BlackMarket

I Absolutely Love BlackMarket on Sawtelle Blvd. Perfect spot to go to if you are looking for some essential pieces. You walk into the store and to the left, they have a slightly lower level with mostly Sneakers, Hats, and various accessories for your room or kitchen. I love how the selection is so random and unique. They have various selections of Diadora that you do not see very often. In the larger portion of the store, they have a front wall of bags & other types of carrying items. the rest of the store is fillled with unique pieces of men and woman clothing. Alot of the merchandise is really nice quality and is not too pricey if your looking for great materials. I am consistently coming back and finding something new I want. The employees are super friendly and overall nice people. I think the selection they created fits my style exactly. I will obviously keep coming back. Forsure one of the best spots to shop if your into essentials or hipster style clothing.

This a wonderful shop located on Sawtelle. Its kinda similar to Giant Robot in that it sells books, t-​shirts, toys and other nicnacs but it differs in that it is more clean and less stuffy. They have two sections in the store. One section sells nothing but clothes, watches and stunner shades while the other has books, gift items, toys and all other household stuff.
I love the selection of stuff here a little better than Giant Robot and the prices are way better too though they don’t have the collectibles that Giant Robot has to offer. The clothes section is pretty nice. They have a lot of modern clothes but too bad I don’t really dress like a hipster, otherwise I might have enjoyed the store a lot better. I did, however, really like the watches that they had on display and the shades too. If I were to come back, it would definitely be to check out the watches and shades no doubt.
As for the other section, I really enjoyed the various mugs and cups that they had on display. The books were all quite fun and whimsical. They even had a book with screenshots of stupid things people were saying on Tinder… quite funny. Its a cute little shop. I liked it a lot.
PS awesome mug!

hehehhehe this place is my guilty pleasure. i really do not need the stuff i get from here but i just can’t help but crack up at the funny stationary.
I bought my very first pair of Toms here as the jeans canvas was on sale. it looks hip and was on sale for half the original price!
The store is curated with a lot of funny books, trendy clothing, & cute cards. If you’re into stationary, you will enjoy this place.

The owner of this store is SUCH a sweetheart, she remembered me and what I loved and she was so thoughtful and gracious when I came here after work, past 8:00 PM, because I work overtime.
I asked her about a few pieces and she was so sweet that she pulled out stuff for me in my sizes and I LOVED how unique her pieces are and prices are reasonable for the uniqueness and trendiness of the pieces. I ended up getting the hottest and sexiest swimwear as well as this sexy gorgeous white cutout dress in the sale section.
I have my eyes on other pieces, but too afraid to mention it here because I don’t want people to up and buy them. I am shocked at all the negative weird reviews and I guess people don’t appreciate a cool hipster store, but hey, more for me!
I love how the sales people let me do my thing and let me try on the pieces I liked and I was able to shop without rushing even though they were closing soon. The items here are so adorable and unique and I didn’t have time to check everything out.
I definitely am coming back to take my time, have a nice dinner on a date out, and basically shop to look amazing. I just hope I get a huge tax refund so that I can come back here and spend more!!! I shop everywhere and I would definitely come back to Black Market because the sales staff and the owner are all nice, they are very hip, knowledgeable, and prices to me are reasonable unlike the weird malls.
The owner loved my vibes and I was digging her. I know she will be seeing me soon and I will see her soon again. I just love meeting nice local business people who know I am a loyal customer and a good one at that. I can tell quality versus bad pieces and BM is pretty hipster and low key just the way I like it!

Agree with the others about the rude service that this place provides. The owner was really unhelpful and dismissive of questions I had about buying a gift. Do yourself a favor and pass this place.

Would have given this place 5 stars however I came in wearing a ring that I had bought at Nordstrom’s into this store. My friend and I were trying on the rings here and she purchased one. I guess the cashier or whomever saw me wearing my ring out and ran after me accusing me of stealing it. EFF YOU. Thanks for the embarrassment.

I really like this place but their customer service is atrocious. I’ve purchased dozens of things here over the years but whenever there’s an issue with an item they absolutely refuse to return or exchange it. From broken jewelry to t-​shirts they promised would not shrink, this place does not give a shit. If you’re absolutely certain you’ll never want to return something then this place is great. If not, keep walking and spend your money on a nice bowl of ramen at Tsujita instead.

This is a fun shop with clothes I haven’t seen elsewhere. Unlike some Japanese oriented places, the clothes were plenty big enough for my 5’8″ American frame. I bought a sweet, soft black and white sweater with slash pockets for under $ 60 and a fabulous giant red and black print shirt that will go with pretty much anything.
I was just killing time before a meeting, but realized I’m not going to find such interesting designs and prints anytime again soon. So, there’s a shopping bag in the trunk!

Cool lil boutique w/​a really nice vibe. Old school hip hop is the soundtrack for your shopping experience. For the ladies there are a lot of nice pieces that you can add to your repertoire including jewelry, clothes & other accessories. Fellas, they have some pretty cool «old school» sneakers as well as new school. They have some nice hats & clothes as well. There is also a little corner dedicated to the pint-​sized people in your life. For those looking to add a some flavor to their home décor they also have some cool little chachkies that are worth checking out. I’ll definitely be back for some good finds soon!

My friend found this spot while waiting to eat dinner she said that it was a cool boutique with some really nice stuff especially jewelry. After we had dinner she took me to see her newly found boutique. As soon as I walked through the door I was in heaven. The employees greeted us as we walked through the door and they also remembered my friend. As I walked through I spotted so many purses, backpacks, shoes, clothes, jewelry and also cool sunglasses that totally fits my style. The stores atmosphere gives you a classic hip hop vibe with classic hip hop playing in the back. If your looking for a cool boutique that has great finds this is place.

The Owner is very rude, arrogant and cursed me out for asking to get a discount on a pair of retros that were defected. Go to Kinokuniya, Melrose clothing stores, RIF L.A., Lil Tokyo, flagship retro in silver lake, more competitive prices and better service!
cuz they treat their customers like Sh1t! Artsy @ss owner has a stick up her butt!

What a dope find. I was visiting family when my cousin and I stopped by Sawtelle for a bite to eat and a shirt in Black Market’s window caught my eye. As soon I walked in, I saw a huge selection of clothing and accessories arranged in a clean, appealing environment. They didn’t have the shirt I wanted as it was sold out, but the owner was kind enough to pull the shirt from the window and offered to order the other shirts I wanted. Everyone there was super talkative, interested, attentive and this wasn’t something that was just ONE employee; everyone who worked there was hands-​on customer service… I do have to agree with other Unilocalers however, I work for a small business, I’ve worked as a Dept. Manager for Urban Outfitters. I KNOW Loss Prevention and I appreciate the struggle for small business owners to protect the bottom line BUT sometimes it feels like the employees treat every single thing you’re touching as if you’re going to steal it. I don’t let things like this usually effect me and didn’t COMPLETELY sour my experience, but it’s something their management should revisit. This place has a great curated selection of clothes and accessories, and is now in my top 10 shopping visits for LA. Follow them on insta, stop by and just throw your money at them! Worth it.

The style and fashion here is very nice. The store in general is very nice! I like the variety of products they have from clothes to shoes to random nerdy toys and stuff. I saw some Star Wars socks and was in love with them.
It has personality and not like a typical chain store. So I would totally recommend for the fashionable people. :D

I have been a huge fan of Black Market for years. I used to live really close to the Sawtelle shopping area and would frequent this spot to purchase pretty much all of my presents for friends and family, because their selection (though over-priced…if you check on Amazon they seem to tack on an extra 5 – 10 dollars to every single item in the store, at minimum.) is pretty unconventional and cool.
Yesterday afternoon around lunch I walked into the store looking for presents for my fiancée and his sister, and thus began the shopping experience from hell. I proceeded to pick up a couple of items, just looking at them casually. Literally every single item I put my hand on for less than a minute would bring a sales girl rushing to my side, asking in a high pitched and frantic tone if I wanted to put that item behind the counter to purchase it. At first I reasoned to myself that she was just being helpful, but after literally the 15^th time she asked me I started to wonder if she thought I was going to steal something– can’t a woman have some space to decide?!
I tried to breathe it out and selected four items to take with me to the counter. I told myself to just be cool, no need to get all riled up over one overly zealous, absurdly and overly helpful shop girl just doing her job.
I get to the counter and place the items there to purchase them. One item I had was a duffel bag for my fiancée. I asked the girl at the counter if she had a box I could fit it in. She brought out their largest box and eyeballed it, and it was clearly too small. She offered nothing else, so I asked her if there was a bag that could possibly fit the duffel in it. She brings out a paper bag, which was clearly big enough, and then proceeds to fold up the duffel bag so as it help it fit inside the shopping bag.
At this point she begins rumpling and crinkling and folding the bag so many times it was starting to seriously lose its shape. I was worried that this would cause permanent creases before I even walked out the door with it, so I asked her if she could leave it the way it was and just place it inside of the shopping bag. She looked at me as if I had asked her where to buy black market organs on sale around those parts, eyes overly incredulous. She kept on folding it in spite of my protest, saying «I’m telling you, it won’t fit in there!» I asked her if she would just try because she was ruining the bag, and she sighed as if I had asked her to lug a sack of potatoes up the nearest mountain. She placed it inside of the bag and, lo and behold, it fit! Why was she so determined not to listen to me? Why did she think it was a good idea to mess with my purchase, as if it belonged to her?
I had another smaller item that needed wrapping and she proceeded to do the sloppiest job I have ever seen, placing it in another plain brown paper bag with some tissue sticking haphazardly out of it, some string tossed around it as if to approximate what might have been considered to be a bow.
I asked her for some tissue paper for the larger present, and when she got it out of the drawer I asked how big it was. She glared at me and said «It’s standard tissue paper size» and then just looked at me. What in the world does that mean? Is there in international standardized size for tissue paper that I didn’t get the memo about? Why am I getting such a horrible attitude over simple questions?
Next I checked in on Unilocal to get a 10 percent discount. She then claims that she will only give me the 10 percent off of the most expensive item, even though the coupon CLEARLY states it was to be off the ENTIRE purchase. When I asked her why she wouldn’t get me the full discount, she claimed it was the computers fault, but then backtracked two seconds later and gave me the discount on two our of my four items. What in the world? I was so confused.
Then came the greatest part of our entire interaction (during which I felt she had the attitude of someone having their teeth pulled– is your job really this unpleasant?!) when she PICKED UP MY CELL PHONE without asking me, and checked the box on the screen that said I had completed my purchase, and then logged me out of Unilocal.Without asking. What. Just. Happened!!! Since when are you allowed to touch my personal property just because you work in a retail establishment? That felt like a violation on some level — everyone in the WHOLE WORLD knows its rude to pick up another person’s cell phone without asking.
As humans go, I am definitely the peaceful kind. I make an effort to be kind and respectful where ever I go, and so when I go into a store to spend my hard earned money, I expect to be treated with a modicum of respect in return. I don’t know if this woman was having a bad day or what, but after I left I felt angry, sad, and hurt at being treated like I was totally unimportant and a waste of time by a fellow human being. The management needs to retrain their staff, and FAST, on how to provide service

Stopped in this store while waiting to be seated at one of the restaurants nearby. It was such a nice surprise, the shop is packed with urban wear, dainty jewelry, and even upscale urban brands.
I bought a super cute Obey basic long sleeve, and a gold wire ring that says «Love». The sales rep was super sweet at helping me pick things out, and I loved browsing all of the other eclectic stuff they had. Definitely a little gem on Sawtelle, and I’m excited to go back soon to see what new stuff they carry!

In so few words, BlackMarket could be described as the smaller, Asian equivalent of an Urban Outfitters store. The place is hip, contemporary, and eclectic — and there’s plenty to see inside, even if you’re just window-​shopping.
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— There’s plenty of menswear & womenswear to browse through. For us guys, the selection offered is stylish & varied; the items on display include multiple shades of denim by brands like Naked & Famous and Nudie. BlackMarket’s also got plenty of graphic & pocket tees, plaid flannels, sunglasses by Super, etc. The selection is partly streetwear influenced and very «LA.»
— The most intriguing part of BlackMarket’s setup is the shop’s selection of gifts, which can be found by hanging a left from the store’s entrance.
The range of gift items offered spans everything from traditional (incense holders, silverware, calendars, etc.) to trendy. During our most recent visit, I stumbled upon some literary gems that I’d love to purchase for our coffee table; «Zombies Hate Stuff» & «The Pocket Guide to Dim Sum» would both make for fine additions to anyone’s library!
— The soundtrack in here is another plus. It’s a blend of chillwave, house, and hip-​hop. I may or may not have been caught trying to Shazam the store’s soundtrack on more than one occasion. Again, the vibe is distinctly Angeleno!
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— In keeping with the Urban Outfitters comparison above, the quality of customer service experienced here can be sporadic.
Some staff members are ready and willing to provide assistance & answer questions, while you’d be lucky to even get a greeting from other employees. It’s a strange inconsistency, i.e. «Why are you blatantly staring at my shoes yet not taking the time to offer even a ‘hello’?»
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Overall, a cool place to stop by if you’re on or around Sawtelle.

One of my favourite stores to find clothes, knick knacks, accessories, bday cards, and random ass crap. But so dang expensive ! But that doesn’t stop me. Unique finds.

I’ve purchased quite a few fun gifts for friends and myself. I really like the jewelry collection and there are a lot of fun things to browse. The only thing that makes me uncomfortable is that there are certain employees who follow you around so I always feel like I’m being watched or doing something wrong. Other than that, I would give this place 5 stars!
Remember to check-​in to get 10% off!

Cute boutique with fun jewelry, comfy clothing, and little trinkets. They have a slew of items in all different price ranges to fit your budget. I like the «local» type items you can buy to show your pride for California or Los Angeles.

Do people buy things from here? Literally the ONLY reason why I came in is because I had extra time on my parking meter and didn’t want it to go to waste so I took a little stroll through sawtelle and came across this store.
They have clothes and shoes and tshirts, which is fine and dandy. They also have cute little randommmmmmmm merchandise in the other section. It was fun looking through the display and wondering what kind of person would buy such items. There was a DJ at the corner of the store doing what a DJ is supposed to do. Poor guy. The store is super cramped, he was literally squished over in the corner.
Although I would never ever buy anything from this store, I give it a 4 stars because it’s something to do when you’re in sawtelle and ate a huge dinner and you just need to walk it off.

I got some super cute Dolce Vita booties here over the weekend, as well as some eyeglasses. This store was a complete surprise, and the staff here is really helpful. Special shout out to Blake for being patient with me as I tried on my booties multiple times!
I would definitely check out this store if you’re looking for a unique gift… or would like some hipsta clothes.

Really cool place to pick up a gift for a friend or some clothes for yourself. They have a wide selection of shirts for men and other clothing stuff, didn’t really check out the women’s section but it looked extensive as well. They have a bunch of hipster clothes which depending on your style you might or might not enjoy. Even if you don’t like the clothes section, they have a separate area for toys and household objects that I think everybody would enjoy. It’s a cool place to look around or even buy some clothes for yourself

This place is chock full of wonderful things and great staff. Bookmarking to revisit next time I’m on Sawtelle.

BlackMarket was on my list for a while to check out when I was in LA. This is a conception of Jisook Lee, and they offer a combination of clothing, shoes, jewelry, home décor, stationery, and little gifts in this two-​part store. Brands that they carry for clothing include 10 Deep, BBC, and Diamond Supply; they even have some Limited Edition items, like G-​Shock watches, animal suits (yes, animal suits!), and clothing that were collaborated with designers. I really liked their ‘animal-​esque’ hats, which some had bear ears and one looked like a llama head: P The store itself was a little tight, and the staff were a bit inattentive and unhelpful.
+animal ear hats

Great place to go look for unique gifts!
I wasn’t wild about the clothing selection — some boutique-​y labels and a lot of Vivienne Westwood, but the gift area is great. Books, note cards, toys, funky kitchen gadgets, etc. The selection is similar to what you might see at an Urban Outfitters (though I’d argue it’s a bit better).
Definitely good for house warming gifts and stocking stuffers.

This store has great and unique merchandise. They carry great brands for tee shirts and other casual clothing. Their home section is fantastic as well, with great unique items. This is a perfect place to come shopping for gifts, as they sell things that many other stores don’t. Think of it as a tiny Barney’s, but more affordable.
Some of their pricing is a bit high, but considering the quality and uniqueness, it’s worth the cost.

This is a very cute little shop with nice quality merchandise at high-​ish prices. They focus on cool and trendy stuff from Japan, though I didn’t check the origin country of all their stuff, so there may be other international influences as well. Jewelry, sunglasses, shirts, accessories, shoes, and little décor items are prominent here. I browsed for a bit and the staff I interacted with were friendly and helpful. It’s a good place to look for attractive gifts.

400TH REVIEW! :)
2014 Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE — ¹¹²⁄₃₆₅
I don’t see why this store has such good reviews. I’ve been here a few times and I think it’s okay… but I’m not a huge fan of it.
There are two sides/​rooms to this store. The one you first enter basically has all clothes. It’s mostly just graphic tees, a few button downs and jackets, but the majority of it looked like mens’ clothing so I wasn’t interested. They had a few pairs of shoes, like some Dolce Vita booties and some TOMS in cool colors I had never seen before. They also had some jewelry, and a display of Diane Von Furstenberg items.
The second room is a LOT smaller and really cramped. This one has a bunch of random novelty-​like items and cute stuff. It reminds me of the novelty sections at Urban Outfitters, except with an Asian-​flare/​influence. They had some cute stuff that I liked, but I didn’t buy because it was kinda overpriced. They also have a wall full of mens’ shoes which I skipped entirely.
Overall…not super impressed with this place. Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t find anything I really liked. Some items I thought were cute, but not for their price tag.

We came here after dinner at ROC. The staff didn’t allow us to bring our drinks, which was understandable after seeing the prices of the clothes. It’s a pretty trendy store with Obey, Hundreds, and so forth. It’s your upscale urban clothing store without the street cred.
There was a lot of stuff I found pretty dope and the materials of the clothing was pretty good. However, I couldn’t justify paying the price BM was asking for some of their inventory. I’m from Orange County and frequent Obey warehouse sales where I get the same stuff for dirt cheap.
Anyways, I could see why rich West LA kids would flock to this store to pop some tags and hoping to gain some street cred. I’m gonna pop some tags. I got $ 20 in my pocket. I’m hunting for a come up and this is not f*cking awesome. In other words, I rather pop tags at the Thrift store like Macklemore.

Super pimp, plus they sell my Nookas…