Los Angeles‘ Melrose Avenue has become a remnant of its hustling and bustling self from the 1990s, after decades-old stores have closed down.
It was also a place where locals could regularly spot music legend Madonna hanging around and where the show ‘Melrose Place’ was shot.
For decades, shops such as Aardvark’s Odd Ark popularized used clothing stores and LA Eyeworks had icons including Grace Jones and Andy Warhol modeling its quirky glasses.
Dom DeLuca, the owner of skate shop Brooklyn Projects, who has called Melrose home since 2002 told SFGate: ‘When you looked down the street on a Tuesday or a Thursday, as far as you could see there were people. It was like CityWalk, at Universal Studios.’
But modernization and a rising crime rate in the city has caused many such stores to shut down and pushed the street’s edgy punk rockers away.
The iconic street, once known as the pinnacle of ‘ California Crazy’, used to be a hotspot for people looking for locally made accessories, conversation art pieces and vintage clothing
It was also a place where locals could regularly spot music legend Madonna hanging around and where the show ‘Melrose Place’ was shot
Dom DeLuca, the owner of skate shop Brooklyn Projects, who has called Melrose home since 2002 told SFGate: ‘When you looked down the street on a Tuesday or a Thursday, as far as you could see there were people. It was like CityWalk, at Universal Studios’
The Mexican institution Antonio’s restaurant shut doors after over 50 years in recent as well Lala’s Argentine Grill suffered a kitchen fire and has not reopened.
A popular vinyl store named Vinyl Fetish has also shutdown.
An upscale pub known as the Village Idiot too closed down last year while an Italian spot named Spartina said farewell last month.
Images further show that a burger joint named ‘The Burger That Ate LA’ which was in the shape of a giant cheeseburger has now turned into a regular brown building Starbucks.
According to shop owners, business has dwindled down in the last few years and sales are not the same as they were in the ’90s or even in the 2000s.
A rising crime rate may also be the reason why Melrose Avenue is not the same anymore.
Images further show that a burger joint named ‘The Burger That Ate LA’ which was in the shape of a giant cheeseburger as glass bricks formed Ketchup and onions has now turned into a regular grey building Starbucks
A popular vinyl store named Vinyl Fetish has also shutdown. An u pscale pub known as the Village Idiot too closed down last year while an Italian spot named Spartina said farewell last month
According to shop owners, business has dwindled down in the last few years and sales are not the same as they were in the 90s
The Mexican institution Antonio’s restaurant shut doors after over 50 years in recent as well Lala’s Argentine Grill suffered a kitchen fire and has not reopened
In August 2023, a robbery happened at around 1am outside of Craig’s on Melrose Avenue.
According to officials, two thieves approached the victims and demanded their personal items.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said two victims outside of Craig’s were approached by two suspects in masks.
The suspects – both wearing dark clothing – had handguns and stole one of the victim’s watches before fleeing from the scene.
A third suspect drove the group away in a white car, officials stated.
Luckily, no one was injured in the dramatic incident outside the establishment.
A Thursday robbery occurred outside of Craig’s – ‘one of the most celebrity-packed restaurants in LA’ is under investigation. Pictured: Police outside of Craig’s in West Hollywood
The robbery may be connected to another event from July that was caught on camera less than one mile away where the victims were held at gunpoint by three suspects
The robberies come amid a startling rise in similar incidents in West Hollywood and the greater Los Angeles area which has been plagued by crime.
West Hollywood has a higher crime rate than the state of California with 5.67 events of violent incidents per 100 residents, according to Neighborhood Scout.
Residents have a 1 in 176 percent chance of becoming a victim in the area compared to a 1 in 227 percent chance for California overall.
Additionally, there are some 783 crimes per square mile in West Hollywood. That number is more than 29 times the national median of 26.2.
Recent violent incidents in the surrounding areas also suggest that crime is ramping up and not slowing down anytime soon.
