Bodega has confirmed that their Los Angeles store will remain open after temporarily stuttering the store last month as the independent sneaker & streetwear store looked for a potential buyout.
The last 12 months certainly hasn’t been plain sailing for the independent sneaker stores out there. The once top tier “consortium” accounts have struggled against rising rents, fierce competition, the fallout from a global pandemic, a cost of living crisis & changing trainer trends have all contributed to bankruptcies and in some cases store closures. Earlier in the year the Swedish sneaker store Sneakersnstuff filed for bankruptcy, to be given another lease of life by Reziprok Ventures. A similar scenario has also been ongoing with the legendary Boston born sneaker & streetwear store, Bodega, who has just confirmed they won’t be permanently shutting their Los Angeles store which originally opened back in 2018.
Above: The Bodega Los Angeles store which originally opened in 2018.After speaking with the Australian magazine, Sneaker Freaker, back in March Bodega’s founder Jay Gordan confirmed the independent retailer was on the brink of collapse. Citing the current economic climate in the industry as well as slowdown in Nike and the whole fallout between Kanye West & adidas which left a black hole in their highly successful YEEZY business. After exploring various partnerships & buyouts for the Boston born sneaker & streetwear store, Jay Gordon tried to keep the Bodega ship afloat. With no short term solutions on the table, Bodega shuttered its Los Angeles store last month as well as permanently closing its Boston store, which originally opened back in 2006.
Above: The Bodega Los Angeles store which originally opened in 2018.The good news is Bodega will be keeping their Los Angeles store open after it was temporality closed. Located at 320 E. 7th St. Suite 150 at Row DTLA in LA, the store opens 5 days a week (closed Tuesday & Wednesday) from 12pm to 6pm. The Bodega website remains closed at this stage with an intermission message so it is expected that their online presence will re-open in the foreseeable future. The Boston store, where it all started for Bodega, will however remain permanently closed.
Above: The Bodega Los Angeles store which originally opened in 2018.After laying off the majority of the Bodega corporate team from marketing to operations, it’s the original founder Jay Gordon who is now looking to turn things around with limited resources. After potentially losing some of their key accounts with “maxed out” credit terms, it’s not clear how Bodega will manage to re-position itself as a key industry player moving forward. Their last collaboration with Clarks was only last month, pre-planned and signed off long before the store & website closure. The question now is whether the brands, who have already tightened their wholesale channels for struggling independents, will be willing to take the risk especially in the current economic climate of tariffs & what the future really holds for the independent sneaker & streetwear retailers. Keep posted at Sneaker Jobs for more info & don’t forget to subscribe to Sneaker Jobs & follow @sneaker_jobs to keep up to date with all the latest industry news
