Silver Lake earned its reputation as a hipster haven years ago, when artists and musicians began settling in the hills east of Hollywood and above Sunset Boulevard, transforming the once-gritty neighborhood into a mix of working class Latinos, struggling artists and those who have “made it.” The intersection known as Sunset Junction — where Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards meet — is a nexus of too-cool-for-school coffee shops, bars and restaurants, but until recently, fewer retail shops.
Among the early adopters were multiline apparel boutiques Mohawk General Store, Bucks & Does and Mollusk. At $4 a square foot monthly, rents are still affordable — but according to retail real estate broker Jay Luchs, new and available spaces are scarce. Still, branded retail stores have begun to populate the area, starting with Clare Vivier in 2012, Shinola last year, and Swiss brand En Soie this year. Also coming soon are European brands APC and Retrosuperfuture.
“There’s a concentration of creative and progressive residents with good taste in the area, and Sunset Boulevard has a rich history,” said Vivier, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2001. In August, Reservoir, an airy, upscale shop for fine jewelry, furniture and clothing housed in a former wood shop, will open. “The same way Williamsburg in New York has changed dramatically over 10 years, we’ve seen Silver Lake evolve,” said Alissa Jacob, who founded the store with Aliza Zelin Neidich. “It’s the connector of two worlds, Hollywood and the artist culture that’s blooming downtown.”