Montana Merchants Making it Through the Economic Crisis
When the über hot Santa Monica Place opened this month, you could practically hear retail forecasters licking their chops. This new, 524,000 square-foot shoppers’ paradise was designed to entice, ensnare and withdraw as many dollars as possible. Crowds lined up to attend the opening, validated expectations.
But Santa Monica has another shoppers’ nirvana, one that, in spirit and in practice, seems 180 degrees in the opposite direction from Santa Monica Place.
Montana Avenue plays host to some 200 shops and restaurants along its retail corridor – all fronting a quiet, tree-lined street appropriate for relaxed strolling, window-shopping and lunching al fresco on a sunny Saturday morning. Many of its merchants have operated there for years and know customers by name. The local architecture, with no building higher than two stories, harkens back to a simpler era, before mega franchises, booming sound systems and impossible-to-find parking.
While Montana Avenue has seen its share of store closings in the past two years of economic upheaval, many have survived and thrived, thanks to savvy marketing, personalized customer service and creative storefront merchandising.
