How to Find Designer Sample Sales in Los Angeles

Nothing makes a dedicated shopper happier than finding fabulous designer originals at sale prices and there's no better place for it in Los Angeles than the California Market Center. Featuring more than 1,000 to-the-trade showrooms on 13 floors, it's the center of the West Coast fashion industry, where buyers purchase LA Designer's lines for department stores and boutiques across the country. Usually the building is only open to wholesale buyers, but on the last Friday of every month as well as every Friday from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the public is invited in to shop for samples and over-runs at up to 80 percent off retail prices. It isn't only the best place in town to find unbelievable bargains on the latest fashions from some of city's top designers, it's like taking a backstage tour of the Los Angeles fashion industry.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Comfortable walking shoes. This place is enormous.

How to Find Designer Sample Sales in Los Angeles

1. The California Market Center is located at 110 East 9th Street at the corner of Olympic and Main Streets in downtown Los Angeles. The campus is comprised of three buildings containing more than 1,000 showrooms on thirteen floors interconnected by a series of interior bridges and escalators. Hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and samples sales are held on the last Friday of every month as well as every Friday from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Parking is available in an underground, on-site garage at rates of $4.00 per hour with an $18.00 maximum.

2. From sportswear to couture, cutting edge to traditional, for men and women, you'll find it here. There are also luxury gifts and housewares, outerwear and accessories available for sale. While reductions can be enormous, this is high-end merchandise and most prices are in the hundreds of dollars, marked down from the thousands. Whether you're looking for a an outfit to wow 'em on a red carpet or something sexy to go clubbing or even top-of-the-line business attire, this is where you can snap it up without mortgaging your future.

3. Not every showroom is open to the public. It's up to each vendor whether or not to open their doors although most open up at some point when they have samples and over-runs to dispose of. Not all showrooms have goods in all sizes and many items are sample sizes only.

4. Sample sales are only allowed when the timing does not conflict with a major market event, when retailers shop the market for future deliveries to their stores. Call in advance at [phone] to confirm whether a sample sale is actually being held on a particular Friday.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear comfortable shoes and prepare to do a lot of walking.
• Call in advance to make sure a sample sale is happening on a particular Friday.
• Customer service isn't a forte here. You may get some attitude but laugh it off and console yourself with your incredible deals.

Resources

• California Market Center Sample Sales

[mwildermuth]

on 8/13/2009 www.whsale.com posts warehouse and sample sales from all over the united states.

[fashionlover777]

on 6/18/2009 Atlanta boutique, Runway Atlanta is having a Sample / Warehouse Sale, here in Los Angeles on 6/18-6/19 (10am-6pm). Save 50%-70% on women's clothing by L.A.M.B, Tom Ford, Roberto Cavailli, Report Signature, Kova & T, Jeffrey Campbell, Aristocrat, Y-3, 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent, Kooba, Alexi Hudson, Kenneth Jay Lane, Moss Mills, Eugenia Kim, Nikki Jaggs. We have shoes, clothing, jewelry, accessories. Melrose Lightspace, 7600 Melrose ave., Ste N, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Cash/ CC only.

[sampleshopper]

on 6/3/2009 These sample sales can get really hectic, and the girls tend to have a crazed look in their eyes. Often girls will snatch something right out of your hands, if you're not careful! For deep discounts on LA designers, I prefer to go to The Circle Outlet. It's in Silverlake and they have all of the best designers at over half off retail prices. Way better than dealing with pushy shoppers, and they take credit cards (most showrooms downtown only accept cash). The Circle is like a sample sale all the time, HIGHLY recommended!