West Hollywood residents living near the former Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. are growing anxious about the building’s future tenant, the Supreme clothing store.
Supreme, which sells limited supplies of street- and skatewear clothing on limited days, has garnered a reputation for drawing raucous crowds, traffic and lines that stretch city blocks long.
The brand’s storefront on Fairfax Ave. regularly attracts people camping out on sidewalks and has become a hotspot for skirmishes between shoppers. Nearby businesses and neighbors — including actress Julie Newmar — have been battling the problem for years.
Unlike most stores, which count on regular traffic six to seven days a week during pre-set hours, Supreme has what one might call “flash mob” sales. Those seasonal releases of new products, known as “drops” result in long lines along Fairfax of customers hoping to actually be able to get their hands on the hippest new shirt, cap or shoes. And those lines start forming as early as the Monday before the Thursday sale begins.Some of the customers who show up are there to round up merchandise that they can resell online.
In 2019, Newmar said one business owner on the street was assaulted by five teenagers. “His 5’2” cashier quit in tears when a 6’4″ guy in a bogo hoodie yelled at her for not giving him a drink while his buddies stole cans of soda from the fridge. Fist fights had been happening outside his store. Altercations went on all day long.”
The retail district around Melrose and Fairfax has continuously struggled with a rash of crime related to large crowds and coveted clothing items over the past year.
In August, a 26-year-old worker at Shoe Palace was shot dead after being swarmed by a mob of shoppers waiting on a raffle.
The West Hollywood Heights Residents Association has scheduled a Zoom meeting to discuss the issue at 5 p.m. Thursday, and they recommend anyone living in the vicinity attend.
PROJECT SITE
The former Tower Records site
8801 Sunset Blvd.,
West Hollywood, CA 90069
JOIN ZOOM MEETING DETAILS
January 27, 2022 at 5:00 pm
MEETING INFORMATION
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84534628219?pwd=VVV1T1Y2T0xLcUF5UFdOemVaUzN1UT09
Meeting ID: 845 3462 8219
Passcode: 755677
Dial in: +1 669 900 6833
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/krxl42oAq
QUESTIONS:
Tina Vartanian | [email protected] | 818-450-27
[…] awaited by some, long feared by others, the popular streetwear store promises to draw new faces to the neighborhood when it opens its new […]
[…] set the stage for recent shootings in the Fairfax/Melrose commercial corridor, and neighbors fear a new streetwear store opening in the former Tower Records building down the road from the Roxy will usher in further […]
Supposedly this issue was solved three years ago. If there haven’t been lines for 3 years, then this is much ado about nothing, or people stirring up sh*t who haven’t bothered to inform themselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oikS1rTXDN8
West Hollywood is turning into a toilet can’t flush thanks to the political hacks running it.
Don’t be surprised at the flies that the pile of feces attracts.
It’s simple. West Hollywood doesn’t have to approve. Period.
Fine the owner of the building. They will be more likely to bring in tenants who respect the neighbors and clean up, if they are faced with $1000 per day litter fines.
It’s the trash. The Fairfax hood had undergone a redo. New landlords were updating property and generally cleaning up. Now the garbage extends from Melrose to Beverly with the majority on the west side of the street. It’s disgusting. The landlords and cities have added trash cans and cannot keep up. Windows are smashed (Diamond Bakery) and graffiti is everywhere. I do not believe for a second the problem is racist. The problem is unlawful out of control teens. To resolve the issue it’s obvious a very large police presence is necessary. Unfortunately the owner of the business that invites… Read more »
Exactly. As long as West Hollywood leaders(?) have made safety and quality of life a low priority it operates under the opposite of the “broken windows” philosophy and sets up a petrie dish for myriad undesirable activity. This is how once respectable cities become slums. Some of the CC members think unisex toilets are top priority which in their naivete, become another problem ready to germinate.
I’m just curious at what point the Sunset Strip became the crown jewel of Weho. Don’t get me wrong…it is an amazing concrete thread of distinction worthy of all the acclaim it receives. But when exactly was it that it became an oasis of purity and sanctity? The Strip has always been a mixed bag of scalawags, seedy rock clubs, strip bars and back alley shenanigans. A place for those on the front edge, and often outside, of culture. And half those institutions are still standing which is exactly what keeps it glorious…but hardly a place of peace and serenity.… Read more »
There is no reason why West Hollywood will not let this store open. Neighbors will have to brace themselves for the crowds, parking issues, trash, people loitering, etc. maybe even gun fights if things get nasty. Hopefully the city will not allow camping out.
Since the West Hollywood Heights Residents Assoc. allegedly sheduled the Zoom Meeting did they not have any knowledge of or control over the format?
I don’t see a problem here. Whereas lines for their clothing “drops” spilled onto Fairfax, the new location will have lines form in their parking lot.