While there is a lot of local quiet, retail and entertainment are not completely dead. Yes, many businesses have been shuttered for a long time with no end in sight and hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs. But all is not lost.
One example is Arias, the contemporary women’s fashion label launched by Nina Sarin Arias. Famous consumers of the brand include: Priyanka Chopra and Gigi Hadid among others. Her first store was recently opened at Manhattan’s 466 Broome Street. Spanning 1,500 square feet, Arias founded her label initially back in 2017 as direct-to-consumer. She explained:
“It’s always been a dream to open a store and it means even more to me to do so in this unprecedented time. I chose to open our doors and show support for the city as our collections are made in New York. It’s an important moment in my brand’s development and I couldn’t think of a better location than in SoHo, which is an intersection of fashion and art. The Arias woman has always shopped our brand online and attended our trunk shows. I am now able to share the world of Arias with my clients — an experience she has been waiting for.”
Other encouraging news are the government initiatives that have been put in place to help the local consumer. One of these is the new parking regulations which make things a bit easier. According to Executive Director of the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business and Professionals Association, Jill Lamkin:
“Parking has always been one of the most difficult hurdles for businesses in Downtown Manhattan Beach and it’s further complicated by COVID. Our restaurants cannot welcome guests indoors and are surviving by serving outside. Locals embraced outdoor dining with overwhelming enthusiasm, and we are thankful! It does, however, further reduce our precious parking. Add beach-goers to that, and retailers and service providers are left with very little parking for the customers they so desperately need to survive. lease also help us by preserving parking for those who truly need it and we will save more of our businesses by allowing people to quickly drop into their favorite store, salon or grab a to-go meal. If you can walk or bike, please do. We know the shortened parking isn’t convenient, but we’re in survival mode and we hope you’ll support us in our efforts.”