We are on our way!
As previously noted, Rejuvenation is pleased to announce we are opening our 3rd store this fall in LA, at Helm’s Bakery District. The district sits right on the border between Los Angeles and Culver City, but our store will have an LA address. We are a little giddy to be opening in LA.
The Helms Bakery District has a rich and vibrant history in the LA market. You can read more about it here at www.helmsbakerydistrict.com.
Just to show how so many things in life come full circle: when I mentioned to my Mom where we were opening in LA and started to tell her the story of Helm’s Bakery, she quickly stopped me and said “Kathy, you know your grandfather was a driver for Helm’s Bakery back in the 50’s.” So, there is my personal connection back to the site!
Not Kathy's real Grandpa, but you get the idea.
We should also give props to Culver City, home of Sony Pictures and Culver Studios (of “Gone with the Wind” production fame, below) and now home of Rejuvenation store #3. But unlike the movies, where things can get a tad phony, Rejuvenation is very much the real deal! We’ve got this love affair going on with history, architecture and bringing back the best lighting and house parts ever made.
Culver Studios, Yesterday
Culver Studios, Today
But in general the process for site selection is a combination of a lot of talented people, a bunch of facts and figures, and a mix of art and science. We try to put ourselves in your shoes, and ask:
- Where do you, our customer, live?
- What’s your housing stock like? (Because even though we work great in brand new construction, age matters!)
- Where do you shop for cool things for your home?
- Where can you get a coffee around here? (We are from Portland) and a bite to eat while you’re at it. (We consider ourselves foodies too.)
- Can you find a parking place? And are there good options for alternative transportation for you and our new employees? (And that’s part of who we are as you probably already know)
- Is the building cool? Does it have a history and a story? (Because history matters too. We believe in preserving what we value from the past, and we know you do too.)
- Is there enough space to show off our brand, and stand out a bit from the rest?
- What’s the landlord like? (We care about who we do business with.)
- All of this matters, because we plan to be here for a long time!
Below are a few pictures of our new space (pre-Rejuvenation) and by the way, this will be the first and last time you’ll see these store windows blocked by banner signage and sale signs. The next time you see it, expect beautiful glowing lights and shades, period authentic, inspiring lighting designed to make your home your own.
WOW Kathy, That is fantastic! What a beautiful location and of course opening ANY type of store in a recession is quite a feat!
-Sarah
Thanks, Sarah. We excited to bring some new customers to Rejuvenation, and take a little of that Portland show on the road!
You guys are located a few hundred miles too far south of me to be convenient, so I guess I’ll have to keep ordering from the catalog… (Please feel free to open your next store in San Francisco!)
As for coffee, you’re probably going to be best served at Intelligentsia. (Sadly, not walking distance from your new shop but is anything in LA within walking distance?)
Can’t wait to pop in the next time I’m down south. Good luck!
That’s great news! Can’t wait to check out the selection in person.
On summer days when I was a kid, the Helms man used to drive to our neighborhood in Altadena. He would open the back doors of his 40s era wood-trimmed delivery van to reveal the MOST gorgeous, delicious raised glazed donuts I have ever eaten. Maybe you should get a van and drive around delivering lamps and such. Can’t wait to visit you!
Third location? Where have I been? Where is your second location?
It’s been decades, but I can still remember that yeasty, sugary aroma from when the Helm’s man opened the back door of his truck and pulled out the trays.
That is a great place for a store. Good luck.
Kathy, I grew up just over the hill, in an area called Windsor Hills. Mr. Peck, was our Helm’s man. His pristine truck was full of donuts, cream puffs, and the best pastries imaginable! Now, one of my favorite lighting and hardware resources will be there! I can’t wait! Creating more new and special memories.
Thank you!
Great news! Now I don’t have to wait until the next time I’m in Portland to visit you.
That is FANTASTIC news! Looking forward to it.
I’m so happy you’re moving to LA. I live in Camarillo, CA (about an hour’s drive away) and that’s a lot closer than Portland! Have gone to your store there when visiting family in Portland, but this is so much better. I can’t always tell from the catalog the actual size of chandeliers, for instance, and how they will fit into my home, but now I can drive over and get advice and see everything myself. When will you be opening?
The location you have selected is terrific and I hope business will be booming for you!
HI Joy,
We’re planning to be open in September of 2011, but will be present at some of the Helms Bakery Events leading up to our opening. Keep an eye out for emails this summer saying when and where to find us. Thanks for the kind words, we’re really excited about coming to LA!
Congratulations Rejuvenation on your 3rd store!!
With best wishes from your landlord at the 2nd store (in Seattle).
PS: Hope you don’t miss the rain too much!
Finally!!!! L.A. will be hip again.
Thought an easterner should weigh in (from New York). Congratulations! We’ve been to the Portland store (family there, and I’m a Reedie), and are catalog lifers (I hope). LA is a great third choice–now all the bungalow people in Pasadena can shop in person. When we visit my brother in LA, we can stop by.
In response to Trudy’s post on March 22:
Rejuvenation’s second store is located in Seattle’s SODO district at 2910 First Avenue South in the old Nisqually Building, circa 1909. It is another standout Rejuvenation renovation – the building was once the Gibson Manufacturing Company – a machine shop that repaired tractors, rail cars and “gas speeders!” We offer most everything that the Portland store does and we are extremely proud of our location in Seattle – a city brimming with historical buildings and homes and greatly values keeping those structures alive and vibrant.
Comment by Paula McHugh Seattle Rejuve Team Member