The Guide to Shopping in Downtown Los Angeles

In December 2013, Swedish label and retailer Acne Studios brought their forward-thinking fashion brand to Los Angeles and it's since thrived in the urban metropolis setting. With futuristic décor and contemporary culture inspired clothing, shoes and accessories, Acne Studio’s is beloved by fashion lovers all over the world.

Designer Courtney Elijah opened Almighty in the Downtown LA Fashion District when he saw that there weren't any shops in his neighborhood that sold skateboards and streetwear. A recipient of a BeyGOOD grant from Beyonce's foundation, BeyGOOD, Elijah told the NAACP that everyone that works at Almighty is local to DTLA, including East LA, South LA and Mid-City.

Boston's streetwear cult favorite, Bodega opened its LA outpost at ROW DTLA in 2018. Spanning 8,000 square feet, the "sneaker speakeasy" is hidden behind an unmarked, half-closed warehouse door. Along with Bodega's latest collabs and limited edition collections, the first floor features new and throwback kicks from global brands like adidas, Nike and New Balance; and a pop-up shop that recently showcased Vault by Vans. Up past the mezzanine lounge, the top floor hosts streetwear and luxury brands for men.

BOWLS was founded in 2007 as a small boutique in San Marino. A pioneer in the Honda Ruckus scooter movement, BOWLS has since closed its custom bike division and opened an urban "General Store" in Little Tokyo with a curated selection of men & women's apparel, grooming products and accessories.

If you have a punk rock heart, Descontrol Punk Shop will instantly capture it. This small Arts District shop is so legit that their advertising looks like DIY show flyers. Inside Descontrol, you'll find classic tracks on vinyl and underground cassette releases, plus music videos and cult films on DVD and VHS. The clothing racks are filled with band t-shirts and vintage leather jackets. Since you probably don't want to wear a plain jacket to your next concert, you can get patches and pins here too.

Described by Vogue as a "game changer," the 15,000 square-foot Dover Street Market is an industrial-chic, multi-brand boutique featuring designer collections from Gucci, Balenciaga, Raf Simons, Sacai, and numerous Comme des Garçons brands.

Founded in 1963, Hennessey + Ingalls has grown to become the largest art, architecture and design bookstore in the western United States. After more than 50 years on the Westside, in February 2016 Hennessey + Ingalls moved into the sprawling One Santa Fe complex in the Arts District of Downtown L.A. The family-owned store is managed by founder Reginald Hennessey's son, Mark.

Hennessey + Ingalls is renowned for their curated selection of books in art and art history, all phases of architecture, photography, interior design, graphic design, and landscaping. Top art directors in film, television, and advertising shop at Hennessey + Ingalls because of the in-depth collections and the knowledge of the staff. Clients include many of the country's leading architectural firms, along with museums, collectors, art galleries, students, interior designers, graphic design firms, and schools.

Located at Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo, Japangeles was founded by Torrance native Roy Kuroyanagi in 2010. Featuring mashups of LA lifestyle and Japanese culture, the shop's bestselling katakana designs include Coach jackets, hoodies and T-shirts. Recent collabs include the LA Clippers and Lexus.

Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Tokyo, the Books Kinokuniya chain spans more than 70 locations in Japan and dozens of stores overseas, including three in Los Angeles: Weller Court in Little Tokyo, and Mitsuwa Marketplaces in Santa Monica and Torrance. Kinokuniya offers a wide variety of books, magazines, and stationery imported from Japan. The extensive collection includes manga, graphic novels, art and design books, cookbooks, travel books, children's books, and more, both in English and Japanese.

Fans of animation director Hayao Miyazaki, take note: Kinokuniya is the official retail partner of Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli and carries merchandise shipped directly from Japan, including DVDs, books, stationery, puzzles, pins, stuffed animals and more.

Opened in September 2017 on the Hill Street side of Far East Plaza in Chinatown, Now Serving is the brainchild of Ken Concepcion, former chef de cuisine at Wolfgang Puck's CUT, and his wife, Michelle Mungcal. The bookstore carries a mix of new and used cookbooks, with about one-third of the inventory devoted to previously owned or out of print books. The cookbooks are organized in sections - the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Mediterranean, central and northern Europe, pastries and baking, beverages, and general food writing and references. In addition to books, Now Serving offers gourmet kitchen tools like Japanese knives, new and vintage cast iron pans, and chef apparel. Now Serving also hosts frequent author events and book signings.