Now We Know: “Laurel Supply” Sign Goes Up

 
There’s a sign on the Laurel Supply West Hollywood building now. Big black letters and what looks like will be an electric sign went up this week on the wood front at 8445 Santa Monica Boulevard, which is the corner with Olive Drive.

The restaurant and market has been under construction for a while at this spot next to Barney’s Beanery. Laurel Hardware partners Dean McKillen and Phil Howard are behind the project. People close to it say the plan is for a separate identity here, not another restaurant called Laurel Hardware and now we know. City permits show the property shifting from office use to a restaurant with outdoor seating and some kind of market or store built into the plan—something along the lines of Erewhon or Eataly.

What the Building Looks Like Now

You can see the sign from Santa Monica Boulevard and from Olive Drive now that it’s up there. The building itself is all wood panels on the outside, kind of a light tan color. There are window slats along the bottom part facing the street. Inside, the old office walls are gone. New framing is up, exposed ceilings, and what looks like a bar or counter area taking shape.

The Building’s History

The building at 8445 Santa Monica Boulevard has had a lot of lives. Built in 1942 for Ritts Company Furniture—owned by the parents of photographer Herb Ritts—it later housed the dot com-era Hollywood Stock Exchange and more recently was used as creative office space for companies like Stampede Ventures. Since the late 2010s it’s been controlled by the Laurel Hardware and Ysabel owners and their development partners, who are now turning the old showroom and office shell into this new project.

Name Change from Earlier Plans

Earlier construction signs used the phrase “Laurel Hardware and Supply,” which may have been more about the ownership than the final name. The sign that went up this week just says “Laurel Supply,” so that seems to be what they’re going with.

Back in November, residents got concerned when four Chinese elm trees along the Santa Monica Boulevard frontage were cut down. Turns out they were removed under a city permit tied to the project. The plan calls for new trees to be planted later, once the sidewalk work and frontage improvements are finished.

Opening Timeline

McKillen and Howard haven’t put out menu details or said exactly when it opens. The sign going up is one of those things that happens near the end of construction usually, but there’s still work happening inside from what we can tell. Someone closely related to the project indicated to us we’re talking very soon. If I were a betting man, I’d say weeks, not months, perhaps early March at the latest. 

The original Laurel Hardware restaurant at 7984 Santa Monica Boulevard remains open. This new spot at 8445 is not a relocation—it’s a separate concept from the same ownership group.