Laurel Crary-Globus, the new general manager of the Beverly Center, says her goal is to make the mall a “phenomenal shopping experience for a very upscale, sophisticated shopper.”
Crary-Globus graduated from Montana State University with a degree in communications/public relations. She wanted to have a career planning special events for department stores, but “it was kind of like waiting for someone to die trying to get one of those positions,” so she began a career in retail management.
Before coming to Los Angeles, Crary-Globus worked for the Denver Department Store in Colorado. In L.A., she was in store management at Robinsons-May for a few months before moving to specialty stores like Victoria’s Secret, Banana Republic and Talbot’s. In 1995, Crary-Globus joined the Beverly Center as an assistant general manager. After two years, Taubman Co., the Beverly Center’s owner, sent her to Grand Rapids, Mich. to manage the Woodland shopping center. Nine months later, she was back in Los Angeles as general manager of the Beverly Center.
Crary-Globus said there are discussions about having a curbside valet or a lobby lounge concept with an upscale coffee kiosk. But she stressed that “the physical enhancements are just frosting. The biggest key is the tenants. If you have the tenants, the customers will come.”
Because there are so many places to shop in Los Angeles, malls must offer something special. “I really think that the Beverly Center has carved out a niche in the entertainment industry. Also, we’ve become the place that caters to Beverly Hills,” said Crary-Globus.
“Right now, we want a larger portion of that market,” she continued. “They have a great reason to come here. We’re raising the bar a little bit. L.A. is definitely a town to see and be seen, and we want to benefit from that. We do get our fair share of limos.”
Alexa Apallas
