Greenspan's

About Greenspan's

Greenspan's is an 82 year old business near Los Angeles, CA, carrying classic style and hard to find clothing. They sell "dead stock", reproductions, in hard to find sizes and styles, piled to the ceiling of their South Gate, California store. Since the 70's they have specialized in the styles of the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's, in work casual, and dress men's categories. They have sold clothes to many celebrities, movies, TV shows, videos, album covers, as well as many generations of Southeast Los Angeles County families.

Founded in 1928 in the nearby community of Watts. Greenspan's was run by Alex Greenspan (b.1899-d.1965), and Eva Greenspan (b.1899-d.1955). The Greenspan family lived in the back of their store from 1928 to 1939. The store was destroyed by fire after the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake, and was rebuilt by Alex Greenspan.  In 1939 they started a second location, in the nearly growing city of South Gate.

This location was run by Edward Greenspan (b.1926-d.2009). In 1944 the Watts location closed, and South Gate continued as their only store.In the 1950's Edward Greenspan designed The A-1 Pegger pants for the A-1 Kotzin Company, and he designed the "beach combers". He also sold Ed "Big Daddy" Roth his first T shirts to silk screen.  In the 1970's Edward Greenspan began to buy huge volume of (then) unwanted cotton and wool clothing from the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. He would sell it to his customers who included lowriders, rockabillies, cholos, gang members, punks, who liked clothing styles that were fashionable before the 1970's.

After the major studios downsized, and many sold off their own wardrobe department, Greenspan's began selling their older style clothes to Hollywood movie productions.  Many movie wardrobers and costumers began looking to Greenspan's for brand new "period" wardrobe. Also boutiques on Melrose in LA, in San Francisco, stores from Europe and Japan, began buying clothing styles of the 40's and 50's. In the early 1990's. Greenspan's sold many vintage work and jail clothes to hip hop artists, like NWA (Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and MC Wren,) Cypress Hill, Above The Law, and Compton's Most Wanted, who then went on to wear them on MTV, and created what became know in the fashion world as "West Coast Hip Hop" style clothing.

Greenspan's had many customers in many niches, that liked to dress different than the mainstream. so over the years Greenspan's customers have included bikers, pachucos, "OGs", cholos, hippies, rude boys, rockabilly, hot rodders, lowriders, cruisers, greasers,.gang members and many other people who wanted to dress different from the crowd.

Aside from the wide assortment of clothes including over 1,000 brands, Greenspan's has recently began authentically reproducing vintage style hats, coats, shirts, shoes, and pants.

Some of the brands they carry are Pendleton, Stacy Adams, Zig Zag "winos", Levi's, Dickies (they were Dickies first California store,) Ben Davis, Hush Puppies, Stetson,Ooo Gee's by Greenspan's, Cascade, Greystone, Bailey Hats, Cotler, Foxfire, FR, Falcon Bay, Renegade, Dobbs, as well as Dyse One, OG Abel, Joker Brand, and Tribal Gear.

They have many hard to find styles that have been discontinued like Imperials, Charlie Browns, OooGee red liners, initial stretch belts, car club coats, many out of production Pendleton board shirts, french toe shoes, clicker coats, romeos,  bowling shirts, lowrider straw hats,  two tone all leather wingtip shoes, boot cut twill jeans, county coats, and "the largest supply of...colors of the classic Pendleton 'Boardshirt' shirt in the world...the last original clothing store.

They recently have collaborated with some California clothing companies.

In 2009, they collaborated with The Last Laugh Store, owned by Mr. Cartoon, and Estevan Oriol. In 2010 Greenspan's did a collaboration with Tribal Gear, out of San Diego.

Greenspan's clients range from Ice Cube, to Lady Gaga, to Jesse James to Corey Miller.

Here is a partial list of the movies that Greenspan's has sold it's clothes to:

La Bamba, American Beauty, JFK, Blood In Blood Out, The Outsiders,LA Confidential,  American Me, American History X, Of Mice And Men, Boyz N The Hood, Driving Miss Daisy, Walkout, Deuce Wild,, Mi Vida Loca, The Green Mile, LA MISSION, The Outsiders, Training Day, American Pie, Stand and Deliver, Million Dollar Baby, Mobsters, Dumb and Dumber, Domino, Born in East LA, The Doors, Poetic Justice, Havoc, Lords of Dogtown, The Black Dalia, Ocean's 13, Fast And Furious, Attack of the 30 Foot Chola, Zodiac, and Transformers 3.

Some of the television shows wardrobed by Greenspan's include:

LA Ink, That '70s Show, American Family, Culture Clash, The Closer, The Ben Stiller Show, Roswell, Carnivale, The Shield, The Journeyman, Terriers.

Their clients in the music world include:

Cypress Hill, Social Distortion, Viernes 13, Ry Cooder, Lady Gaga, Ice Cube, Mark McGrath, Psycho Realm, Calavera, Royal Crown Review, Tierra, TSOL, NWA, Vickie Tofoya, Spanky Loco, Manic Hispanic, Hellbound Hayride, Lil Rob, Malo, Snoop Dog, Mellow Man Ace, Ice T, The Pricks, Snoop Dogg, Guic 1, James Hetfield, JaeP, Mr. Leno, Sly Slick and Wicked, Proper Dos, ALT, Bad Luck Bandits with Miss Gina Georgette, Charlie Row Campo, Hi-Strung Ramblers, Kid Rock, Steve Bucemi,  Kid Frost, Krazy Race, James Brown, Suicidal Tendencies, Say Anything, The Jackson 5, Lil Brown, Wicked Minds, The Goodfellas Band, Sicko Soldado, Left Alone. Chino Brown, Kam, AC/DC, Blindo Blunt, Kid Rock, The Bullets, Big LA, Gambler's Mark, Tha Mexikanz, Moonlight Cruisers, Manolow, Compton's Most Wanted, The Riff Raffs, Duardo, Santos De Los Angeles, and Rancid.

Greenspan has used cutting edge artists to help advertise their business, including "Big Tiny", of Unauthorized Ink, photographer and graphic designer Ian Young, Phowl,  Astek, Brad Mariachi, Jack Rudy, Michael Harrington, Ben E. Chupa, Galie, Josh McGowan, Boston, and Sammy.

Greenspan's was named "Small Business of the Year, 2009", for the 40th Assembly District, by The California Small Business Association.

Greenspan's remains family owned and operated by 3rd generation Evan Greenspan (b.1956-present),  with his two adult children working at the store. Greenspan's has opened 6 six days a week, closed Sundays, since ever since 1944. From 1928 to 1944, they were open 7 days a week.. Greenspan's is not associated with the recent "vintage" style clothing company called The Greenspan's Clothing Company, based in The Netherlands.

Greenspan's hosts an annual Greenspan's Classic car show.


As well in print in The LA Times, Long Beach Telegram, The Hollywood Reporter, GQ Magazine, Streetlow Magazine, Al Borde Magazine, Lowriding (Japan), and ANSOM Magazine.

On television The Channel 4 News/KNBC, The Star Treatment, Fox's Entertainment Daily Journal.

1 "Streetlow Magazine" Issue #56, page 79