The employees are pretty stand-offish and probably think they're too cool to get you a larger size or even too cool in general to be working in retail, but I can even admit that nothing really beats American Apparel if you're looking for basics.
We all know American Apparel is known for its fair wages—at its factory in downtown Los Angeles, workers make $12.50/hour plus benefits, which is something like more than twice what sweatshop employees make. Thanks to an intense, pervasive love for plain V-neck Tees and leotards and tiny, tiny track shorts, the stores have invaded the greater Los Angeles area, with 15 already standing and three more on its way.
Orange County has two: One in Downtown Santa Ana (200 N. Broadway) and one in Huntington Beach (207 Main St.), but rest assured, there's definitely more on the way. The “SoBeCa” District in Costa Mesa is getting its very own American Apparel location at 2927 Bristol St.—right across from the Lab and a block down from the Camp. I drove by the other day, the space formerly housed a carpet and flooring showroom, and the store is going to be huge, much bigger than the Santa Ana location. Both the store windows and official website say it's coming soon, but we'll let you know as soon as a date is announced.
The SoBeCa district, short for “South On Bristol Entertainment, Culture and Arts,” has been waving its flag touting progressive culture and cool young people for years now and it looks like they're getting even closer to their vision. Maybe residents will even start referring to the area as SoBeCa now.
