LA.com Goodbye

Now this person/ customer was lovely! Big shout out and thank you! LA.Com is an excellant Los Angeles website that I love to check out!

Bye, Bye Brick Lane
Yes, it's understating the obvious to say that the economy is bad. Even businesses we consider to be shopping staples in certain neighborhoods are feeling the effects, as witnessed today at Brick Lane on Abbot Kinney. We swear we heard Big Ben toll as our disbelieving eyes spotted the We Quit! banner. Brick Lane is going out of business; its doors will remain open until September 28 and everything is for sale, practically down to the brick and mortar. Furniture, display cases, art and fixtures along with clothing and accessories from across the pond. Which brings us to this: Where will we go to find cutsie-mod goods by Orla Kiely, and woolly sweaters by Pringle of Scotland (though, when it comes to the latter, our eyes are generally bigger than our wallets), under one roof? Bloody hell!Items for women are already scarce, but duds for the dudes are still plentiful. Stop in, pick up some threads and pay your last respects. RIP Brick Lane. A day in the life, indeed. Brick Lane, 1132 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice.

Hate Mail

This is a particular favorite of mine - someone who didn't want to post a negative comment on the YoVenice blog and get ripped apart by all the people who wrote back in my defense...so instead I got a personal email attack....

Hey,
Do the Brits in the neighbourhood a favour..Don't open another store..Your clothes line was pretty shyte and SOOO overpriced.

Cheers.

My reply to said jerk was not something I plan to post - nor his name and email which I have - I will be the adult and rise above - but some people suck.

My favorite is the "Cheers" goodbye portion.
NICE!

Cheers luvs
X's
Amanda

Brick Lane gets Blogged

This in an awesome fashion blog and Brick Lane got a really cool mention.....read on

Mission: Cuff Links
April 4, 2008 at 7:54 pm · Filed under Chic Agents, Jenn Kennedy
Chic agent Jenn Kennedy reports …
They say, “The devil is in the details” and fashion is no exception. A belt or bracelet choice speaks volumes to personal style. It’s the subtle decisions around accessories that can make an outfit — on both men and women, an item I’ve always loved is cufflinks.
Splurge
Tateossian “Football” cufflinks $150 at bricklaneuk.com.

I recently came across a Venice, California store that offers a host of hard to find cufflinks and other accessories from the UK. These enamel and rohdium plated Tateossian pair are fun for the soccer or football (as they call it in the UK) enthusiast. One side features a soccer ball and the other end is a detailed silver football cleat. They are the perfect gift for the football fan in your life!

Awesome! Thanks Jen!

Cheers Luvs

X's

Amanda

Happy Birthday Brick Lane

Yes today - the day of "Kiss me I'm Irish" and green beer is also the birthday if your favorite little British clothing source!

Today Brick Lane turns 3 years old and to celebrate I am working late this evening to have new stock in the store photographed so that this week we can upload new merchandise on the online boutique for everyone!

In honor of St. Patricks Day - this weekend I was fortnate enough to be able to attend a cooking exhibition in Culver City of The Healthy Irishman! Wait - Irish food = healthy, you say? Can it be so? I kid you not my friends it is true and possible - so check out the Healthy Irishman's blog (which is always linked on our site under Blogs We Love) for great recipes and fun Irish fare!

So go out and have a cocktail in celebration of St. Patty's and if you think of it - toast Brick Lane for turning 3 today!

"Pionta Guinness, le do thoil" - A Pint of Guinness Please

Cheers Luvs
X's
Amanda

Jodie Kidd at Brick Lane

Today we had a segment of the UK Show Fashion Avenue shot here at Brick Lane. They are doing a whole show on Abbot Kinney - which is lovely as I have been informed it will begin airing in the US this year!

The beautiful model Jodie Kidd is the host of Fashion Avenue and her celebrity co-host is model Lydia Hearst (of the Hearst Family)

They told me that so far my shop was their favorite - the bit of British Fashion made them feel quite at home - enough to shop quite a bit themselves.

I must say that dealing with "celebrities" is not always as much fun as it would seem - but these 2 ladies were so incredibly warm, down-to-earth and pleasant to work with (and I am not just saying that because they loved my shop so). It was a delight to have them in the shop and I can't wait to get the DVD of the show when it is complete!

Lydia Hearst, Me, and Jodie Kidd

Brick Lane Anniversary Party with Ted Baker

Photography by: J. Varsalona

Ted Baker Party Take 2

Photography by: J. Varsalona

Ted Baker Party Take 3

Photography by: J. Varsalona

Ted Baker Tea Party

I can hardly believe it - but my 3 year anniversary is right around the corner - less then 2 weeks away. Tonight - the amazing crew at Ted Baker is hosting my anniversary party here at Brick Lane and I couldn't be more thrilled.

I have a moment of quiet - like the lull before the storm - where I have finally finished steaming, cleaning and merchandising the store - and the party staff/crew will be here in an hour. I can't wait to post pictures of the event for you all to see.

Thanks to the Ted Baker crew and my AMAZING friend Deborah Raguse from Bear-Buca Entertainment this should be one hell of a party.

We have sponsorship from Bombay Sapphire, Newcastle Brown Ale and FRED water! Beautiful flowers by Fiore Culture as well as DJ Lady Sha spinning groovy music to put us all in the mood. I can't wait!

So check back in a few days for photos from the big event if you were unable to join us here in Venice - and a BIG THANK YOU to Ted Baker, Bombay Sapphire, Newcastle and FRED!



Cheers luvs

X's
Amanda

Brick Lane on Your LA

News Flash:

Today we had a little segment filmed in the store for Your LA on NBC on Saturday Mornings at 6AM.

I don't expect anyone to be up that early to watch it when it airs - so we will post a clip on the blog when it hits their website.

:-)

Cheers Luvs,

X's

Amanda

Abbot Kinney is in Vogue!

Literally!

Abbot Kinney got some Vogue love this month. Sadly Brick Lane was not mentioned - but we are thrilled for our neighbors who were! If you live in LA and haven't strolled and shopped the boulevard lately - what are you waiting for? Clearance Sales, new shops, galleries and restaurants galore! Brick Lane is having our semi-annual SALE of 40% - 75% off! Come down and visit us soon before everything is gone!

Cheers Luvs,

X's

Amanda

London Day 2 - BRICK LANE

While I am writing this day 2 post I am sitting in my flat watching the Lord of the Rings the Two Towers. For my family and friends this will come as no surprise - seeing as this particular trilogy is one of my favorites! So onto day 2 - my visit to the East End of London - Brick Lane my stores namesake. Kris and I headed out for Spitafields market (far superior to Portobello Road in my opinion) and spent much of the day on Brick Lane and below are some of my favorite pictures from our afternoon.

We arrived on Brick Lane after perusing the stalls at the makeshift Spitafield Market while they are re-building and upgrading the market site and I must admit - I know Brick Lane is a popular place on a Sunday which is the day of the markets of Spitafields, Petticoat Lane and brick Lane - but the amount of people we saw was something quite unexpected! We decided to grab a bite to eat first. For those of you who don't know - Brick Lane is famous for 2 things; Indian food and Bagels. Now my friends and family have always known about my aversion to Curry - and found it quite strange considering my love of all things English. Well call it my current state of adventurous experimentation - or hung-over starvation, but I decided to go for it. I let Kris order away and the next thing I knew I was hooked! I am still not a fan of heavily strong tasting curry - most like that found in America, but the food we had today - WOW!!! I am still thinking about it - and have a funny feeling I will be having quite a bit more Indian food in the future. I am a TRUE Anglophile now! After eating we were still intrigued by the fact that it appeared that half of London was wandering Brick Lane this afternoon so it was off exploring. What we found was that we showed up on the day of the Brick Lane Music and Food Festival - based out of the old Truman Brewery. FANTASTIC!!! People everywhere dancing and drinking and the people watching was a true taste of the East End of London as you can see below!

The Music Festival was free to all - but the line was a mile long so we took pleasure in wandering up and down the long street. The amount of people was equivalent to the Abbot Kinney Festival times 100 with everyone dancing and drinking in the streets.

Nobody seemed to mind waiting in the long Que as every single one of them had a drink in hand.

This street musician entertained the crowds thoroughly with his talents and sound effects until the coppers came and shut him down despite the boos of hundreds.

This marks the beginning area of the Brick Lane market - and I must admit the wares being peddled are NOT QUITE as posh as the ones I carry at Brick Lane West. :-)

We couldn't figure out if the furniture was for sale - or people just brought furniture down to be able to sit outside of the bar itself and watch the goings on.

Open container law in England? Nope! Just a couple of punk blokes enjoying the day.

A few of my typical East End working bloke fans. Kris says the one in the red wanted to follow us home......

Mask Fetish anyone?

We decided that this bloke's girlfriend ran off with one of his mates. If you can't read the sign it says "Everything 10 pence" That's the equivalent of 20 cents! Think she will be pissed when she comes home to collect her things?

Ok - I don't even know WHAT to say about this guy except MAYBE he shouldn't have sold the shirt off his back. Just a thought.

Now THIS is a name for a Hair Salon!

This is THE famous 24 hour Bagel place on Brick Lane - where everyone goes after a night out at the pubs and clubs in the East End. If you ever had a fresh out of the oven bagel from here - you would see why I stood in line to get some to take back to my flat even though I am was stuffed from lunch. Hmmmm....actually one of those sounds good right about now....

After a full day of walking around and people watching, fresh hot bagels and some new amazing artwork for the store decor in tow, it was time to head home to the relative peace and quiet (in comparison) of central London. Cheers!

Betty Jackson Arrives

The Betty Jackson label is currently celebrating 25 years as a go-to label for many of London and Europe's fashion conscious. The feature to the left was taken from Vogue UK as they are helping celebrate this talented and quintessentially British designer. She has always believed that clothes should perform for the wearer in any given situation, and loves the idea that the outfit you choose at the beginning of the day should take you effortlessly through to the evening, simply by changing your accessories.

With very limited distribution in the US, Brick Lane is one of the few who proudly imports her elegant and well tailored clothing. This season we have a very tight capsule collection of some of the best items from the Betty Jackson Two label. A black boucle belt tie coat that will be a staple in any wardrobe for years to come, a brown wool coat/sweater that I personally can not WAIT for it to be cool enough to cuddle up in, striped cotton jersey tops in the softest cotton you have ever put on your body, stylish elegant trousers and cashmere blend sweaters as well as an incredibly unique silver dress that will make the wearer stand out at ANY party.

Regular customers who have purchased Betty Jackson in the past always remark on the excellent tailored fit of the items and enjoy the details that make her pieces classic yet unique enough to stand out from the everyday.

While I am at London Fashion Week I will be attending her catwalk show and hope to be able to post some photos from it. Stop into Brick Lane to peruse this truly elegant collection from across the pond.

Pringle 1815 Black Label arrives at Brick Lane

The newly re-designed Pringle 1815 line is making waves in the fashion industry and in the magazines. In UK Glamour September issue the line is labeled as one of the hottest labels on the rise. Largely in part to the new creative director Clare Waight Keller at the helm of this quintessentially British line it is eclectic, fun and irresistibly cool.

"The Pringle 1815 girl has an independent spirit and is inspired by the cool way Londoners dress on the street. The 'P' print dress worn with black tights and chunky ankle boots under a swing knee-length coat is great for a statement"
~ Clare Waight Keller, Creative Director

The line mixes textured knits with vintage inspired pieces. It's every urban girl's dream wardrobe! Check out a few of Amanda's favorite pieces that are in this fall's collection at Brick Lane.

Pringle 1815 cape coat in cream

Pringle 1815 'P' print tunic dress in black

Pringle 1815 cashmere collection with classic white blouse




Pringle 1815 vintage inspired applique skirt with chiffon and tunic white blouse

Men's Pringle1815 sweater coat with toggles

Men's Pringle 1815 Sweaters in cashmere and wool

Abbot Kinney First Friday Event

Well another First Friday evening past and this one was hands down the most popular one on the street to date! For those of you who made it out, you were treated to drinks, specials, socializing with your neighbors, meeting new friends and enjoying a lovely summer evening out and about in your neighborhood! (And that was just at Brick Lane, I hear that the rest of the street had a fantastic and fun evening as well!)

It took a bit of time, but we think that some of the press such as the Santa Monica Daily Press article, the constant word of mouth from all the vendors on the street and the diligence from our Venice Neighborhood Council member Mike Newhouse in creating these evenings has paid off! Thanks to Mike for all his work organizing charities, keeping the group together, notifying the vendors on the street and for his all around supportive and enthusiastic attitude in helping bring success to the shops along the Kinney! (We are anxiously awaiting news of mike and Ruthies first baby, due a few days ago!)

Abbot Kinney First Fridays has been organized to help increase our neighborhood community, support of our retail boulevard of Abbot Kinney and the ability to give back to the community we call home by means of charitable donations. Our main goal is to help drive business to the small family owned establishments in an attempt to keep Chain store retail outlets away from our eclectic, artistic and ever growing and changing Abbot Kinney Blvd.

I would personally like to thank all of the members of the community and my customers who came out in support of the evening, shopping, drinking, laughing and generally creating an amazing environment for me to enjoy in my store for 5 hours. I had so much fun with you all - and would like to give a special shout out of congrats to 2 very special customers Alexa and Anton who came in to let Jordan and I know they recently got engaged! A bottle of bubbly was popped and will be for any future customers who come in with such special news! Sending lots of love to the happy couple from their Brick Lane family!

The drawing for the raffle was done on Sunday and the following 5 winners are the recipients of a $100 Store Credit! Congratulations to: Carie Maniscalco, Katy Ballard, Celena Perkins, Lisa Wren and Alexa Marino & Anton Bacardi!

For those of you who were unable to make it, please stop by the next First Friday Event at Brick Lane for drinks, snacks, specials and gifts! Then you can stroll the rest of the boulevard to see what specials are being offered up and down the street. Enjoy your neighborhood and support Abbot Kinney! Hope to see you all soon!