South L.A.: Local Shops in Central-Alameda

By Layne Kaplan

Los Angeles is considered one of the fashion capitals of the world. And within the city of Los Angeles, there is major competition when it comes to retail.

Specifically, in the Central-Alameda neighborhood of South Los Angeles, there are countless of indpenedently owned retail and wholesale fashion distributers...and they are in direct competition with established retail and wholesale companies that are based in downtown Los Angeles.

Ali Sadeghi, the owner of Off Price Land Wholesale & Retail considers downtown Los Angeles to be his greatest competition. His store does double duty when it comes to selling clothing. Off Price Land not only sells to buyers at wholesale prices but also to individuals at retail prices. The majority of stores in downtown Los Angeles do either wholesale or retail. That's what he thinks makes his store special.

Located on S. Central Avenue, Off Price Land has almost every kind of clothing at cheap prices. Whether its kids' pajama sets or women's denim, the store has affordable options. Sadeghi claims that buyers from big retail stores like Ross Dress for Less and JCPenney buy wholesale from the store. He also says he sells clothes so cheaply that he only profits about 25 cents to one dollar at most from each piece.

The proximity to downtown can be harmful and beneficialt fashion companies. These Central-Alameda stores must provide cheaper clothing than downtown in order to attract customers. However, during the recent recession, less people have been shopping and spending money. Therefore, these local stores' profits are decreasing because less people are buying their marked down clothing.

Sadeghi said that the customers that continue to shop in his store despite the economic turmoil range in a variety of demographics, ages, sexes and classes. "Everyone comes here," said Sadeghi. "White, Spanish, Black, everyone." He also said that people come from all over the city to their store to shop.

One of those people is a Lakewood, Calif. resident, Lisa.

Lisa, a single mother of one daughter, dropped into Off Price Land to check out some deals. She said she was in the South Los Angeles neighborhood after checking out the new apartment she will be moving in. "Yeah, I'm moving from Lakewood, so I was just in the neighborhood checking out my new place," Lisa said. "I saw the store and decided to check it out."

And Lisa was glad she stopped to shop. "Jeans for $7? And a sweater for $2? What better deal can you get?"

The company also sells to local neighborhood retail stores. Although he wouldn't name specifics, Sadeghi says that he believes he has a good relationship with the retail companies in South Los Angeles. Companies such as Edan Fashion Inc and Fantasys clothing store sell very similar clothing to Off Price Land.

South Los Angeles wholesale-only fashion companies also find downtown stores to be their toughest competition. David Omarari, the owner of the wholesale company ClothingIsland.com, says that he sells a lot of this merchandise to the local shops around South Los Angeles. But, he says he is in direct competition with companies who do the exact same in downtown Los Angeles. He said the reason he is in South Los Angeles versus in downtown Los Angeles because the rent is much cheaper.

It is all about location in the fashion industry. In the Central-Alameda neighborhood, many fashion companies are loving the spots in which they reside and don't plan on moving any time soon. Instead, they are planning new ways to stay competitive against downtown Los Angeles companies.