Concept boutique Reservoir considers Culver City relocation as it tries one last time on Robertson Boulevard
The owners of the chic concept boutique Reservoir may be about to throw in the towel on Robertson Boulevard but not before trying their hand at a number of summer promotions to woo people through their doors.
Reservoir carries about 100 brands ranging from Zimmermann and Gabriela Artigas to Ryan Roche and Alexander Wang. The boutique took up space on the street previously occupied by BCBG in late 2015, after original plans to open in Silver Lake fell through.
Reservoir co-owner Alissa Jacob pointed to some of the street’s challenges.
“Nobody who lives in L.A. shops here anymore and there aren’t enough food establishments to drive foot traffic,” Jacob said. “With so many vacancies, the tourists are beginning to realize the street is not what it used to be and are shopping different streets and districts.”
That said, she and business partner Aliza Neidich, will this weekend roll out several promotions in the store, including 3-D printed Popsicles from Dream Pops, Panatea matcha shots and Edoughble’s cookie dough available in store. They’re holding a drawing running through June 16 for shoppers to win a pair of Master & Dynamic headphones and are also offering a gift with purchase from Smoke x Mirrors. They’ve enlisted Los Angeles artist David Kaul to expand his succulent mural on the store’s facade.
“These initiatives are last-ditch efforts to encourage summer tourist shopping, but we plan to relocate to Culver City’s Platform development at the end of the summer,” Jacob said.
The street indeed appears to be in transition as it resets and looks for the right mix of tenants. While some store owners, such as Fraser Ross of Kitross, have reported successes on the street, others have tried their hand with pop-ups and then ultimately left. Sleepy Jones and Carbon 38 both tried temporary shops there late last year and then ultimately packed up. Peri Arenas last month opened a luxury boutique, the same month Tamara Mellon launched a temporary shop that remains open through July. Meantime, construction continues on Robertson Plaza where a Blue Bottle Coffee and fitness-related tenant are expected to land. The Henry, which is a Phoenix-based restaurant concept, is expected to bow later this year.
A group of tenants, led by Ross, banded together earlier in the year to call city officials’ attention to some of the issues on the street in hopes of bringing two-hour free parking to the city-owned garage and the filling of city-owned buildings with interested business owners to help drive traffic. That’s after Ross and Newmark Grubb Knight Frank executive vice president Jay Luchs held a meeting last year with a member of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office to discuss the street’s challenges.
ALSO:
7 fashionable headphones that will take you to the music lover’s promised land
‘Claws,’ with its comedic and dramatic sides, is Florida noir set in a nail salon
