Things You'll Need:
- Bring cash and you'll get a better price. Many stalls don't take credit cards.
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Step 1
Santee Alley is an actual alley, located between Santee Street and Maple Avenue and Olympic Blvd. and 12th Street, in the Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles. It runs two blocks long with stalls on either side, a mash-up of Venice Beach and Rodeo Drive.
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Step 2
There are several parking lots surrounding the Alley where you can pay to park at rates ranging from $6.00 to $8.00. There's also metered street parking so bring plenty of quarters although spaces can be hard to come by. The shops are open from 10:00 to 5:00, seven days a week. Arrive early because the crush of humanity can be overwhelming later in the day.
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Step 3
Enter the alley from Olympic Blvd. to begin shopping. Vendors hawk faux Vuitton, Prada and Burberry, True Religion jeans and Chanel sunglasses just for starters. There are bootleg DVDs, silver and gold jewelery, hip-hop and club wear for both men and women, baby clothes and children's toys, the selection is endless. Most prices are in the $10.00 to $20.00 dollar range, but be sure to bargain. The more you buy from one stall, the more they're likely to reduce prices. If you love names, names, names and labels, labels, labels, even if they are fabulous fakes, Santee Alley is your de rigueur destination.
Comments
meghanator said
on 5/15/2009 120% mark up on an item that cost 20$ to make is what should be illegal. Not all of us have $450 to toss at a handbag. I thought is was very helpful
kittie said
on 3/23/2008 Don't encourage people to engage in illegal activity, because that's exactly what this is!!