If a wrong turn through downtown somehow lands you in the garment district, do your outdated wardrobe (and your pocketbook) a favor and drop in on Morrie's. You'll be glad you did.
I've been a downtown deal hunter for years, and Morrie's has been one of LA's best kept secrets for as long as I can remember. Their merchandise is always genuine, and their deals are easily worth traipsing through the downtown alleyways to find.
The place is well hidden among the various neighborhood textile vendors and hole-in-the-wall haberdasheries. Look for their trademark red awning outside -- don't blink twice on your way down Maple or you'll miss it.
Proceed through the double glass doors and oh-so-chic white security gate (this is downtown LA, after all), and you're in a womanly wonderland -- racks and racks of deals as far as they eye can see.
If its the day after Christmas, you may find yourself waiting in a line halfway down 8th ave. (their famous Christmas sale has been an annual draw for the Orange County housewife set since the dawn of time), but if its any other time of the year, the crowd should be moderate to light.
Morrie's is typically very un-crowded -- they've never advertised, as far as I know -- so the place retains that hole-in-the-wall, local secret feel. The exposed air conditioning units and magic marker signage tell you they don't spend a lot on ambiance, but that's hardly the reason you come to Morrie's in the first place. The reason is obviously...
THE CLOTHES!!!!
This is where Morrie's really shines. Most of the other downtown bargain places stock a lot of junk -- its hard to sift out the real stuff from the knock-offs, and the gems are hard to come by. But at Morrie's, the gems are plentiful -- I've NEVER seen a fake in Morries, and they always have ample stock of the brands I like -- Rock & Republic, Juicy, Seven, Citizens, St. John, Versace, etc., etc.
And the deals are spectacular!!! Easily 50% off retail for most items, a lot more for some things. I've walked out with a St. John pantsuit that was just PERFECT for work for less than $200, if you can even believe that. Another more recent spree yielded a pair of R&R jeans, 2 Laundry tops, a Marc Jacob jacket, and a pair of Juicy slippers for $250!!! I mean, please -- I've dropped that much on a single pair of Diesels at Nordstrom... and those were on sale!!!
Long story short. Pass on the rest, try the best. If you're on a budget -- or even if you're not and just want to brag to the girls how you paid half what they did for that Juicy sweatsuit -- then Morrie's is you Xanadu. read more