BLACKBURN AND SWEETZER

In an earlier post last month, I tried to uncover Krisol’s future via its MySpace page, which was moderately illuminating. I finally got to talk with the couple behind the cool awning - co-owners Kaj Palsson and Tahirah Felton - yesterday, just two days before their Wednesday, May 16th opening at 8312 W. 3rd Street, a few stores west of 3rd and Sweetzer. The nice thing is they’re not annoying hipsters I wish would move to Robertson or some other safe distance I can’t throw a stone at.

Palsson and Felton - from San Pedro and Playa Del Ray, respectively - met teaching English in Korea, then moved to Koreatown and tutored at a learning center. When the center had to make way for an encroaching karaoke bar that never came, the couple took their leave and started looking for retail spaces and settled on the 1,430-square-foot space on 3rd Street after digging the community vibe at one of the block parties put on by the street’s collective retailers. Interestingly, Palsson reports that leases have gone up from $1/square foot to $4/square foot in the area over the last couple years.

So, what’s the Krisol vibe? “I really kept all my friends in mind,” Felton says of the buying process. “We wanted to have a little something for everyone.” Translation: Felton’s in-store faves include Lauren Moffatt, LaRok, Tracy Reese, and Shay Todd for women, and, for the guys, Converse by John Varvatos, Cassette, Orthodox, and Stronghold Jeans for both sexes. Prices range from $50-$1,000, with most merch between $100-$300.

Kingsbury might have been the first boutique on the block to have a bar and beer tap, but Krisol has one-upped the men’s spot with an open bar (beer tap, wine, cocktails) and lounge area for shoppers to forget how much cash they just threw down on clothes they don’t need.

Fun fact: go to shopkrisol.com and see Tahirah (the hot chick in the center) and Kaj (the only dude sandwiched between a quartet of femmes).