CSUN’s Design for County Store Praised

If money can ever be found to build it, the store could have a swanky address. Universal CityWalk. Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. Perhaps Old Town Pasadena.

But no matter where the store is located, it won’t sell records, New Age herbal therapies or fresh-fruit smoothies. Instead, all of its merchandise will promote Los Angeles County.

The idea for a store promoting the county goes back many years. In 1992, the county approved a $200,000 loan for the start-up of a store.

Now, students and faculty from Cal State Northridge have breathed new life into the idea, completing an extensive study of the design, business and marketing components. Earlier this month, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky presented CSUN President Blenda Wilson, students and professors with a commendation for their work from the Board of Supervisors.

The store will be a useful tool in publicizing the county’s diversity, said Terry Wolfe, an assistant professor of management.

“A lot of people [from out of town] only know L.A. as something with a reputation for being weird,” he said. “When they get here, they realize that geographically there is a difference between L.A. County and the city and that there’s a lot more to the county than they thought.

Using the CityWalk site as a model, the study found that the store, estimated to cost about $800,000, would turn a profit. In addition to merchandise, Wolfe said CSUN students envisioned a public space for workshops or art exhibits, and a coffee bar.

Although county officials raved about CSUN’s work, they caution that funding is a serious concern. They are still hundreds of thousands of dollars short of the goal, and have staffing and site issues to resolve.

“The proposal was well-received, but a county review of the viability and an assessment of the store had a really significant price tag to it, one which probably isn’t possible at this time,” said Evelyn Gutierrez, director of marketing for the county.

“We think the concept is certainly a good one and one that we can continue to discuss. . . . Another concern, in addition to the high cost of leasing the space, is the diversity of the product. We’re a little ahead of ourselves,” said Gutierrez.