Skid Row
December 9, 2009

No I’m not talking about the band Skid Row, I’m referring to LA’s very own Skid Row in downtown LA. It’s actually east central LA near 5th street where thousands of homeless people make their home. Since LA borders up to the good and bad, literally each street is different, you get to know your way around. Back when I was manufacturing in downtown (YES, I actually made my first outerwear piece in LA), my cutting guy was smack dab in Skid Row. Back then, it was super sketchy. I remember trying to drop off the rolls of nylon fabric I purchased from Rose City textiles in Portland and Polar fleece from Malden Mills back east; the minute I parked my truck on the street, I had my rolls ganked from two different homies. Today, it's been cleaned up a bit (Cartoon’s joint is down the street) and they’ve made some creative moves to showcase the beauty within. One example is the Skid Row Photography Club. Anyone can join, even if you don’t have a camera.

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Life can lead you in many directions.

Speaking about directions, I was late to our NB686 gig at Blends down the street.

I’ll spare you the pictures, as you’ve probably seen them already from the blogs. All I got to say is this is how we do it in LA, find an alley next to the best sneaker boutique in downtown and call it your own for the night.