A proposal 1149 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach
Something made here should be made by hand.
Hello, I am Csilla Somogyi. I own a clothing line established in 2007 in Manhattan, NYC. After numerous fashion and trunk shows I opened a boutique in the heart of downtown Austin at 504 Congress Ave. For ten years I designed and together with my team we hand-produced every beautiful garment sold. I'd like to bring this same, original, high end and exquisite shop, and the family behind it, to this corner.
Asking rent: $14,500/mo. Open to discussing terms
Proposed use: Women's beach to bistro wear, made on site
A proposal — [your street address], Manhattan Beach
Something made here should be made by hand.
I'm [Your Name], and for ten years I designed and hand-produced every piece sold in my Austin boutique. I'd like to bring that same shop — and the family behind it — to this corner.
The story
Ten years, one storefront, no investors.
I started making clothes the way most people start hobbies — one dress, sewn by hand, because I couldn't stop thinking about it. That grew into a shop in downtown Austin where I designed, cut, and produced everything myself, then built a small team to grow it with me: four people at our busiest, all trained in-house, most staying three or four years because they were learning a real craft, not just working retail.
I had both of my kids in that business. They did their first eighteen months of life in a bassinet behind the counter. That store wasn't a side project — it was the family's second home.
When the lease ended, it wasn't because the business failed. I offered to pay three to four times my rent to keep the doors open. It still wasn't enough to stay.
I'm telling you that not to dwell on it, but because it's the clearest proof I can offer of how I feel about a space like this: I don't take a lease lightly, and I don't leave one by choice.
Why this street, not another chain
What a neighborhood like this is actually trying to protect.
What's already here
Independent shops, longtime owners, a downtown that still feels like it belongs to the people who live here — not a repeating storefront you could find in any airport.
What I'd add
A working studio people can actually see — garments cut, sewn, and finished in the back of the shop they're standing in. Handmade isn't a marketing word here; it's the business model.
I'm not asking you to bet on a concept. I've already run this exact shop, successfully, for a decade — I'm asking for the chance to run it here, for the next one.
The work
What's actually for sale.
Every garment is designed and produced in-house — cut, sewn, and finished on site, not sourced. Alongside the clothing line, I carry a curated selection of accessories that round out the shop and give a lower-priced entry point.
| Category | Retail price | Typical sale price |
|---|---|---|
| Core collection | $200 – $500 | $80 – $200 |
| Specialty / occasion pieces | $700 – $1,200 | — |
| Accessories | Projected $12,000 – $17,000 of monthly sales (was $8,000 – $10,000 in Austin) | |
The plan
Small, deliberate team — built to grow with the shop.
Production
1–2 people assisting with making, paid above standard production wages to retain skilled hands — the same model that kept my Austin team for years, not months.
Sales floor
1 dedicated salesperson, so the shop is staffed and welcoming during all open hours while production continues in back.
The numbers
A conservative first-year picture.
I'm including this because I'd rather you have it than not — not because I think a lease should be decided on a spreadsheet alone.
The ask
I'm not looking for a lease. I'm looking for the place my kids grow up in.
I've done this before, and I know what it costs to build something people trust over years, not seasons. If you give me this space, I intend to still be paying rent on it when my children are old enough to run the register themselves — and long after that, if they want it.
I'd welcome the chance to talk this through in person, bring samples, or answer anything the numbers above don't.