LOS ANGELES (BRAIN) — Detroit-based watch, leather goods and bicycle company Shinola opened its newest retail store in Los Angeles last week. The 1,100-square-foot shop is in the heart of the city's Silver Lake neighborhood, and is Shinola's seventh brick-and-mortar retail outlet.
"Shinola is thrilled to be joining one of Los Angeles' most culturally vibrant neighborhoods, Silver Lake," said Steve Bock, Shinola's CEO. "Silver Lake's long-standing embrace of the arts community, along with its diverse makeup, closely aligns with Shinola's brand qualities — an American company with a steadfast commitment to quality and craftsmanship. It's the ideal setting to open our first flagship location on the West Coast."
Shinola's range of products is on display in the L.A. store, including its line of leather bags, journals and accessories, men's and women's watches and several bicycle models made by Waterford and assembled by Shinola in Detroit. Apparel and other goods made in Los Angeles are also for sale, and most of the shop's fixtures and furniture were sourced locally.
"We build out our stores with products we find nearby," said Daniel Caudill, creative director for Shinola. "We don't want the stores to be cookie cutter, and work hard to make each one unique."
Prior to joining Shinola — first in Dallas, where parent company Bedrock Manufacturing is located, and later in Detroit — Caudill lived about 10 blocks from the store location in Silver Lake and worked as a designer in Southern California for more than 20 years. Caudill oversees Shinola product and brand design as well as the opening of its retail locations.
The Los Angeles store has a staff of six and joins brick-and-mortar locations in Detroit, New York, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., London and Chicago, which is set to open in mid-December.
Shinola recently launched its European e-commerce site, and has several additional retail store openings slated for next year.
