Customers keep clothing stores alive

Despite the slowed Westwood economy that spurred the departure
of clothing stores such as the Gap, newcomers Urban Outfitters and
Bebe say the inflow of people hasn’t stopped.

Though the recent weather has given people a reason to stay
home, the two new Westwood Boulevard stores say they are still
experiencing a wealth of people entering their doors.

“Although I can’t give the exact sales figures,
business is doing well and getting better and better,” said
Angelina Khalil, Urban Outfitters manager.

Earlier this year Urban Outfitters took over a 8,000-square-foot
store formerly occupied by Wherehouse Music, and Bebe was not far
behind in filling the 6,000-square-foot location left empty by
Gap.

Urban Outfitters started its first store near the University of
Pennsylvania in 1970 and has since expanded to other locations near
Harvard University, Georgetown University, and University of
California at Berkeley.

Bebe also makes a product line catering to the college age group
but its clothing is exclusively for women.

Both stores retail clothing lines that are on the upper end of
the price spectrum, with prices that are generally higher than
those in Gap and other clothing businesses that have since left the
area.

The opening of the two new shops in the Village has been
welcomed by homeowners in the area.

“I think they’re terrific and what Westwood needs
more of, but students have to come back to the Village,” said
Sandy Brown, president of the Holmby-Westwood Property Owners
Association. “These kinds of places depend heavily on
pedestrian traffic and on people just walking by.”

Michael Bazdarich, a senior economist with the UCLA Anderson
Forecast, agreed that students played a huge role in the Westwood
economy.

“How these chains do in Westwood depends on the
demographic groups. They’ll be successful as long as college
students run to those lines,” Bazdarich said.

When asked how Urban Outfitters is able to be successful when
other clothing businesses such as Gap offer cheaper lines to wider
audiences, Khalil said Urban Outfitters’s casual clothing
style reflects what Westwood’s clientele wants, possibly
better than the Gap.

“Gap is definitely their own kind of store,” she
said.

The management of the Bebe down the street expressed a similar
opinion.

“I can’t say much, but we’re doing very well
as a whole with spectacular results,” said Laurie Hewett,
Bebe manager. “We’re seeing many people come in to see
our products, and I expect it to continue like this for quite some
time.”

Both stores’ managements said that a wide range of people
from college students to business people have come into their
stores and found items which suited their interests.

“There’s a huge variety of people that walk in, and
that’s probably because Westwood’s a great
location,” Khalil said. “We’re constantly busy
with typically 10 to 15 people in the store at once, sometimes
faster, sometimes slower.”

Khalil said that success at Urban Outfitters has surpassed
expectations and sales continue to fuel the growth of the clothing
line.

“Urban Outfitters is expanding everywhere, and we’re
going to keep growing. We’re always accepting new
employees,” Khalil said.

Timothy Almazan, a second-year microbiology, immunology and
molecular genetics student, said that while he disliked the higher
prices compared to other clothing lines, he believed that the two
shops could still do well in the college market.

“College students will still shop at Urban Outfitters and
Bebe despite their higher prices because there are not many other
retail shop choices within walking distance,” Almazan
said.

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