As Westwood’s economy stumbles toward recovery, many
merchants blame Westwood’s Business Improvement District for
its slow growth.
Many merchants are disenchanted with the BID, whose charter will
expire in the fall, because they believe it does not actively
solicit business and is not involved enough with newly arrived
merchants.
“I didn’t know there was a BID until I was
open,” said Sheldon McArthur, manager of the Mystery
Bookstore on Broxton Avenue.
McArthur finds fault with the BID for not helping him or other
merchants with moving into Westwood. Many merchants assert there is
much bureaucratic red tape to be waded through in moving to the
Village, and would like to see the BID assist new business in that
respect.
Though many merchants blame the BID for Westwood’s slow
growth, some continue to insist there is a misunderstanding as to
what the BID’s primary function is.
“Most of the merchants don’t understand what the BID
is for,” said Leigh Slawner, manager of Madison’s Bar
and Grill.
According to Terra Hannah, operations manager of the Westwood
Village Community Alliance which oversees the BID, the BID’s
primary purpose is to create an environment in which businesses can
thrive.
But Hannah said this does not include seeking out new businesses
and convincing them to move to Westwood. Instead, creating an
environment in which business can thrive means primarily the
acquisition of maintenance services the City of Los Angeles no
longer provides, such as street and sidewalk cleaning, tree
trimming and garbage pickup.
The BID was created seven years ago to help revitalize
Westwood’s economy, which has been deteriorating since the
late 1980s. Once the trendy hub of the Westside, the Village saw
precipitously fewer visitors through the ’90s, a trend
largely attributed to a couple of isolated acts of violence in the
late ’80s, including a gang related shooting in which an
innocent bystander was killed.
As Westwood’s foot traffic sought newer shopping
promenades with their own multiplex cinemas, retail merchants began
to go out of business, giving potential patrons even fewer reasons
to visit.
In a recent meeting held by L.A. City Councilman Jack Weiss
““ whose Fifth District includes Westwood ““ several
merchants openly expressed dissatisfaction with the BID, asserting
it is out of touch with its members and doesn’t do enough to
attract retail business to Westwood. Councilman Weiss also
announced the BID, will undergo an audit.
Much of what is desired by Westwood merchants is for the BID to
provide coordination between merchants and to ensure landlords will
act collectively to provide a mix of retail businesses. This mix of
business is deemed by many to be vital for the growth of
Westwood’s economy.
“The landlords will lease to anyone,” said Jeff
Able, owner of Sarah Leonard Jewelers Jeweler’s and BID board
member. “The BID should help coordinate the landlords so that
they will work to get a sustainable mix.”
But many doubt the BID’s ability to coordinate
anything.
“If we’ve never even met these people, if they
don’t know how to contact us, what does that mean for their
ability to advertise Westwood?” asked Clinton Schudy of
Oakley’s Barber Shop.
But to some, merchants who continue to bemoan the death of
Westwood as a center of commerce are blaming the wrong people for
its slow growth.
“One group is getting blamed for everything,” said
Michael Madvig of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on Broxton
Avenue.