Shopping in Florence-Graham

Golden light pours from a crystal chandelier onto rich wooden furniture and polished marble floors in Rocky Chugani’s Sherman Oaks showroom. Under that warm glow, tailors lend their discerning eyes and deft fingers to fitting suits to precisely align with each client's build and style, from flashy, broad-lapeled pinstripe blazers to exquisitely cut tuxedos ideal for a black-tie job interview. Celebrity clients include Jay Leno, D. L. Hughley, Jeff Probst, and numerous athletes such as Chris Kaman, Kenyon Martin, and Baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson—as clients can verify by gazing at placards of them on the walls as they lounge on the showroom's soft couches.

The retail progeny of Interior Illusions, whose furnishings and decor have been seen in the Los Angeles Times, Esquire House, and celebrity homes, iSquared outfits shoppers with contemporary and quirky designs. Fashionable beds blend modern foundations with vintage flourishes, and an assortment of lounge chairs seamlessly combines elements such as white oak, graphite, and stainless steel into eye-catching urban recliners. iSquared's table lamps sport mod bases and unconventional angles, proving that light bulbs can be cutting edge and that lampshades look good on things other than siblings' heads.

With 100% of its profits benefitting the Beit T’Shuvah center for drug and alcohol treatment, BTS Thrift Boutique bestows a philanthropic second life upon new and gently used designer clothing, housewares, books, and furnishings. Red-brick walls rise into vaulted ceilings in the loft-like space, which houses well-organized aisles of housewares in impeccable condition. Customers browse stacks of china plates, glasses, vases, pitchers, and clocks in search of a surprising treasure. In the clothing section, designer duds rotate faster than the hands on a cheetah's wristwatch.

Equipped with funds from BTS Thrift Boutique, the spiritually minded Beit T’Shuvah center is able to impart its 12-step philosophy and psychotherapy treatments to all patients, regardless of their economic situations.

Wardrobe consultants at Michael's Custom Clothes carefully measure customers to determine precise fits that stylishly flatter each shape with dashing cuts and sophisticated designs. During the consultation, staff members help clients hand select swatches from more than 6,000 fabrics to mold into a custom Michael Sahi design, personalized to fit each client's style and comfort. Personal touches, such as hand-sewn buttons, detailed piping, and pocket monograms, adorn shirts and suits for men and women who grace offices in corporate attire or don sleek, refined tuxedos for formal occasions, such as a black-tie gala or posing atop a wedding cake.

The elegantly casual designs of Parisian clothier Emile Lafaurie populate Sean boutiques with a wardrobe of crisp shirts, tailored sweaters, and unexpected accessories that have garnered much praise from the stateside press. In its exclusive locations in New York, San Francisco, Paris, LA, the Hamptons, and Atlantis, Sean lines racks with impeccably tailored polos, oxfords, and sweaters rendered in fine European wool, cotton, and silk. Its suits and casual items are rendered in simple, masculine cuts, modernized with bright colors and poppy patterns, inspiring New York magazine to write that the clothes "channel J. Crew via the Rue de la Paix."

Allen and Richard Wattenberg took over the reins at Ross Cutlery in 1964. By that time, the shop was already 34 years old and predominantly dealt with knife-sharpening services. While the brothers and their staff have continued the shop's legacy of fixing up dull knife blades and haircutting tools, they've steadily populated their shelves with professional-grade haircutting tools, sporting knives, collectible swords, and kitchen-cutlery sets from Henckels, Trident, and Forschner. Their 2,300-square-foot shop rests on the ground floor of the Bradbury Building, which is an architectural landmark and the proud father of a rambunctious little parking garage.