The Halloween decorations are up at aahs! in Westwood, with
scary faces and ghoulish costumes that stare out at passing
traffic. A few buildings down, one can find the Ann Taylor Loft,
where classy and upscale apparel is displayed in the window.
The difference in the atmosphere of these two stores mirrors the
contrast of Westwood Village as part college town and part
corporate haven.
While many businesses cater to UCLA students, many still believe
that Westwood is not a typical college town.
According to a report published by the City of Los Angeles
Department of Planning, during the 1940s, Westwood was a hotbed of
activity and was being advertised as “America’s most
unique shopping center.”
When the UC Board of Regents decided on Westwood for the new
campus location in 1925, the Janss Investment Company ““ a
real-estate investment enterprise which owned large tracts of land
in Westwood ““ went to work planning a business, entertainment
and residential district.
Department stores such as Bullock’s and Desmond’s
and other smaller specialty shops came to the Village, and the area
flourished financially and culturally, according to the report.
Today, Westwood is synonymous with parking nightmares and
financial instability, as many smaller businesses come and go,
partly due to the arrival of chain stores, such as Best Buy and the
Corner Bakery Cafe.
The dwindling image of the Village as a typical college town can
be attributed to a variety of factors, ranging from parking
dilemmas to a shortage of entertainment alternatives.
“A college town is somewhere where you can do something at
all times of the day, and Westwood isn’t really like
that,” said Rachel Rogers, a second-year psychobiology
student at UC Davis, whose parents live in West Los Angeles.
Problems plaguing the Village include parking difficulties,
venues that are too expensive for college students, and a lack of
entertainment options, Rogers said.
“Westwood has 17 movie theaters, 20 restaurants and 10
hooka bars. … Besides that, there is nothing else to do,”
Rogers added, exaggerating the figures she cited.
While some students feel as if Westwood and “college
town” are two terms that don’t fit together in one
sentence, business owners feel differently.
“Westwood is half-and-half. We have many UCLA students
that come here, but we also get many students from schools nearby,
tourists and people working in businesses around Westwood,”
said Emma Zeinali, who owns Angelino’s Cafe with her husband
Archie.
Angelino’s Cafe is a small restaurant on Kinross Avenue
which features red brickwork, a cozy atmosphere and authentic
Italian cuisine.
While many students believe Westwood may fall short of being the
ideal college town, it is still student oriented. Many businesses,
such as Angelino’s Cafe and Togo’s, a sandwich shop on
Westwood Boulevard, offer student discounts. And, at
Tomodachi’s, a sushi restaurant on the corner of Gayley
Avenue and Weyburn Avenue, students can find the “Bruin
roll” and the “UCLA roll” on the menu.
Westwood’s student-oriented nature can be seen in the
arrival of Ralphs in 2001.
Ralphs signed on for the long term, accepting a 40-year lease
and sparing no expense in the construction of the market. The
building that houses Ralphs is a historical landmark, and when
Ralphs arrived, it made sure to preserve the structure for
posterity. To be successful Ralphs’ corporate officials
realized they needed to target the UCLA community.
For Ralphs, accommodating the UCLA community means offering an
extended appliance and computer accessory section. Students can
find clothes hangers, George Foreman grills and printer plugs in
the aisles.
Additionally, Ralphs offers patio dining, where many students go
to study, a self-checkout aisle and many other amenities not found
in other Ralphs.
“We wanted to cater to the Westwood community, and that
meant catering to the UCLA community. … UCLA makes up the largest
portion of the Westwood population; just look at the sheer numbers,
why would we not cater to UCLA?” said Mike Quinones, manager
of Ralphs in Westwood.
Ralphs prospers ““ in a large part due to its chain store
status ““ while other Westwood businesses face less-lucrative
financial futures. The Ralphs in Westwood is one of the top 10
grossing Ralphs stores in the nation, Quinones said.
Some students say they appreciate the lengths to which Ralphs,
and some other businesses, have worked to accommodate them.
“It’s basically common sense that Ralphs is
successful, it has a great location and everyone goes there to get
stuff. Not only do students go there, but also the nearby
residential community,” said Yasmin Bholat, a second-year
neuroscience student at UCLA.