A New Shopping and Hangout Mecca Rises in Los Angeles

Overhauled landmark buildings, soaring high-rise condos, shiny multiuse complexes—it’s no secret that Downtown Los Angeles has seen a massive resurgence in recent years. The latest project to join its fast-changing landscape is Row DTLA, a rehabbed warehouse sector built along the Southern Pacific Railroad in the early 1900s. Adjacent to the flourishing Arts District, Rios Clementi Hale Studios conceived the design of the 30-acre development with six converted structures that were once used by the L.A. Terminal Market, adorned in street art by Retna, housing a mix of retail transplants (Tokyobike, 13 Bonaparte), local cult brands (Poketo), and fledgling brick-and-mortar outlets (sustainable jewelry start-up Vrai & Oro). It will also host the annual Los Angeles Design Festival and a West Coast version of Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg market on Sundays. “The pull of Downtown for designers and artists is an easy landing place,” says Andy Griffith, cofounder of the established design showroom A+R, which recently relocated from La Brea to Row DTLA. Next year, the coveted San Francisco bistro-bakery Tartine Manufactory is set to open, along with a slew of other fashion, tech, and entertainment purveyors. “The Row really talked to values of our brand,” says David Sarfati, founder of 13 Bonaparte. “The retailers opening here feel very consistent and organic.”