Retail King – Los Angeles Business Journal

Red and white “for lease” signs occupy many vacant storefronts in Los Angeles, particularly the luxurious stretches of Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Malibu. Jay Luchs’ name is printed on these signs all over the city, but who is he?

Born into a real estate empire, grandson of the founder of Shannon & Luchs, one of the largest Washington, D.C.-based real estate firms of the 20th century, Luchs wanted to do what many kids of successful business owners want – to create a name of his own.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t want to do what my dad had done,” Luchs said. “I just wanted to be known as doing my own thing.”

Anticipating a career in entertainment, Luchs moved to Los Angeles in 1995 where he tried to pursue acting. Eventually, he landed a mail assistant position at a global talent agency, now known as William Morris Endeavor, where he lasted only two weeks before he decided the entertainment world was not for him.

Only then did he find himself interested in real estate, but how could he differentiate himself from his family?

“My focus is representing brands,” Luchs said. “I have a love for luxury fashion brands. I’ve done deals all over Los Angeles, but anywhere where there’s people, traffic, restaurants, retail, that’s my love.”

Name of his own

It all started when Luchs’ left WME in 2001 and was freshly hired by Insignia/ESG, a New York-based real estate company later acquired by CBRE Group Inc.

“In 2003, I kept driving past what was the former Tommy Hilfiger corner on Rodeo Drive,” Luchs said. “It had been sitting for three years. They were paying rent, and no one was getting them out.”

While his firm only sold properties at the time, Luchs pleaded with his bosses to allow him to find a new tenant to fill the lease. His bosses eventually gave in.

“We became the agent of Tommy Hilfiger to get them out of their lease obligation,” Luchs said.

He began cold calling high-end fashion brands around the world to gauge their interest in the space. “I couldn’t believe I was saying as a young broker that I had a listing on Rodeo Drive.”

Ultimately, Brooks Brothers ended up signing a 10-year lease on the 18,000-square-foot property, catapulting Luchs’ career.

“I didn’t get a lot (of money) out of that one deal,” Luchs said. “But it really led to my future.”

He found his individualism in the field. And as his clients got bigger, so did he.

Luchs to luxe

In 2013, Luchs joined New York City-based commercial real estate firm Newmark Group Inc. where he now operates as a top producing agent, having played a significant role in the formation of some of the trendiest streets in Los Angeles, including Rodeo Drive, Melrose Avenue and Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

“I like to think that I’m part of the creation of a lot of the change in the upgrading of streets,” Luchs said. “Today, if you told me that a fashion brand was…