Author: Isabel Osgood-Roach
Recently named one of ten “Great Neighborhoods” in the nation by the American Planning Association, Los Angeles’ Echo Park district is known to be a hub of cultural diversity. As one of the city’s oldest areas, it has historically been home to an eclectic community of both creative independents and middle-class families. Set above downtown, Echo Park affords its residents strong schools, nice parks and pedestrian-friendly navigation.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has said that “for generations people have come to Echo Park, raised their families, started vibrant businesses and given back to the neighborhood and the city as a whole.”
This concept of sustainability within a community, clearly encouraged among the residents of Echo Park, is made tangible within the walls of its many locally-owned shops. Two in particular, vintage store Lemon Frog Shop and boutique Media Noche, perfectly embody Echo Park’s eco-conscious mindset.
Though the area surrounding Echo Park’s Alvarado Street is less than glamorous, the worn buildings and graffiti-stained windows signify an appreciation of the worn and well-loved. This theme is continued beyond the facades of this small strip of shops just north of Sunset Boulevard. Micki Curtis, owner of the popular Lemon Frog Shop, is a huge proponent of recycling and the “shop local” movement. Having worked at secondhand stores in her hometown of St. Louis, MO most of her life, she chose to open her own shop in 2007 after spending time collecting vintage clothing from the 1950s through the 1980s.
She aims to have “something for everybody,” and her overwhelming selection of dresses, boots, jewelry, belts and purses certainly strives to appease shoppers of all shapes, sizes and budgets. A five-and-ten dollar sale rack welcomes thrifty customers, although on the day of my visit the selection was sparse, reduced to oddly shaped dresses and extremely worn shirts. The front half of the store is designated “lower end,” with jackets running around $50, bags for $20 and dresses in the $40 to $60 range. The back of the store is reserved for special event shopping, which I noticed mostly in the steep escalation of prices. The $98 price tag on a simple strapless cotton dress forced me to accept that as a reasonably frugal college student, “higher end” described neither my budget nor my dorm wardrobe.
I was most impressed by Lemon Frog Shop’s huge array of accessories: reasonably priced rings, bracelets and purses were scattered throughout the store, artfully arranged to complement printed dresses. Although I walked away empty handed, Curtis’ keen eye for vintage clothing in current styles and clear enthusiasm for her store assured that my first visit would not be my last.
Four doors down, Media Noche approaches sustainable living with a more modern bent. The space, larger and more open than Lemon Frog Shop, is home to all new men’s and women’s clothing, accessories and décor. The shop’s owners carry well-known lines, including Free People, L.A. Made, Cheap Monday and Siwy jeans, while also making an effort to offer clothing produced here in Los Angeles, such as Pink Tigre silk-screened t-shirts. Their extensive collection of Bailey of Hollywood and Betmar brand panama hats, straw hats and fedoras, averaging at $40, will satisfy both gentleman and hipster.
Media Noche’s “eco-line” of accessories is where its commitment to sustainable recycling is most apparent. The store’s AK Vintage necklaces and earrings are made of vintage components and leather components, with beautiful and intricate pieces and range between $50 – $90. Their less expensive Wreckords line is comprised of earrings and cuff bracelets produced from recycled vinyl, giving them a chic rock-n-roll vibe. The shop’s light drenched ambiance, easy to browse racks and affectionate “store kitties” make Media Noche an easy place to pass time.
According to the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), up to 300 percent more of your money stays in the surrounding economy when spent at a locally owned business as opposed to a national chain- a fact that I find makes it hard to justify choosing Neiman Marcus over Media Noche or Lemon Frog Shop. The owners of these small stores are more than faceless profit-makers. They are friends, neighbors and potent agents for community building. Only a ten minute drive from Oxy, nearby Echo Park offers students unique, environmentally-friendly merchandise and the potential to promote recycling in style.
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