The first Westwood LIVE, hailed as an event to showcase the Village’s “rich creativity and diversity,” came and went Thursday.
Walking through Westwood in the afternoon and then later at night, however, it was difficult to tell anything outside of the ordinary was going on aside from an unusual amount of traffic.
A promotional banner was placed neatly across Broxton Avenue, but the street looked the same as always. Plain, largely empty, slightly dusty.
In theory, Westwood LIVE is a great idea. The Village has struggled for years to attract patrons, but it lacks a certain pizzazz offered by competing shopping districts like the Grove and Third Street Promenade.
The solution thought up by Westwood’s new community council was to organize a day of discounts and live performances.
Steve Sann, the council’s chair, said the event would cater to UCLA students, among others.
But Westwood LIVE did not resemble anything we would call student-oriented.
The only shopping sale we could find was at a jewelry store. Oakley’s barbershop offered a $25 straight-razor shave, which is more than it charges for a regular haircut. And aside from Jersey Mike’s Subs, all the food discounts were at upscale restaurants and bars. Many students are not 21, and most do not go to upscale restaurants.
Where were the deals at Chipotle, Gushi, Noodle Planet, Enzo’s Pizzeria, Yogurtland or any of the coffee shops? To be successful, Westwood LIVE needs more discounts in the fast and cheap dining category.
The event could also benefit from centralizing more. Sann said the event was meant to bring art and culture to a central location. Yet the whole of Westwood does not constitute a “central location.” When participating shops are spread thinly across the village, as they were Thursday, Westwood LIVE appears to exist nowhere. Instead, it becomes an expedition to go from one shop to another.
We envision an event that takes place primarily in the heart of Westwood ““ Broxton Avenue. The street should be closed to cars for a few hours, lights and decorations should be put up, musicians and entertainers should populate the sidewalk.
UCLA has thousands of students involved in the arts; it should not be a challenge to bring some of them to the Village for a few hours of entertainment.
To be fair, this was the Village’s first attempt at a community celebration, and big things often start small. Westwood LIVE is scheduled to occur every third Thursday; we hope it grows into something of note.
And if the Village hopes to better attract student customers, it wouldn’t hurt to offer more student discounts in general, with or without the special fanfare attached.