There’s a brand-new concept store in town.
And it’s in . . . Tustin?
The Marketplace at Tustin, that giant shopping plaza just off Jamboree and the 5 freeway, is home to the latest storefront: Levi’s Dry Goods. In fact, it’s also the first of its kind for the world-famous denim company.
The name’s actually a nod to its roots: Levi Strauss opened a storefront in San Francisco importing premium dry goods (think clothing, accessories and bedding) in the mid-1800s.
Levi’s has fallen in popularity in recent years, with overpriced jeans with overly decorated back pockets taking over the denim world. But the problem with Levi’s isn’t so much that the company doesn’t make great jeans with (mostly) affordable pricing—the problem is it can be tough to even locate what you’re looking for. While Levi’s stores were once abundant, many of them have shut down, including the one in South Coast Plaza. Meanwhile, department stores carry Levi’s denim, but not in a wide array of cuts, lengths and colors.
Levi’s Dry Goods is your solution. It combines hard-to-find selections from the Levi’s outlet stores with its main line. Looking for 550 Relaxed Fits? 510 Super Skinnies? What about the 569 Relaxed Straight? Enter the store, and stacks of jeans surround you on all sides. Denim in shades you haven’t seen in decades (blues, purples, blacks, tans), with short, medium and long lengths all laid out for you to try on. Your size isn’t there? Ask. Or rather, wait for someone: Just going from one end of the store to the other, a minimum of five employees will likely ask if you need any help.
Also, guys, take note of the special Shrink to Fit section in the back: A table stocked with 501 Originals ($46-$60) boasts a rigid denim you can customize however you want. Think of it as fancy raw denim on a budget: Wash as little as possible in the first year to keep the wash dark. Or go ahead and fade it as you please with (recommended) hand washing. The fit will shrink about 10 percent depending on how soon you wash them and how often you wear them.
And yes, the store also sells other Levi’s-brand (typically bland) goods—tops, accessories, bags, outerwear, whatever—but definitely get the jeans.
Levi’s Dry Goods at the Tustin Marketplace, 2801 El Camino Real, Ste. 15-F, Tustin, (714) 734-8389; www.us.levi.com.
