The Evolution of Abbot Kinney Boulevard

Changes are coming to the idiosyncratic street

Jay Cole
Special to the Mirror

   The Street. That’s what Venice locals call the mile-long eclectic, ultra-hip business district better known to outsiders as Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
   Abbot Kinney (named after the founder of Venice) defines and reflects the business climate of Venice. Allen Silverman, 10-year veteran of the street, owner of Toni’s Arte and current president of the Abbot Kinney District Association, gave the Mirror an insider’s view of business on one of the region’s best-known shopping districts.
   The Street is home to some 80 businesses, ranging from some of LA’s finest restaurants to small antique shops, designer clothing and furniture stores, along with some well-known art galleries. There are also $2 million artists’ live/work studios (designed by architect Mark Mack), idiosyncratic coffeehouses, production houses, ad agencies and architects’ offices. There are no chain stores or major franchise operations.
   The Street attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually; 50,000 alone attend the annual Street Festival in September.
   As Venice and Abbot Kinney Boulevard have been featured in many national and international publications, the Street draws a large number of visitors from all over the world. However, most come from the Westside of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Pasadena and the Valley. It’s also a magnet for locals.
   Silverman and some of the other business people believe that, in a few years, Abbot Kinney will become a major American destination, similar to South Beach Miami.
   But growth is inevitably accompanied by growing pains. Some people want to keep the Street as it is –- low-key, off-beat, informal. Others are worried about rapidly escalating rents. Property owners, most of whom are Venice residents, look forward to continuing growth.
   In four years, property values and rents have doubled. A 2,700 square-foot lot currently sells for $500,000-plus. Rents are approaching $3 a square foot.
   Silverman said, “The service businesses ... restaurants, coffee houses, hair dressing studios ... seem to be the hot spots. Some of the retail furniture, galleries and antique stores are being squeezed.” Most business owners do not own their properties. While revenues on the street have increased, rents have risen, too, so profits have dropped, forcing some retailers out, as has recently happened on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade.
   Ben Stark, owner of S.K.G. Gallery is an active member of the board of the Abbot Kinney District Association and one of the few retailers who owns his own property. His business has doubled each year for the past three years. His costs are stable and he has built equity in his property.
   Silverman and Stark have a similar view of the future. They believe that Abbot Kinney is becoming a major shopping and dining destination, noting that new artists’ lofts are now being completed, another large parcel is slated for development with shops and a restaurant, and a new sushi restaurant is under construction. In addition, badly needed parking facilities should be completed this summer by the City of Los Angeles, and one of Venice’s favorite restaurants, The Brickhouse, is expected to move to the street this year. Although rumors abound of major designer clothing stores and other national retailers coming to the Street, nothing suggests that this will happen in the immediate future.
   Abbot Kinney is not likely to become a huge homogenized shopping area. Height limits, zoning regulations, parking restrictions and limiting developments to no more than two lots should all work to preserve the character and charm of the street.
   While business was adversely affected by the events of September 11, the Street seems to have bounced back. Joe’s, one of LA’s best restaurants, is jammed. Massimo’s Delectable (new to the street) is doing a good breakfast and lunch business, the remodeled Brig is crowded, and the Street in general is becoming busy once again ... particularly on weekends.
   The Abbot Kinney District Association has plans to further stimulate business this year. It is well-funded, and is working on a joint advertising program, a website, directional signing and an even larger festival in September. The Association is also talking about establishing a business improvement district on the street, but, as it would requires the co- operation of the property owners, it may take more time to establish.
   Certainly, Abbot Kinney is undergoing rapid change. As Silverman put it, “You cannot stop progress.” The primary task of Abbot Kinney business people now is maintaining the character and style that have made Abbott Kinney unique while simultaneously accommodating the seemingly inevitable changes.