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Business Journals
14-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Santa Monica approves open alcohol on Third Street Promenade
Story Highlights Santa Monica approves alcohol consumption on Third Street Promenade. Entertainment zone hours limited to weekends, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Program aims to revitalize downtown area and boost economic activity. Santa Monica's City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Tuesday allowing the public to carry and consume alcoholic beverages on the Third Street Promenade, with modifications. The ordinance creates an "entertainment zone" across three downtown blocks between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, allowing patrons to consume alcohol bought at Promenade businesses out on the street. Patrons will be given branded wristbands and custom cups, but cannot bring outside alcoholic drinks to the Promenade, nor can they enter shops with their beverages. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events At a previous council meeting, the program was proposed to run seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. At Tuesday's meeting, the council voted to reduce the program to Friday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. as the program is rolled out, with plans to expand to seven days as early as possible. On the Promenade, 13 businesses have alcohol licenses, with the earliest opening at 9 a.m. 'Slow and steady wins the race, my mother always told me,' Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete said during the council meeting. 'I'm not always slow and steady, but I think in this case we can always add to it. It'll be a little bit harder to pull back if it goes totally wrong.' The council was discussing the matter from 11 p.m. on Tuesday past midnight Wednesday. Entertainment zone hours reduced to avoid police overtime costs During the meeting, Santa Monica Planning Manager Jing Yeo provided an updated report on the proposed entertainment zone, offering information on the plans and answering council questions. Two Santa Monica police officers are staffed on the Promenade from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and four are staffed on-site from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Expanding the entertainment zone hours would require the city to add dedicated officers to the streets around the Promenade, which would amount to additional overtime pay of more than $650,000, Yeo said. Downtown Santa Monica Inc.'s private security through Legion will also provide staff to the area during entertainment zone hours. Rolling the program out Friday through Sunday will bypass major overtime costs, Mayor Pro Tem Caroline Torosis said during the meeting. 'Our promenade is a cultural and economic hub, but it's struggled with storefront vacancies, decreased foot traffic and loss of vibrancy,' Torosis said. 'This proposal is an opportunity to reimagine our public spaces and provide a platform for recovery. We need to move beyond the false choice that it's either about safety or economic vitality.' The council will have the ability to expand the hours for events as needed, such as for June's Pride on the Promenade event on June 21. The city's police department plans to reassess the program every 90 days. There have been five alcohol-related public incidents year-to-date at the Promenade, all related to unhoused individuals, said Santa Monica Police Lieutenant Brian Gradle. Police will monitor incidents related to alcohol during entertainment zone hours, allowing the council to determine whether the program is having a negative impact on the community. Public comments ahead of vote range in support The Santa Monica City Council has been engaging with the community to create the entertainment zone downtown. Public comment at the May 13 meeting ranged from supportive to outraged, with negative comments focusing on noise pollution and crime. 'It's a very stupid idea.' one community commentator said to the council. 'Who thought of this great idea? A 12-year-old?' Former Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis approached the council as a member of the community during the public comment segment. Davis encouraged the program, recommending the council work with DTSM Inc. and CEO Andrew Thomas. 'This really is kind of easy,' Davis said. 'Over 100 cities in the U.S. already do this. They're not overridden with crime, they're not overridden with drunks, they're not overridden with people driving under the influence. What they're enjoying is an economic boom. 'Please don't overthink this. Set yourself up for success. This is something I think will really rejuvenate the Promenade and our downtown.' Thomas of DTSM Inc. followed Davis at the meeting, adding that DTSM Inc. fully supports a seven-day entertainment zone. Sign up for Business First's free daily newsletter to receive the latest business news impacting Los Angeles.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Officials consider public drinking proposal for popular Santa Monica promenade
City councilmembers are considering a proposal to bring public drinking to Santa Monica's popular Third Street Promenade. The proposal would allow businesses already with a licence to sell alcohol to customers who could walk around with their beverages in designated areas while they shop or enjoy the atmosphere. Supporters of the proposal believe it could bring a boost to downtown businesses in the post-COVID economy. 'I think it's a great idea,' said Andrew Thomas, CEO of Downtown Santa Monica Inc. 'I think it's the biggest thing that's happened to the promenade since the promenade was built.' If approved, the zone would become the first of its kind in the state since Governor Gavin Newsom passed a bill allowing public drinking in areas deemed 'entertainment zones.' The bill defines entertainment zones as 'a zone created by a city, county, or city and county ordinance on or after January 1, 2025, that authorizes consumption of one or more types of alcoholic beverages on public streets, sidewalks, or public rights-of-way.' In addition, the bill authorizes city and county officials to establish entertainment zones, which is what Santa Monica city officials are currently looking into. Councilmembers are weighing the idea of creating a permanent entertainment zone in an area of the outdoor shopping center, which would encompass three blocks from Wilshire Boulevard to Colorado Avenue. 'My first instinct is to say, eek, I don't like it, just because it can create a certain atmosphere of chaos,' one local said. 'But, I think if it's managed properly with the right ethics and regulations, I would say it's a great choice.' According to Downtown Santa Monica Inc., there will be strict rules around the area. 'Nobody can bring in outside alcohol to the entertainment zone,' Thomas told KTLA's Sara Welch. 'You have to purchase it from businesses here, so it's not a free-for-all by any means. It will be heavily regulated.' City councilmembers are set to revisit the proposal at their next meeting in May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Experiential' retail surges as landlords try to lure customers back to the mall
In a former clothing store in Santa Monica, young entrepreneurs hawk products live on TikTok, sometimes in marathon sessions that last many hours. Fans and customers can stroll onto the floor that was once filled with racks of trendy women's apparel to watch them work and perhaps buy some of their wares. Nearby, people play miniature golf in a former food court where the holes are designed as tiny movie sets — intentionally made for Instagram to boost customers' social media feeds. Kids putt in the daytime. After dark, cocktails flow for the dating crowd and the karaoke lounge gets busy. Down the way on the Third Street Promenade, resounding whacks of pickleball volleys pop out of a 1960s-vintage storefront last occupied by shoe seller Adidas. The conversion of stores where customers were passive consumers to places where they participate in the action reflects changes in shopping habits brought on by the internet and a growing desire among many young people for shared experiences. Hazy pandemic memories of anxious confinement and forced distancing from other people are playing a part in the trend too, Bay Area retail consultant David Greensfelder said. "When we finally got let out of our collective time-out corner, we really wanted to go do stuff," he said. "Generally speaking, we're still really wanting to go do stuff." The concept of "experiential retail," as it is known in the real estate business, is hardly new — in the 1970s, for example, Chuck E. Cheese combined food with arcade games and families came to play instead of just eat. But recent growth in experiential retail combines people's desire for active experience with landlords' compelling need to fill space. Malls have been struggling for decades as department stores consolidated and fell out of favor. The pandemic only accelerated the trend of shopping from home and having purchases delivered. Spectacle is one way to get people to show up in person and perhaps patronize other businesses too. It's a tactic being embraced in Santa Monica, where the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place shopping destinations have labored to attract customers in recent years. Among the Promenade's challenges is its scale — the mall's unusually large stores can be hard to fill in an era when many big retailers are reducing their footprints. Landlords have shown a willingness to try tenants they might have once deemed unseemly. "Pickleball in a brick-and-mortar would have been really unheard of five years ago," said Andrew Thomas, chief executive of Downtown Santa Monica Inc., a private nonprofit organization that promotes the city's business district. Pickle Pop, where players can reserve court time in the former Adidas store, is part sports club, part clothing retailer and part restaurant. Such a hybrid approach can spur more business — Splatter Studio on 4th Street near the Promenade is part bar and part art studio, where customers suited up in coveralls paint messy "masterpieces" on canvas as they imbibe. Group activities are proving appealing, Thomas said. "Many people want more experiences in a destination that is fun and exciting," he said. "Things they can do and put on Instagram and have fun with their friends." Holey Moley Golf Club, the mini-golf center, is also a restaurant, cocktail bar and karaoke lounge, all elements intended to get people to show up and participate in what General Manager Simon Whicker called "competitive socializing." The 27 holes are small but elaborately decorated with nods to 1980s and 1990s nostalgia. The venue is "a multisensory labyrinth" that includes neon signs with cheeky slogans and hand-painted murals, he said. After 8 p.m. when only adults can play, DJs and strolling magicians perform on weekend nights. Cocktails are served in ceramic unicorns and miniature bathtubs. Social media is the key driver of Outlandish, a TikTok content factory where creators hired and trained by the store sell products such as nutritional supplements, clothes, workout gear and gum. The brands rent booths from Outlandish. Customers can watch creators enthusiastically pitch their wares to an online audience and perhaps buy what they are selling. The goal of Outlandish is to combine "the excitement of live, interactive shopping with the personal connection of in-store visits," Chief Executive William August said. "We have the capacity to bring global, world-renowned brands right here to customers and visitors in Los Angeles," he said. "That local audience can then step into their very own livestream and interact with viewers across the world." Businesses are experimenting with experiential retail in multiple formats, said Lee Shapiro, a real estate broker at Kennedy Wilson who specializes in selling and leasing retail properties. Years ago many were aimed at families with children, such as indoor trampoline parks and Chuck E. Cheese, he said. Now proprietors are going after adults with concepts like Holey Moley and Punch Bowl Social, which combines eating and drinking with nostalgic amusements such as billiards, bowling, darts and arcade games. Inglewood's Hollywood Park retail center hosts Cosm, an immersive theater that features plush stadium seating and a wraparound screen that's 87 feet in diameter with life-like resolution that gives the venue that opened last year the feel of a scaled-down Las Vegas Sphere. The entertainment- and sports-focused venue gives viewers the sense of being in the best seats at events such as Cirque du Soleil, NBA basketball and the World Series, while eating and drinking. Cosm has its own production team with the ability to shoot an event from as many as 10 different vantages, while also providing a network's feed on virtual screens in the corners. For instance, while an audience of millions watched Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series from Fox's angles, the Cosm crowd experienced it from seats behind the plate at Dodger Stadium. The reaction in Cosm was "pandemonium," Cosm Chief Executive Jeb Terry said. Other experiential attractions use virtual reality, such as an exhibit about the Titanic coming to the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles in March. Visitors wearing headsets will virtually descend to see the infamous wreck as it exists today, then appear to go back to 1912 before the ship sank and wander public spaces such as the Grand Staircase, dining rooms and bustling decks. At Topanga Village mall in Warner Center, people wearing VR gear on their heads and bodies can battle virtual zombies and other attackers or compete with each other in a "Squid Game" simulation at Sandbox VR. Young people are driving the trend for active participation, Greensfelder said. "Among Gen Z, you're seeing a huge desire to actually have in-person experiences again," he said. "They're going back to the mall." For users of social media such as TikTok, "It doesn't surprise me one bit that this cohort is very experience-driven, as opposed to material thing-driven. They also want to have the experience be in person." Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
27-02-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
‘Experiential' retail surges as landlords try to lure customers back to the mall
In a former clothing store in Santa Monica, young entrepreneurs hawk products live on TikTok, sometimes in marathon sessions that last many hours. Fans and customers can stroll onto the floor that was once filled with racks of trendy women's apparel to watch them work and perhaps buy some of their wares. Nearby, people play miniature golf in a former food court where the holes are designed as tiny movie sets — intentionally made for Instagram to boost customers' social media feeds. Kids putt in the daytime. After dark, cocktails flow for the dating crowd and the karaoke lounge gets busy. Down the way on the Third Street Promenade, resounding whacks of pickleball volleys pop out of a 1960s-vintage storefront last occupied by shoe seller Adidas. The conversion of stores where customers were passive consumers to places where they participate in the action reflects changes in shopping habits brought on by the internet and a growing desire among many young people for shared experiences. Hazy pandemic memories of anxious confinement and forced distancing from other people are playing a part in the trend too, Bay Area retail consultant David Greensfelder said. 'When we finally got let out of our collective time-out corner, we really wanted to go do stuff,' he said. 'Generally speaking, we're still really wanting to go do stuff.' The concept of 'experiential retail,' as it is known in the real estate business, is hardly new — in the 1970s, for example, Chuck E. Cheese combined food with arcade games and families came to play instead of just eat. But recent growth in experiential retail combines people's desire for active experience with landlords' compelling need to fill space. Malls have been struggling for decades as department stores consolidated and fell out of favor. The pandemic only accelerated the trend of shopping from home and having purchases delivered. Spectacle is one way to get people to show up in person and perhaps patronize other businesses too. It's a tactic being embraced in Santa Monica, where the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place shopping destinations have labored to attract customers in recent years. Among the Promenade's challenges is its scale — the mall's unusually large stores can be hard to fill in an era when many big retailers are reducing their footprints. Landlords have shown a willingness to try tenants they might have once deemed unseemly. 'Pickleball in a brick-and-mortar would have been really unheard of five years ago,' said Andrew Thomas, chief executive of Downtown Santa Monica Inc., a private nonprofit organization that promotes the city's business district. Pickle Pop, where players can reserve court time in the former Adidas store, is part sports club, part clothing retailer and part restaurant. Such a hybrid approach can spur more business — Splatter Studio on 4th Street near the Promenade is part bar and part art studio, where customers suited up in coveralls paint messy 'masterpieces' on canvas as they imbibe. Group activities are proving appealing, Thomas said. 'Many people want more experiences in a destination that is fun and exciting,' he said. 'Things they can do and put on Instagram and have fun with their friends.' Holey Moley Golf Club, the mini-golf center, is also a restaurant, cocktail bar and karaoke lounge, all elements intended to get people to show up and participate in what General Manager Simon Whicker called 'competitive socializing.' The 27 holes are small but elaborately decorated with nods to 1980s and 1990s nostalgia. The venue is 'a multisensory labyrinth' that includes neon signs with cheeky slogans and hand-painted murals, he said. After 8 p.m. when only adults can play, DJs and strolling magicians perform on weekend nights. Cocktails are served in ceramic unicorns and miniature bathtubs. Social media is the key driver of Outlandish, a TikTok content factory where creators hired and trained by the store sell products such as nutritional supplements, clothes, workout gear and gum. The brands rent booths from Outlandish. Customers can watch creators enthusiastically pitch their wares to an online audience and perhaps buy what they are selling. The goal of Outlandish is to combine 'the excitement of live, interactive shopping with the personal connection of in-store visits,' Chief Executive William August said. 'We have the capacity to bring global, world-renowned brands right here to customers and visitors in Los Angeles,' he said. 'That local audience can then step into their very own livestream and interact with viewers across the world.' Businesses are experimenting with experiential retail in multiple formats, said Lee Shapiro, a real estate broker at Kennedy Wilson who specializes in selling and leasing retail properties. Years ago many were aimed at families with children, such as indoor trampoline parks and Chuck E. Cheese, he said. Now proprietors are going after adults with concepts like Holey Moley and Punch Bowl Social, which combines eating and drinking with nostalgic amusements such as billiards, bowling, darts and arcade games. Inglewood's Hollywood Park retail center hosts Cosm, an immersive theater that features plush stadium seating and a wraparound screen that's 87 feet in diameter with life-like resolution that gives the venue that opened last year the feel of a scaled-down Las Vegas Sphere. The entertainment- and sports-focused venue gives viewers the sense of being in the best seats at events such as Cirque du Soleil, NBA basketball and the World Series, while eating and drinking. Cosm has its own production team with the ability to shoot an event from as many as 10 different vantages, while also providing a network's feed on virtual screens in the corners. For instance, while an audience of millions watched Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series from Fox's angles, the Cosm crowd experienced it from seats behind the plate at Dodger Stadium. The reaction in Cosm was 'pandemonium,' Cosm Chief Executive Jeb Terry said. Other experiential attractions use virtual reality, such as an exhibit about the Titanic coming to the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles in March. Visitors wearing headsets will virtually descend to see the infamous wreck as it exists today, then appear to go back to 1912 before the ship sank and wander public spaces such as the Grand Staircase, dining rooms and bustling decks. At Topanga Village mall in Warner Center, people wearing VR gear on their heads and bodies can battle virtual zombies and other attackers or compete with each other in a 'Squid Game' simulation at Sandbox VR. Young people are driving the trend for active participation, Greensfelder said. 'Among Gen Z, you're seeing a huge desire to actually have in-person experiences again,' he said. 'They're going back to the mall.' For users of social media such as TikTok, 'It doesn't surprise me one bit that this cohort is very experience-driven, as opposed to material thing-driven. They also want to have the experience be in person.'
