As a rare native Los Angelino, I grew up not appreciating the cool shopping scene here. It was only as an adult did I see how cutting edge Los Angeles really is. The designs, trends, and innovative approach to living that can only happen here.

Many of you who have migrated here from other areas see our traffic and crowded freeways often end up shopping at our main stream malls filled with national chain stores. Though these safe sources can yield treasures, it is when you go off the beaten track as a savvy bargain hunter that you can really uncover upcoming trends and hot spots.

Case in point, as a newbie Westsider attending Santa Monica College in the early 1980’s I shopped Montana Avenue in Santa Monica as well as the Third St. Promenade before it was developed. Thrift, discount and funky home décor stores that once lined these streets have given way to upscale cutting edge boutiques. Shabby Chic got it’s start in Santa Monica where both the well-healed and thrift store hunter shopped.

Melrose Avenue and Third Street were the same in the mid 1980’s. This is where poor artistically minded urbanites hit the coolest thrift/ vintage store scene. Both areas are now hipper than hip with fun cutting edge boutiques on every block. The very independent Beverly Center and over hyped The Grove are in the thick of it. Those mall developers wouldn’t have looked at these areas unless savvy bargain hunting urbanites hadn’t been there first. We made it cool first.

The 1990’s saw the vintage store, art, design scene move onto La Brea pushing out many entertainment industry support companies and prop houses, along with mom and pop hardware and neighborhood stores. Now La Brea is packed with cool stores from photography to modern and exotic furniture and designer boutiques.

The Valley was always home to bargain hunters. More struggling entertainment industry artists started moving into the valley in the late ‘90s cause of the lower rent and land prices. Many of the old time thrift, consignment stores have remained but now there are upscale boutiques, restaurants and designers showrooms lining the Boulevard. They even re-did the old valley “Galleria” to make it hipper.

Independent designers often look for areas to open boutiques where the rent is less and young urbanites congregate. These areas are where you can find boutiques filled with designer duds by the yet to be famous. Funky showrooms with new off beat home décor designs. New trends blossom. These are the areas where risk takes and innovators hone their craft and where hip design oriented deal hunters… hunt.

In Los Angeles the blending of both bargain hunting and innovation has always been the norm and of course very cool. The Rose Bowl Flea Market is a perfect example, though the deals aren’t quite as good as they used to be. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank with it’s hip thrift and vintage stores has always been cool in my book but is still not as main stream as it could be. Washington Blvd in Culver City is another upcoming area. After these areas are discovered by the masses, the hip-ness stays though bargains tend to disappear …unless it’s sale time. Silver Lake and Downtown could possibly be the next big shopping scenes. That’s where some cutting edge designers are and young urbanites are settling in with all the new lofts being built. Some of the bargain sources may move out but enough should stay to keep it hip.

Bargain hunting hipsters start many trends in Los Angeles, not one of which is shopping at Walmart. Cause what LA hipsters want is cutting edge, quality bargains. Not cheap stuff cheap. Los Angelenos are trend innovators, not trend followers. Aren’t you glad you’re a trend setter?

Tell 'em BargainsLA.com sent you!
Suzanne O'Connor

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