Storefront Report: Backside backs out of Echo Park

Backside, a street wear and accessories store, is closing its Echo Park location only a little more than a year after it opened the Sunset Boulevard storefront.  In addition to selling merchandise aimed at young men and women, Backside, which shares the block with The Echo nightclub and Masa of Echo Park,  hosted  bands and staged art shows.  But the mix of entertainment and retailing apparently did not pay off.

“As much as we love our neighbors and our neighborhood, we feel that the timing was a bit off for us,” said  co-owner Tony Essa. “Financially, we found it increasingly difficult to find a balance month to month, which kept us from offering our customers a store that is consistently improving and staying ahead of the curve.”

Eessa said the firm will now focus its attention on its original Burbank store, which will remain open.  The 755-square-foot Echo Park store is scheduled to close before the end of November, and the space is currently up for lease, according to Loopnet.

Another Echo Park street wear store, Mishka, closed its Echo Park Avenue store this past summer.