Stopped in for their grand opening celebration and was very impressed by the store, the staff, the…read moreavailable gear, and the generally lively atmosphere. There were some much-appreciated giveaways and raffles, and a coffee cart to keep people hydrated while waiting for the free engraving they offered with certain purchases. Yes, there was a DJ that won't be there on the daily, and yes there were a bevy of extra reps from corporate, but you can tell when a store is set up to work well, and this one is just that.
Unlike the other giant, all-things-to-everyone retailers in the area, 5.11 carries a more carefully curated selection of clothing and gear that's focused on working people and folks doing down-to-earth outdoor activities rather than wealthy adventurers looking to camp on Everest or bike across Europe. The high-quality clothing (in men's and women's styles) is reasonably priced (not cheap, but not bank-breaking by any means), and they have a wide variety of backpacks, cases, hats and other accessories. Most of the gear (lights, knives, carabiners, pry bars, tactical pens, etc.) are their own 5.11 brand, but they do carry a few select items from other brands, such as Zippo lighters and Benchmade knives. And anything that's metal can be engraved at the back of the shop.
As I mentioned, the staff was uniformly friendly, welcoming and helpful, showing people where items could be found, and explaining various aspects of the items, their uses, and offering free shipping on anything that had to be ordered because it wasn't in-stock in the store (sizes, colors, etc). I'm told they will be having additional grand opening celebrations for the next 2 Saturdays (7/25 and 8/1), and you'd be doing yourself a favor to stop in and check out what they've got.
ONE WARNING: The map that comes up on their website currently indicates the store is South of Victory, inferring it's located at the outdoor Village shopping area -- but in fact the store is inside Westfield Topanga, adjacent to Nordstrom's.
Great store and great people -- here's to a long, successful tenure for them at Westfield Topanga.