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Skate shoe brand Vans has signed a lease for a massive retail space in Downtown's Singer Sewing Machine Building, notes DTLA Rising. The forthcoming 8,000-square-foot flagship will occupy the ground floor of the historic building adjacent to the Tower Theater at 8th Street and Broadway.
As DTLA Rising adds, the massive space will make the store one of the brand's largest in the nation, if not the world. For comparison, the company's London store—its European flagship—is less than half the size at 3,500-square-feet.
Vans' arrival, along with various other fashion brands, will add to a gaggle of retailers that are flocking to that strip of downtown L.A. The block of Broadway between 8th and 9th Streets is already home to such brands as Mykita, Acne Studios, and Urban Outfitters. And, according to California Apparel News, South Korean sunglasses brand Gentle Monster is building out their upcoming store along the block, and Racked says that H&M's upscale label COS is taking over the former Olympic Theater just a few steps away down 8th Street. Furthermore, with work already underway for Nike's Jordan brand flagship on Broadway between 6th and 7th Streets, and Footaction's Kicks Lounge already open on Broadway between 7th and 8th Streets, it's just a matter of time before Broadway begins to rival Fairfax for sneakers dominance.
DTLA Rising notes that the Vans mega-store will open in Spring 2018, and the floors above the retail will be available as 5,000-6,000 square foot luxury lofts.
