September 9, 2014

The newsstand has succumbed.

In a previous post I noted the longevity of this newsstand in Westwood Village, but it looks like it has closed. Because as cool as it is, do people still buy magazines and PHONE CARDS in large enough numbers to sustain such an enterprise? If the employment and residential density in the area were significant enough there might be enough people to support a newsstand, yet even with the nearby condo and office towers as well as UCLA a few blocks away it couldn't survive. 

2 comments:

Virginia Postrel said...

The Daily Bruin report on the closing: "Over the past few years, the stand’s regular client base has steadily declined. More recently, a dramatic drop in profits coupled with rising rent has made it difficult for Johansson to keep the stand afloat." The drop in business I get, but even in Westwood Village it's hard to believe the landlord was delusional enough to raise the rent on a dedicated newsstand space. http://dailybruin.com/2014/06/09/westwoods-last-newsstand-a-community-fixture-to-close/

Patrick Prescott said...

I think they might have also taken a hit when the CVS next door closed abd moved to Weyburn and Glendon near the new TJs and Target.

Maybe the landlord wants to redevelop the site? Would be cool to build more housing in the Village.