Posted on 02 March 2010.
Anyone who walks down Brand Boulevard in Downtown Glendale can’t miss The Americana. The trolley tracks. The tall buildings. The high end shops reminiscent of The Grove.However, just a few short feet away all over the downtown area a variety of much smaller businesses, both in physical height and comparative size provide a stark contrast. According to Eric Olson, president of the Downtown Glendale Merchant’s Association, over the years quite a few of these smaller businesses have opened and closed in the Downtown Glendale Area since he joined the association in 2000.
Walking around downtown there seems to be quite a few niche or specialty businesses lining the streets that are making it through the recession. Each of these are niche businesses but a common thread is they have some tie-in with culture and the arts. Officials of Abril Armenian Bookstore, Mystery and Imagination Bookstore, Metzler’s Violin and Left Coast Wine Bar & Art Gallery were interviewed to get their perspective on how it is being a small niche business. In each case it seems the secret to the relative success of these businesses lies somewhat in their choice of very specialized offerings and their location in Glendale. The city is ideal for niche businesses, according to some of the businesses interviewed, because of its tax structure and location near the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys as well as the rest of Los Angeles.
Abril Armenian Bookstore
Abril Armenian Bookstore is run by owner Harout Yeretzian, 66, and his son, manager Arno Yeretzian, 33. The store sells a variety of books in English and Armenian, some geared towards Armenian topics such as children’s books, cookbooks, Armenian women’s studies and Armenian genocide-related books (fiction and nonfiction). The shop actually has two complete sections devoted to the topic. They also carry Bibles and books to learn English and Armenian. The Yeretzians started off publishing an Armenian language magazine for about five years before Harout said he realized there was no money in it. Then while publishing the magazine they realized there was more money in being a printer so they started printing brochures, taking up the space next door. This evolved to opening their store in Hollywood and publishing their own books. They then moved their store to Glendale in 1998 to follow the movement of the Armenian population to the area.
“This is a bastion against assimilation,” Harout Yeretzian said. “Without language it’s very hard to keep the national inspiration [alive].”
Abril is the oldest Armenian bookstore in Glendale and the only store not overseen by a larger organization such as church or a political group. They also say they were the first Armenian bookstore. According to Harout, they opened a similar bookshop in the North Valley but because there was no Armenian community there it could not survive. According to Harout, between 100 and 120 customers make their way into Abril weekly.
According to Arno, the largest market for the store are people in their 50s to 70s. He divided the demographics into “the third and fourth generation who speak Armenian and English, the older Armenians from Armenia who buy a lot of Armenian books and women who buy a lot of health books.”
He also said there are the occasional collectors. In this economy, Arno said the sales have been low for the past two years. He said Amazon is one of the only places whose sales increased because people are trying to save money and buy things from home.
However, because his store is so specialized Arno only says the larger stores are his competition in the English language books.
The Yeretzians said they have customers from all over Southern California as well as tourists who have read about their store on their Web site. They said there store is the largest Armenian bookstore in the world, including Armenia, because Armenians are so scattered throughout the world.
“A lot of people refer to us as a cultural center. People all over the world now have heard of Abril Bookstore.”
In addition to the books, the bookstore has readings and presentations twice a month, which brings people into their shop.
Although Abril is located several blocks from the Americana, this mom and pop shop has its own opinions about it.
“I’m not that into the Americana,” Arno said. “It’s this outside thing that they put into Glendale. Everywhere else is more similar [small businesses]. It’s not really Glendale to me.”
Mystery and Imagination Bookshop
Just a few blocks away on Brand Avenue is the Mystery and Imagination Bookshop, a science fiction, mystery, horror and fantasy bookshop. Vintage posters line the walls for “Clockwork Orange” and “Fahrenheit 451.”
Co-owner Christine Bell is married to shop owner Malcolm Bell. Christine stopped periodically throughout the interview to assist customers and answer the phones, but with good reason. Following the recent Economic downturn the shop had to lay off 12 of its employees last year and is down to just Malcolm and Christine.
Bell, a Maryland transplant, told the story of the bookshop, which opened on Hollywood Boulevard in 1976. She moved out to California in 1986. The store is the brainchild of Malcolm Bell, at the time when he started his bookshop there were no other genre bookstores, but according to Christine it quickly changed.
“Science fiction was considered sub-literature at the time,” Bell said. “It was unpopular. Not so anymore. It’s one of the most advanced and philosophical of fiction.”
Bell says they have customers coming from all over Southern California and they are more of a destination than a foot traffic type of shop.
“It really is special,” Bell said. “No one else is going to have that “Bleeding Edge” anthology by a special publisher that no one else is going to have. The authors here are all grouped together. These are very special authors.”
Just like Abril, they also host events in their bookstore. When Bell was asked how these events affect business she said “I hope it helps.”
“Sometimes they’re so focused on the event that they don’t buy anything else,” Bell said. “That’s the idea that they will buy some other things. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Bell said her store has a relatively flat front and people can’t see her.
“It really is a destination shop,” Bell said. “I don’t get very many people wandering in off the street. A few people wandered into the gym and didn’t buy anything because I’m so specialized.”
Bell said because of the economy they have had to adjust by selling more $3 paperbacks to make up for losses in $15 hard covers. To the Bells this also means longer hours.
Metzler Violin Shop Inc.
At a shop just south of downtown every inch is filled with string instruments, bows, sheet music or string music related kitsch. The instruments range from children’s violins, to cellos, violas and bases
Thomas Metzler, owner and President of Metzler Violin Shop Inc., is a 59-year-old Iowa native who moved out to California at age 26 in 1976. After college Metzler traveled to Southern Bavaria where he learned violin making for four years, after which he went to work for a violin shop in Hollywood.
In 1979 he opened the store Metzler and Ravinas with his partner who has since moved to Oregon, on Broadway in Glendale. In 1983 they moved to their current building, a much larger 1920’s-era building.
Metzler’s is one of only five to six violin shops in Southern California, and the only one in Glendale, according to Metzler. There is a smaller shop in Pasadena run by just one person.
Nowadays they said they do repairs and rentals. They also do Internet sales of sheet music, which was Tom’s wife Barbara’s idea. They started this Internet expansion six years ago. They are now working on getting accessories and pictures of instruments online although they encourage instrument shoppers to come in and hear the difference between the different instruments.
He divides the markets of his shop into teachers and students, professionals and amateurs. He says oftentimes the professionals have had their equipment for a while. However, some amateurs spend a little and some spend a lot but are “easy to work with.”
“Of course we love the kids too,” he said. They host a master class for kids taught by professionals.
Metzler said about 20 percent of their revenue comes from rentals while the rest comes from instrument, sheet music and accessory sales.
In this economy Metzler says he thinks being a niche business has helped him.
“Businesses that are too broad are too easy to go under,” Metzler said. “Even in hard times people are passionate about music. Even if they don’t need it to stay alive they need it for their soul. There aren’t many people catering to what we’re doing.”
Metzler said he only considers the larger more generalized music stores to be competition at the low end of the spectrum.
“They have so many problems,” Metzler said. “They come with broken strings and broken bridges. We just give that market to whoever wants it.” Rachelle Ryan thought of the idea for a combined wine bar and art studio based on her art gallery in Studio City on Ventura Boulevard. Ryan is originally from Oregon. She thought opening a wine bar and art gallery would be a great idea, according to Fulton. They often use the wine and art to cross-market between the two parts of their business. The example was most recently when Lisa Semlar of Malibu Family Wines sold her art and did a wine tasting at the same time.
Their location just outside downtown Metzler says at times he can feel “invisible” in the community.
“People say I drove by for 20 years and never knew you were here,” Metzler said.
However, Metzler thinks that Glendale is a draw for niche businesses because it is “more friendly.”
“It doesn’t have the same business tax structure,” Metzler said. “Although that was never one of the reasons we considered coming here I have a feeling Pasadena would be too.”
Metzler mentioned a harp store that was a similar niche business but said they folded a few years ago.
As far as Metzler’s success in the current economy, he says just because he’s made it doesn’t mean he isn’t “having a hard time like everybody else.”
However, he said Metzler’s offers a valuable service and they try to do things differently than their competitors with classes, concerts and a recently launched e-newsletter. Also, they do not choose to have customers make appointments as many violin shops do, although they have the option of doing so.
Metzler said he guessed between 8 and 40 customers come into his shop on a weekly basis. A typical sale for a customer can be a $50 to $100 transaction just on sheet music, as Metzler said the majority of his customers come in with a specific need.
Left Coast Wine Bar & Art Gallery
From the street, the art side of Left Coast Wine Bar & Art Gallery may not be obvious. However, up the staircase connected to the wine bar is an art gallery where events are held showcasing art and with live musicians.
Co-Owner Tom Fulton, 60, owns the restaurant along with his wife Rachelle Ryan. The Left Coast wine bar opened 3 years ago, near the opening of the Americana.
According to Fulton, the proximity to the Americana helps their small businesses by driving in local foot traffic.
Because of all of the events Fulton estimated that 500 people to 600 people come through his wine shop weekly, and 60 people to 80 people daily.
“We think we’re unique with a European flair. We don’t have TVs blaring and [we have] good entertainment. We haven’t seen anything like it. It’s pretty unique.”
In the current economy, Fulton says being a niche business has helped his shop.
“We have a good value and entertainment services. We have a small-sized shop and we control our costs.”
The cheapest item Fulton offers is $6.50 for a glass of wine up to $1,000 for a bottle of wine. However, he says the majority of the people buy mid-range wine. Also sold at the shop are cheese, pizzas and tapas. Finally, the art on the walls is often sold at the shop.
Although Fulton says some people from outside the area come to the business, their main customer base is made up of L.A. locals many who are repeat customers and come to their wine shop “every night.”
