Valentine's Day Shopping Guide: For the Beauty Lover

With Valentine's Day only two weeks away, it's time to start shopping for your significant other. Not sure what to get him/her? Over the next few days, we'll be sharing some of the most popular items in Santee Alley as part of our Valentine's Day Shopping Guide series.

For the beauty lover in your life, Santee Alley has make-up artist favorites from cosmetics to beauty tools. Here you'll find makeup, makeup brushes, nail polish, fake eyelashes, straighteners, hair curlers, hair extensions, and more. Most stores carry popular brands like NYX Cosmetics and L.A. Girl.

Why are Santee Alley prices so much lower than retail and department stores? Most of the makeup stores in the alley are owned by distributors. This means they sell much larger quantities than your average beauty store, which in turn allows them to sell products for less. The stores featured in this post are licensed distributors.

• HM Hormiguitas, 315 E 11th St. #315-B inside Santee Alley, 323-200-8124
• Iyalorde, 1006-F Santee St. inside Santee Alley

For the product junkie that already has it all, we recommend Nature Republic. Nature Republic is a Korean beauty and skincare line that opened recently in the alley. The Santee Alley location is the only one on the West Coast! In addition to makeup, they also offer face masks, moisturizes, hand lotions, face wash, and body scrubs all inspired by nature.

• Nature Republic, 1152 S Santee St. inside Santee Alley

How to Lease Space in Santee Alley

Interested in opening a store in The Santee Alley? You've come to the right place! To lease a space in the alley you'll need to contact one of the various real estate groups representing properties in the area:

Kluger Properties
Lance Kluger
karana@msn.com
949-230-2530

Quantum Associates
I Hassan, Commercial Real Estate
213-745-4740
Ihassan@earthlink.net

North Alley Association
Santee Maple Alley Association
210 East Olympic Boulevard #202
Los Angeles, CA 90015
310-203-0101

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How much does it cost to rent space in Santee Alley?

Rent will vary by the size of the space and location. It is best to contact the leasing agents directly for rates.

How do I know what spaces are available?

The best way to see what spaces are available is to walk through the alley. Spaces that are for lease or will be on the market soon will have a banner with contact information for the leasing agent handling that property. If you cannot visit the alley, you will need to call the numbers listed above and inquiry are about vacancies.

District Boutique

Photo Tj Wessels

The moment when you realize that your favorite IG boutique is actually in Santee Alley!

We've long been fans of @district_boutique's expertly curated outfits on Instagram and finally got the chance to stop by their brick-and-mortar location in the alley. District Boutique is located at 1137-B Maple Ave, inside Santee Alley between 11th and 12th Streets.

While at the store, we met with Tiffany who also manages the Instagram account. She's such a sweetheart and super stylish. In fact, the entire team at District Boutique is sweet and knowledgeable. It's the kind of store you want to go when you're putting your Friday night outfit together and need some styling tips ;)

You can see more of their current styles at instagram.com/district_boutique.

Trend Alert: Pantone color of the year - Marsala - and floppy hats!

District Boutique

213-742-8986
1137-B Maple Ave inside Santee Alley

Los Angeles, CA

Instagram, Facebook

Santee Alley Frequently Asked Questions

Happy New Year! We received a lot of questions from shoppers over the holiday season, and decided to compile our most frequently asked questions in one post for future reference...

What are the Santee Alley hours?
Santee Alley stores are independently owned and operated, which means each store owner sets their own business hours. In general most stores start opening around 9:30 a.m. All stores are typically open by 10 a.m. and closed by 6 p.m. Some stores will close as early as 5 or 5:30 p.m.

Is Santee Alley open on holidays/weekends?
Yes, the alley is open 7 days a week including ALL holidays.

Is Santee Alley the same thing as the LA Fashion District?
The Santee Alley is comprised of 2 blocks located within the Fashion District and makes up the retail core of the area. The LA Fashion District is a 100-block district catering to the Los Angeles fashion industry including wholesale, textiles, and flowers.

Is Santee Alley open when it rains?
Yes! The Santee Alley is open rain or shine.

Is Santee Alley outdoors?
The Santee Alley is an actual alley located between Maple Avenue and Santee Street. While the stores themselves are not outdoors, the alley itself is open-air.

Can I rent a stroller, wheelchair, or shopping cart while visiting Santee Alley?
No, the alley does not provide rental services of any kind.

 Have more questions? Tweet us! @shopsanteealley