One of my earliest childhood memories of retail store design is Clifton’s Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles. My paternal grandfather—who worked downtown as a tailor for many years—would take my brother and me to Clifton’s not just for a meal, but also to marvel at its indoor waterfall and tropical décor. To our grandfather, who was born in a remote Polish village in 1897, Clifton’s was a wonder, something he never dreamed of seeing when he was a boy.

Back then, Clifton’s showed me there’s a world of creative possibilities for designing store interiors—a career I never dreamed of when I was a boy. But the place obviously left an impression on my psyche (as did the Pantry Cafe nearby, and for the same reasons).

So I was surprised to read in the Los Angeles Times that Clifton’s still exists. And that it even has a website celebrating its history. The Times article is about the newly revised book “L.A. Bizarro: The Insider’s Guide to the Obscure, the Absurd and the Perverse in Los Angeles.” It’s a book about kitsch in L.A., where I was born and raised. The authors were interviewed at Clifton’s and write about it in the book.

The article started me thinking about whether kitsch is something you can build in to a new store’s design. Designers of kitschy places like Clifton’s and Crossroads of the World in Hollywood probably didn’t know what kitsch was, much less imagine their structures would someday be cultural icons.

My staff has access to all the latest and greatest design fixtures. It’s hard to imagine outfitting a new store without them. If we tried for a kitsch look in, say, a clothing store, we could play around with mannequin positioning, signage, window design and exterior colors. But we’d probably be too obvious and end up with a design that would be called old-school within a few years.

So, my take on kitsch is: Let it happen by accident. Get creative with your store design, layout, signs, fixtures, colors. Ask yourself it they’ll stand the test of time. But don’t try too hard. You’ll know you have a hit when people return to your store again and again—not just for the merchandise but to enjoy the vibe. Sort of like my grandfather taking me to Clifton’s whenever he had the chance.