Local Shopping: Space 15 Twenty to show malls a thing or two

For many shoppers, malls are places where fun goes to die. There's the incessant elevator music, the suspect smells from food courts, the odd lighting that makes everyone look like they're mannequins come to life.

Urban Outfitters has a new take on the mall concept. Called Space 15 Twenty, the building in Hollywood will feature an 11,000-square-foot Urban Outfitters store and a cast of revolving retailers who will sell things you wouldn't find in most malls. They'll include clothing designers showcasing their work, niche bookstores and street-wear companies. It was supposed to open Friday, but a fire early Thursday morning has caused delays.

Each store has a courtyard that leads to an outdoor performance space and adjoining gallery that will feature local artists and musicians. A "tea party" and live performance by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti will open the space Friday at 7 p.m., although many of the stores will still be closed because of the fire. The new Urban Outfitters, at 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., won't open until Tuesday at the earliest.

According to the company, the space is a "new retail experiment" that "creates an opportunity for Urban Outfitters to collaborate with creative brands we find inspiring and interesting." Some of those brands include art and architecture bookstore Hennessy + Ingalls, designer Samantha Pleet and a company called Alife that, judging from its website, seems to design Smarties-colored shoes.

Pleet's husband, an architect, designed her Pop Up Shop, and she said they were given "complete creative freedom" to design the space as they wanted. It has glowing tables that feature the clothes, books and curios that Pleet sells.

"This is extremely different," she said. "It doesn't look like any store that's ever been done before."

-- Alana Semuels   

Photo of a Seattle mall by Fujin via Flickr

Comments

[hotspur]

"It doesn't look like any store that's ever been done before." It also doesn't look like Cahuenga, or Hollywood, except insofar as it is a copy of a copy of the original... Look: Urban Outfitters exists to imitate nationally those actual Hollywood stores like Jet Rag, etc., where you can find unique items. Urban Outfitters is to Hollywood what TGI Fridays is to a real pub. What's next, an AMC movie theater decorated Chinese-style on the corner of Hollywood & Vine? Tom LaBonge, you've gone too far.

[Michael]

Alife is in fact a highly influential streetwear company based in NYC's lower east side, known for their experimental retail locations.