Winter is hard on Main St businesses. A look at what has happened in the last 6 months in our ongoing series on contemporary Main Street. As usual, we travel south down the street from Pico to Marine.
PICO
1923 Main — Handstands, calisthenics, and flexibility training studio Kreuz opened in a minimalist space. Sascha Bachmann is the founder and head coach.
BAY
2021 Main — The long-dormant Navy Career Center in the Avalon building reopened.
BICKNELL
2107 Main —Black Hand Tattoo and Gallery replaces California Hot Tubs. Santa Monica had been opposed to tattoo parlors. Expensive permitting fees and zoning restrictions discouraged businesses from opening. This attitude recently shifted, and the City Council removed the costly permit requirement for tattoo parlors.
PACIFIC
2216 Main — A minimalist hairdresser shop opened in the Sotheby’s International Realty former office space.
STRAND
2305 Main — Eyebrow studio Two of A Kind replaces home interior store Some September that closed in December 2023. Two of a Kind, who moved to Main St from Venice, is a brow studio specializing in waxing, tinting, and lamination.
HOLLISTER
2409 Main — Instar Smoke Shop, with an extensive selection and open 24 hrs, replaces Pressed Juicery.
2424 Main — Neighborhood cocktail bar meets pizza disco Not No Bar replaces Isla. Although it looks like a bar, Not No Bar has a restaurant (not a bar) liquor license.
2503 Main — Rich Angel Salon opened in the former Cabin Creek crystal store space.
2525 Main — Pottery and painting studio Color Me Mine sold their franchise. Since 1991, art-as-entertainment Color Me Mine has offered ceramics and other crafts, allowing creative freedom to customers of all ages.
181 Ocean Park — Village Car Wash on the Northwest corner of Ocean Park and Main St is for sale for $5MM. While Automobile/Vehicle Washing is not a permitted use on Main St, the 1971 car wash was established in compliance with the requirements in effect at the time. Such a use is considered to be a Legal Nonconforming Use.
OCEAN PARK
2612 Main — Contemporary Quilts by Michael C. Thorpe is at the California Heritage Museum through May 4.
2619 Main — After closing in 2020 and returning seven months later in 2021, ZJ’s surf shop is closing permanently. The closure is not specifically related to Main St conditions but due to the bankruptcy of its parent company, Liberated Brands. The closure provides an illustration of the structure of branded retail.
Founded by Malibu’s Zuma Jay's in 1988, ZJ’s was sold to Australian Billabong in 2015. Billabong got into financial difficulties and was acquired by US-based action sports apparel company Boardriders in 2018. Boardriders (with brands like Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, and Element) was acquired by Authentic Brands in September 2023 for $1.25 billion. Authentic Brands owns more than 50 lifestyle, entertainment, and media brands. Liberated Brands (which is 20% owned by Authentic Brands) acted as the online and physical retail arm of Authentic Brands. Authentic owns the brands, Liberated sold the products. Authentic Brands moved the licenses for its surf and skate brands to other partners. Liberated Brands went bankrupt.
2645 Main — Australian (Tasmania) bakeshop Bread + Butter coffee shop, offering fresh pastries and sourdough bread using 100% cultured butter, is set to replace Go Get Em Tiger at the Sea Shore Motel.
2651 Main — Vinny and Mindy Kinne’s restaurant project continues to inch forward.
2665 Main — The McDonald family sold their 1979 New Orleans Building (and the apartments behind at 2660 2nd St) to an institutional investor.
HILL
2726 Main — After 14 years on Main St Sweet Rose Creamery closed. The organic, homemade ice cream is still available at the original store in the Brentwood Country Mart.
2806 Main — Pinkies Nail Spa moved to 3015 Main St.
2816 Main — Custom furniture shop Stansbury Collection, serving the community for nearly 30 years with locally made, custom furniture, closed. Stansbury closed temporarily in March 2022 following January’s heavy rains causing a partial ceiling collapse.
2818 Main — Plankhaus replaces women’s clothing store, Kyss - which closed in February 2024. In 50-minute sessions with 95% of the time is devoted to the Lagree method. Traditional Pilates focuses on the utilization of controlled movements to increase muscular strength and flexibility, whereas the Lagree Method relies on intense, isometric movements to improve core strength and cardiovascular endurance.
2827 Main — Children’s fitness center My Gym is opening in the former First Federal Bank space. The space has been vacant since May 2022 when the One West Bank branch closed. Founded in 1983, Sherman Oaks headquartered My Gym claims 700+ locations worldwide.
ASHLAND
2929 Main — Women’s underwear store Knix, on Main St since 2021, has closed.
2937 Main — Funky shop selling its own clothing designs made from vintage pieces and repurposed fabric, Reformation temporarily closed for renovations - including removal of the awning.
2943 Main — The long vacant O’Briens was for sale at $8.9MM, then it seems the lenders foreclosed on the property. The construction fence has long been a target for wild posting - often accumulating several inches thick before falling onto the sidewalk. The new owners put up “Post No Bills” and the posting stopped! Owners often put up "Post No Bills" notices to discourage street poster advertising - although this has no legal effect.
PIER
3015 Main — Pinkies Nail Spa, offering manicures, pedicures, and other nail services, moved from 2806 Main into the former LA Urban Fitness Nutrition Center which closed in 2022.
MARINE
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