At Indexx, Monday Evening Brings Quiet and Hassle-Free Boutique Shopping

A day may be called "Cyber Monday" by businesses wanting your hard-earned bucks, but there's only so much one can take of online holiday gift window shopping. The plus side of mouse-clicking your way from store to store is that you don't have to compete with dozens of other little white arrows in the virtual aisles; the downside is you'll have to patiently wait for your package to arrive in the mail — only to find out that the navy blue sweater you got for your beau is actually more eggplant purple.

Perhaps I let the enthusiastic holiday consumerism get to my head on my way home when I decided to make a pit stop at , a modern-looking boutique sandwiched between and , a waxing salon, on Lankershim Boulevard. I'd never taken the time to check out the store when I lived in the Arts District up until a month ago.

To avoid crowds — especially of the gift-giving season type — my trick is to stop in right before a place closes on a weeknight. It’s a good technique if you’re a short-and-sweet shopper with a list prepped and ready, or if you're the type who can browse quickly with no worries. When I arrived at about 6:30 p.m., it was 30 minutes before closing time and there were only two other shoppers at the store.

The boutique carries a well-edited selection of independent contemporary designers: Society for Rational Dress, Religion, Vince and Eryn Brinie are just a few labels stocked. If you’re looking for fast and disposable fashion à la Forever 21, look elsewhere – what you’ll find here are smart blouses in modern cuts, maxi dresses in fresh-yet-timeless prints, and solid-colored coats with architectural lines.

Fans of minimalist designers like Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons or Helmut Lang might want to pull up a chair and make themselves at home, and the store feels like it would fit in well with the shops on West Third Street. My admittedly one- to two-dollar-sign budget was a bit sheepish at this two- to three-$$$ boutique, but that doesn't mean my wallet couldn't admire Indexx's well-structured utilitarian frocks from afar.

Customers can expect not to be bothered, but in a good way — Joy Yassan, the store’s owner, told me she doesn’t like pressuring people to purchase and that she prefers to let them make their own decisions. During my visit, I was warmly greeted at the door and found the staff was friendly and helpful, but not overbearing and pushy.

Though the store has called the Arts District its home for four years, it’s been around for much longer. Before moving to NoHo, the store was on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, Yassan told me. Its current spot is “an up-and-coming…(and) very artistic area,” she said. “That’s why we wanted to move here.” That, and because the building’s owner offered her a great lease deal she couldn’t refuse, she added.

After the store relocated to NoHo and thrived, other businesses took notice, she said. Since Indexx moved to Lankershim and Magnolia, the intersection has gotten the waxing boutique Strip and Nappy Tabs, a dance apparel store.

While I shopped, I overheard Yassan telling a longtime customer that Desperate Housewives actress Terri Hatcher had bought some leggings in every single color. Yassan later told me stylists from TV shows like General Hospital and the aforementioned often stop in to buy wardrobe pieces.

I ended up leaving with a great coat (thanks, budget-friendly sale rack!), so perhaps Indexx’s sales pitch of none at all worked like a charm as I made an unplanned purchase for myself. I like to think I simply procrastinated on the  idea.

Indexx is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.  Visit the store next Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. for its annual holiday party; free food and drinks will be served.