When Forth & Towne, a new retail concept from Gap Inc., moves into Los Angeles this fall, it will locate two of its first three L.A. stores in the San Fernando Valley. It’s no coincidence. The new chain, which opened its first location in a New York suburb just short of a year ago, is catering to what it sees as an untapped market of women who may have left their youth behind, but not their fashion sense. Calling the area “a fast growing suburb,” executives at the new retail chain noted that the area is well suited for their new store concept. “Certainly we want to make our shopping destinations convenient for women, and we think our concept will play very well as a community destination,” said Kimberley Grayson, senior vice president of marketing for Forth & Towne. In September, the first L.A.-area stores will open at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks and at Westfield’s Century City center. In October, the third store will open at Westfield Topanga in Canoga Park. The stores, which will carry a range of merchandise from casual to career wear, cater to those 35 and older, but executives say Forth & Towne will address a mindset more than an age. “We thought there was an opportunity to serve women who are grown up but remain connected to fashion,” said Grayson. “We felt that customer wasn’t being served well.” Forth & Towne will carry sizes from 2 to 20 at prices that Grayson said will be “affordable to a very, very large range of women.” The stores will also feature style consultants and expanded fitting areas. Forth & Towne in all will open about 10 stores in 2006 in markets including Atlanta, Houston, Northern California and Seattle. New Store for Mitchell Litt After more than 30 years in the same Sherman Oaks location, Mitchell Litt Antiques and Home Furnishings is opening a second store. The family-owned business will open a warehouse store in Encino in August to accommodate its more recent expansion into more moderately-priced furnishings. “We used to be 100 percent antiques,” said Kevin Litt, the son of the founders, Mitchell and Sharon Litt. “Now we have a blend of new and old, but everything carries a similar feel in terms of being traditionally-based.” Mitchell Litt was a criminal defense attorney and his wife, Sharon, a teacher, when they made their first buying trip to Scotland to open the store 32-years ago. Since then, the store has grown to include antiques from Asia as well as Europe and reproductions sourced from 35 different countries. As it became harder to find enough antique merchandise to fill up the 25,000-square-foot store in Sherman Oaks, the Litts began adding newly manufactured pieces to their assortment, which now ranges from designer and decorator pieces to moderately priced furnishings and accessories. Now the Sherman Oaks store cannot accommodate all of its wares. “Because we bring everything in on a direct basis, we have to buy a lot,” said Litt. “There’s not enough floor space to show everything we wanted to show. The warehouse will be a continuation of what’s on our floor here in Sherman Oaks, in addition to value-priced items.” The warehouse will also give the company the opportunity to feature suites of furnishings, say for the bedroom or dining room, set up as they would be in the home. Sherman Oaks Boutiques For a number of years now, Studio City has been the location of choice for upscale boutique owners who want to locate outside shopping malls. But that may be changing. In recent months, two such apparel boutiques have opened in Sherman Oaks, both hoping to attract local customers seeking merchandise that can’t be found in department stores or shopping malls. The latest, Ruthie, opened only a month ago on Van Nuys Boulevard, just north of Ventura. Founded by veteran retailer Michael Weintraub, who also owns Dressed Up in Tarzana, an off-price evening wear store, Ruthie is focused on the shopper 30 to 50 years old, who is seeking sophisticated, often one-of-a-kind items, Weintraub said. “We decided it was time to take a stab at a more daytime customer and a more Westside, Studio City customer,” Weintraub said. “We wanted to diversify.” The store’s assortment is about 40 percent evening wear and 60 percent day-time wear. Tops can run from $25 to $150, with the majority of the items in the $50 to $100-range. Evening dresses average between $300 and $400. “I have no problem going to a very expensive line and buying one style,” said Weintraub who does most of the buying for the shop in New York. “That’s how you put together a compelling story.” Scandalo L.A. Boutique, which opened on Ventura Boulevard in March, is primarily stocked from manufacturers in Milan and from young designers, including the store’s co-owner Alexandra Damiano, who got the idea for the shop while attending fashion school in Milan. Sonia Orlenko, Damiano’s mother, said the store is designed to appeal less to an age group than to someone who wants unique items and hand-crafted accessories. “It’s for anybody who wants to feel unique,” Orlenko said. “We had customers buying for bat mitzvahs. They know the girls are going to be the only ones wearing that type of skirt.”