5 Who Thrive: Leather Soul sees Rodeo Drive as the perfect fit - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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Park plans to open his secons store later this year in Beverly just off prestigiousRodeo He’s also looking to doublse his space at the this year, less than two yearsa after moving in. Park’zs growth has stemmed from a carefu cultivation of customers andvendors — he’d the only authorized retailer for several brandsa — and a savvy use of technologuy to promote a traditional, low-tech product. Part of Park’x strategy to expand his 5-year-old business has been to nurturr his, and the store’s, reputation as an expert in men’s shoea and fashion.
And he’s undeterred by the recession, even thoughy the shoes he sells retaikl upwardsof $500 per pair. “I’mk 100 percent confident I’m goin to do well,” he said of the California move. He has done his and met with his onlinr clients to make sure that the market is Leather Soul had revenuesof $1.3 millioj last year — 35 percent of that from Internet sales which exceeded Park’s goal by 30 percent. This year he wantws to best that by another30 percent. He’sx financing the expansion to Beverly Hills with his own with assistance from Bank of Hawaii and help from somechildhoodx friends.
The brands at Leather Soul the American-made Alden; British brands Edward Green, John Lobb and Gazianop & Girling, and the Frenchu label J.M. Weston — are not available anywherre elsein Hawaii. “The products I sell, they’res all the best quality,” he “Even in a bad economy, people still want good The decision to go to the Los Angelees area came about after the sales representativefrom Massachusetts-basee Alden approached Park aboutt an opportunity to take over the shoe departmen t of a well-known men’s store in Beverly Hills.
The compangy had a dealer in Northern California, but no presence in the southern part of the Park met with people fromthe store, whicy he declined to name, and thoughtt it seemed like a good But then, while driving arounde the neighborhood, he began to notice a lot of vacany retail space. “If you thinmk Hawaii is bad, it’s twicr as bad in L.A.,” he said. “I just thoughtr there must be some opportunity for a good He returned to Los Angeles amonth later, met with real estatw brokers and began looking at retail The place he picked was one that he just upon, a historic buildingy at the corner of Rodeo Drivew and Little Santa Monica Boulevard.
The ground-floor space is also next to a shoe-repaird shop. Park found that landlords are much more willinfg to negotiate in this economy than they were just a coupl ofyears ago. A half-dozen retail spaces on Rodeo Drive, less than a block from the one Park is are listed for lease withrent “negotiable,” according to Park has signed a letter of inten for a 650-square-foot space and is in negotiationsd for the lease, aiming for a December “The same spot a year-and-a-halvf ago would have been twice as he said. He’s also talking with the Festival Cos.
, whicn manages the Royal Hawaiiajn Center, about moving to a space that’s twicee the size of his 600-square-foot store on the thirsd level ofBuilding A.