best lift - the two new guys jumped in and joined us.

We kept bumping the weights up, we would go up, and they'd go up same as they did. But when we saw the big guy - but not the small guy who was just warming up - was about to hit his limit - with just a quick look between us, we ended the session at the last weight the big guy could handle.

Afterwards, I was taken to the parking lot and shown the drawings lying in the trunk of a car. I expressed a genuine enthusiasm about them and that's when the smaller of them two introduced himself as the artist.

Two months - and a lot of serous gym time - passed before I saw the real work.

It was early Sunday morning when the small guy drove me and the tattoo artist into one of LA's deadliest neighborhoods. The area was transitioning from one race to another and from one set of gangs to another, even more violent group of gangs. The safe house didn't seem all that secure when we drove up; the boarding up and metal plating of the doors and windows was not evident until we entered from the rear.

At that moment, my thoughts of art were gone and by the time we left the kitchen for the front of the house, my only thought was if I was going to get out of there alive....

For the rest of the story - go to the link at the top of the page.

List of Stores Open for Thursday May 20th Downtown Fashion Walk!

Thursday May 20, 2010 Fashion Walk Map – Noon to 9 PM

MAIN STREET & SIDE STREETS                            

1.  Blends                  125 W 4th St.

Limited Edition Sneakers & Urban Clothing.

www.Blendsus.com               213-626-6606               

2.  SkinGraft                             125 W. 4th St. #102

Raw underground Style combined

With sleek high-end couture. 

www.skingraftdesigns.com    213-626-2662

3.  Elmer Ave                            120 W. 4th St.

Rock and Roll Rebels do High-End Formal Wear

www.Elmerave.Com            888-356-3728

              

4.  Crewest                       110 E. Winston St

Finest graffiti artist art & artist designed clothing

Closes at 6 PM tonight

www.Crewest.Com               213-627-8272

              

5.  The Gallery@118 Winston       118 Winston Street 2nd floor 

Vintage designer clothes & contemporary art

Might not be open today

http://www.118winston.com/      310-422-6231

             

 6.  Stelladottir                                430 S. Main St.

Handmade, vintage inspired clothes & hats.

Downtown store of the year last year - this year's LA Weekly's

Best Buy Open late most nights!

www.stelladottir.com               213-623-8464 

7.  (Sub)Urban                                101 W. 5^th St.

New contemporary furniture, design and homewares.

Store – plus monthly exhibits.  Closes 6 PM

www.suburban-la.com

           

8.  Pussy & Pooch                    564 S. Main St.

Pet couture, treats, food & grooming

www.pussyandpooch.com              213-438-0900

9.  Upper Playground         125 E. 6th St.

Fusion of fashion with fine art by locally and nationally

 known artists.  Closes 6 PM.

www.Upperplayground.Com              213-623-4300

10.  Mr. Cartoon's Tattoo Shop        129 E. 6th St.

Urban clothes & classic tattoos.  Shipment of new

items of all kinds just arrived!

Closes 6 PM Today

www.Mistercartoon.Com         213-488-0313       

11.  Soulful Commandoe Skate Café    121 E. 6^th St.

One stop shopping for Downtown Skaters,

’Soulful Commandoe’ hip-hop couture

line by Nicholas Mayfield and music &

Fashion events.

www.shop.soulfulcommandoe.com  213-291-9601

12.  Gather///Otto Gates        630 S. Main St.    

VERY FIRST sneak preview of Downtown’s soon to be hottest

retail store featuring modernized antique furnishings, unique home

wares and rare young apparel  and jewelry.  Be sure and bring

your hard hat!                       Mobile 805-320-1225

13.  Symbiotic Form             NW Corner of 7th & Main on Main

Vintage inspired woman's hand bags, hats, clothes and jewelry

Also unique household wares and one of a kind gift items.

 www.symbioticform.blogspot.com         213-631-6971     

14.  Not For Sale                      NW Corner of 7^th & Main on Main

Kaws, TrustcoCorp, Tristan Eaton, Monsieur and

Keith Haring Pop Shop – and much more….

http://www.NOTFORSALEGALLERY.com/

15.  1-Man's Trash        NW Corner of 7th & Main on Main St.                                           Hard to find vintage items and one of a kind re-worked vintage pieces                                          for men, women and children that have been worn by Usher Raymond,                                      Ellen Degeneres and Carmen Electra.818-355-1130

 16.  ZZYXX Gallery of  Natural Science    NW Corner 7^th/Main on 7^th

Gems, minerals and crystals.

www.ZzyzxGallery.com/         323-284-8360

17.  Fremont                                          NW Corner 7^th/Main on 7th

Classic cool  couture and runway fashions for

men and women.          

www.Fremontapparelco.Com            213-626-1756

SIXTH  STREET FROM MAIN TO SPRING                   

18.  apliiq                            6th Street between Main and Spring

apliiq applies unique rare textiles to everyday garments.  Learn

how to customize your own wardrobe and find out how to develop

your own personal style!

www.apliiq.com              323-300-6492   

19.  Flea                             6th Street between Main and Spring

Vintage clothes, furniture, hats, design magazines, one of kind

gift items and contemporary art.  Perfect place to find gifts for

the person who has everything - or nothing.

213-622-2122

20.  KAPSOUL               6th Street between Main and Spring

Contemporary & vintage clothes, sunglasses, and a wide

selection of unique and unusual gift items.  As cool as 

they come!

Cell 818-693-4180  

SIXTH STREET FROM SPRING TO BROADWAY      

21.  Dialect                     215 W. 6^th St #111

Fashion, Jewelry, Art and House wares.

www.Downtowndialect.com 

22.  Norbertellen Art Gallery       215 W. 6^th St. #110

Art of every type and medium

www.norbertellengallery.com/    818-662-5041

 23.  ZLB                        215 W. 6th     #108

Vintage Clothing from around the country and around the world

of every kind and every price.  If you don’t see it there –

ask them if they have it in storage.

213-627-2476         

24.  New York Hats               217 W 6th St

New & Old School Hats. Located in historic chocolate store

filled with Batchelder tiles.   Worth a visit just for the interior!

213-228-1915   Closes 6 PM

25.  Crack Gallery       204 W. 6th St.

Crack Gallery wants to get the city hooked

on a new drug: their own blend of fashion and art.

 www.crackgallery.com               213-622-3493  

26.  Buchanan Gallery     204 ½ W. 6^th St.

Art Gallery and Art Studio

www.bryonbuchanan.com    323-823-1933              

BROADWAY & SIDE STREETS

(Most Broadway stores close by 6 or 7 PM)              

27.  Goodwill                 235 S. Broadway

Vintage/Used Everything!  Huge selection!

www.Goodwillsocal.Org            213-628-1748               

Closes at 7 PM

28.  Broadway Army Store                 217 W. 4th

Military & Civilian Uniforms, Cool Shirts - and much more

Closes at 6 PM

www.broadwayarmystore.net           213-617-8495

            

29.  Shoe Hut                           529 S. Broadway

Huge Selection Of Baseball Caps, Shoes & Sneakers

Closes 6 PM

www.shoehutusa.com               213-688-8310

30.  Red Zone                          629 S. Broadway

Excellent selection of creepers, heels and punk & rock shirts

LA Weekly says one of LA's best stores. Old School

Melrose Punk & Metal Fashions at Downtown prices.

 http://redzone7777.googlepages.com/redzonebrandsvans1.html 

213-622-8649    Closes 6 PM

 31.  Chanelli Outlet             625 S. Broadway

Wide mix of product – but look for the

great leather jackets and amazing high end women’s

handbags at bargain prices.

www.blogdowntown.com/2009/08/4616-hidden-treasure-chanelli-on-broadway

213-489-4099  Closes at 6 PM

Link to May 20th Downtown Fashion Walk Map!

Click title above to get May 20th Downtown Fashion Walk Map!

705 W. 9th Street Now Formally For Lease

I just picked up the leasing flier at the front desk tonight since the lobby was open for a wedding reception of a friend of the former owner - Richard Meruelo - that was being held upstairs.  The new owners - Watermarke Properties - are going to take possession on Monday and, it appears, may even start showing for leasing as early as Monday.  

The new leasing website is at the above link and the leasing number is 213-308-7877. The website has the floor plans for the six different units, a list of all the many amenities but no prices, so far.  


Oh, and the building is now called - The Watermarke.