Sadly at this point we probably need to do something more beneficial to the local economy. We should rent space downtown and open a pop-up touching experience for different rare grasses
I moved to LA just in time for the last year of the Onyx. It wasn't a bad walk from our place around the corner from Jumbo's Clown Room, and gave rise to my ex's and my shorthand for a certain style of coffeeshop painting, "alien penis art".
Hypebestiality! I think you're right that the frictionless attention-eating phone activities play a big role in the hollowing out of our cities. That feels like a somehow more difficult issue to solve than the rent, but I do think that people are slowly starting to burn out on phone-based lifestyles.
I really appreciate the link to the academic study as well; it was very illuminating. As I read it, I was thinking, "this really reminds me of something." Landlords keep storefronts vacant as long as they do because they are willing to wait for a higher value (and this willing to pay more rent) tenant to come along. Don't just settle for the first tenant who wants to rent your space, especially if you have to lock yourself into a long-term commitment. Keep forgoing that rent and it will pay off in the end.
In other words, as a landlord, be very careful who you swipe right on. Sure, there may be plenty of other places tenants can rent from, and yes the longer you wait the more your retail neighborhood may decline because every other landlord is doing the same thing, but because you're so desirable, it's worth waiting, well, forever! to get that perfect tenant of your dreams. This new potential tenant has a flaw or two? No problem! Plenty of fish in the sea.
I wonder if progressive protections against evictions have anything to do with landlords being so picky about tenants. That would be a negative unintended consequence of progressive policy which almost never happens, so probably not.
Reading as a central-Floridan. The landmarks mentioned may be uniquely LA, but the Hollow City is a grief shared here, too. There are neighborhoods clinging to life, but exist in a bubble of expensive real estate. Most other spaces are bought out by investment firms and converted to chains, storage facilities, or car washes. Sad and bad.
This may be out of date 15 years on, but commercial leases in LA County used to have language that allowed building owners to write off vacant retail spaces at market rate, which would absolutely not encourage owners to actually fill storefronts
Huh I wonder why that's helpful because if a commercial space has no tenant, there's no income to pay tax on or write off expenses against. And some point, the owner needs cash to pay property taxes and other operating costs.
I have also been confused by the writeoff theory, but it could potentially apply to a mixed use building (where all the income is from the residential units) or a company with a larger portfolio
I had not heard about Cosa Buona but I do want to point out that Pizza Buona reopened a block down Alvarado right after Cosa Buona opened and is still going strong, as far as I can tell! I wonder if their old landlord will take them back.
If you're doing LA deep retail dives maybe you could help figure out what the deal is with the store next door to the now-former Cosa Buona space, which seems to only sell unlicensed LA sports knicknacks. What kind of rent are THEY paying?
(Actually the other day I was waiting for the bus there and a guy came out with a helium canister (that he had bought there?) and started doing whip-its. He was very chatty and jovial, but I'm sure the Cosa Buona guy would see it as part of the neighborhood's decline. Anyway might explain how they're making rent.)
I love this idea. I’m down the street right now and going to walk over. And Josh — please come to the live show so I can tell you how much I’ve enjoyed reading you since 2007!
I'm gonna be out of town that weekend and am super bummed about it!!! Please have more live shows so I can come enjoy them and then you can be nice to me.
I think I’ve gone too hard gassing up the in-person experience to do that. But thank you for the instinct — you are welcome to buy two tickets and offer them up on r/losangeles to generate hype
Everything seems perfectly fine to me in Los Angeles, I live on a big hill in a nice neighborhood in a nice house and do my podcast. People keep buying ads on my podcast so I don’t see any issues here. Everything seems to be doing great with the city. I’m glad all the coffee shops closed during COVID. if it saved just one life it was worth it.
Feeling more and more that as a society we need to touch grass.
Sadly at this point we probably need to do something more beneficial to the local economy. We should rent space downtown and open a pop-up touching experience for different rare grasses
There’s a park with grass in it near me in Hollywood but a bunch of of sketchy tweakers hang out in it all day so it might not be the best option.
I moved to LA just in time for the last year of the Onyx. It wasn't a bad walk from our place around the corner from Jumbo's Clown Room, and gave rise to my ex's and my shorthand for a certain style of coffeeshop painting, "alien penis art".
Hypebestiality! I think you're right that the frictionless attention-eating phone activities play a big role in the hollowing out of our cities. That feels like a somehow more difficult issue to solve than the rent, but I do think that people are slowly starting to burn out on phone-based lifestyles.
buying a ticket now and will try very hard to fight the same-day “after all, why shouldn’t i” impulse to stay home
I watched the Father Yod documentary but missed (or forgot?) that he judo'd somebody to death. Sounds about right.
Great post!
I really appreciate the link to the academic study as well; it was very illuminating. As I read it, I was thinking, "this really reminds me of something." Landlords keep storefronts vacant as long as they do because they are willing to wait for a higher value (and this willing to pay more rent) tenant to come along. Don't just settle for the first tenant who wants to rent your space, especially if you have to lock yourself into a long-term commitment. Keep forgoing that rent and it will pay off in the end.
In other words, as a landlord, be very careful who you swipe right on. Sure, there may be plenty of other places tenants can rent from, and yes the longer you wait the more your retail neighborhood may decline because every other landlord is doing the same thing, but because you're so desirable, it's worth waiting, well, forever! to get that perfect tenant of your dreams. This new potential tenant has a flaw or two? No problem! Plenty of fish in the sea.
I wonder if progressive protections against evictions have anything to do with landlords being so picky about tenants. That would be a negative unintended consequence of progressive policy which almost never happens, so probably not.
Reading as a central-Floridan. The landmarks mentioned may be uniquely LA, but the Hollow City is a grief shared here, too. There are neighborhoods clinging to life, but exist in a bubble of expensive real estate. Most other spaces are bought out by investment firms and converted to chains, storage facilities, or car washes. Sad and bad.
There is an excellent youtube video about third place theory called Third Place vs. Right to the City by Radical Planning that is worth watching.
This may be out of date 15 years on, but commercial leases in LA County used to have language that allowed building owners to write off vacant retail spaces at market rate, which would absolutely not encourage owners to actually fill storefronts
Huh I wonder why that's helpful because if a commercial space has no tenant, there's no income to pay tax on or write off expenses against. And some point, the owner needs cash to pay property taxes and other operating costs.
I have also been confused by the writeoff theory, but it could potentially apply to a mixed use building (where all the income is from the residential units) or a company with a larger portfolio
I had not heard about Cosa Buona but I do want to point out that Pizza Buona reopened a block down Alvarado right after Cosa Buona opened and is still going strong, as far as I can tell! I wonder if their old landlord will take them back.
That veggie pizza is killer!
Yes, I certainly could have mentioned that they are still around and nearby. Re: the landlord I’m going with “no.”
If you're doing LA deep retail dives maybe you could help figure out what the deal is with the store next door to the now-former Cosa Buona space, which seems to only sell unlicensed LA sports knicknacks. What kind of rent are THEY paying?
(Actually the other day I was waiting for the bus there and a guy came out with a helium canister (that he had bought there?) and started doing whip-its. He was very chatty and jovial, but I'm sure the Cosa Buona guy would see it as part of the neighborhood's decline. Anyway might explain how they're making rent.)
I love this idea. I’m down the street right now and going to walk over. And Josh — please come to the live show so I can tell you how much I’ve enjoyed reading you since 2007!
I'm gonna be out of town that weekend and am super bummed about it!!! Please have more live shows so I can come enjoy them and then you can be nice to me.
Get a livestream up of the live show so us non-L.A. folks can give you money!
I think I’ve gone too hard gassing up the in-person experience to do that. But thank you for the instinct — you are welcome to buy two tickets and offer them up on r/losangeles to generate hype
Everything seems perfectly fine to me in Los Angeles, I live on a big hill in a nice neighborhood in a nice house and do my podcast. People keep buying ads on my podcast so I don’t see any issues here. Everything seems to be doing great with the city. I’m glad all the coffee shops closed during COVID. if it saved just one life it was worth it.