Press

CHRISTINE SILVESTRI

a profile

If there are three things Christine Silvestri has a keen sense of they are fashion, shopping and innovation. As the owner and creator of Urban Shopping Adventures, a unique Los Angeles tour company that caters to those with a penchant for shopping, Silvestri has filled a niche in one of the country’s most fashion forward cities.

Founded in late 2003, Urban Shopping Adventures was born out of a need to offer out-of-town visitors, as well as locals who might be intimidated by the abundance of L.A.’s shopping opportunities, insider access to some of the city’s retail and wholesale districts.

Silvestri initially offered shopping tours to the colorful LA Fashion District, whose rolling rack-laden streets are ripe with incredible bargains inside non-descript buildings that house a mix of wholesale and retail shops. She knew that the area’s hidden alleyways, teeming with a mix of people and merchandise, would appeal to the many visitors who come to L.A. with one thing in mind – shopping.

As business continues to grow, so do the company’s tour options. Silvestri recently added treks to the hip and haute Melrose Heights Shopping District, an area along famed Melrose Avenue that is rapidly adding to its roster of major design labels. These west end shopping excursions are geared towards those interested in sleuthing through designer boutiques, such as Fred Segal, Betsey Johnson, Marc Jacobs, Xin, Fornarina, BCBGMaxAzria, and many others.

"My goal in creating Urban Shopping Adventures was to help residents and visitors navigate the best areas to shop in L.A.," says Silvestri. "The Fashion District tends to appeal to those who enjoy the ’hunt’ and want quality as well as value, while those who choose the Melrose Heights tour are more interested a leisurely shopping experience going straight to the designer source."

Prior to founding Urban Shopping Adventures, Silvestri enjoyed success in a breadth of fields. She began her career as an acquisitions editor in foreign languages and American history/political science with a college textbook publisher, and worked as a translator for French and Italian scientific publications. She then segued into retail and fashion, serving as the director of marketing at the Fallbrook Mall in West Hills where she was granted the Certified Marketing Director (CMD) designation by the International Council of Shopping Centers. Next she established her own firm, CS Marketing Services, a company that specialized in marketing, promotions, public relations and advertising for community special events, as well as regional malls and shopping centers. Next she accepted a position as vice president of marketing for the L.A. Mart, the West Coast’s largest wholesale mart for gifts and furniture. After several years with the LA Mart, she was tapped by NeoCon West, the most prestigious commercial furnishings show in the Western United States, to head their marketing efforts.

Silvestri is also generous with her time and energy having served on various volunteer boards and committees, including: Woodbury University’s Gala and Fashion Show steering committee 2003, 2004, 2005, Gift for Life/amfAR Board of Directors, Encino Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Southern California Marketing Directors Association Board of Directors, Women in Retail Real Estate Board of Directors, West Hills Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, International Council of Shopping Centers Public Relations Committee, and Daily News Women’s Career Conference.

Urban Shopping Adventures, named the exclusive authorized group tour provider to the LA Fashion District by the area’s Business Improvement District, has graced the pages of Lucky Magazine, Where Magazine, Orange County Register, Tu Ciudad and Los Angeles Downtown News, and has been featured on ABC 7 Eyewitness News, CBS 2 Morning News, Telemundo Channel 52/22, Sonoran Living Live in Phoenix, the Fox News affiliate in San Diego, as well as in the Los Angeles Times and numerous other newspapers.

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