DOWNTOWN
NEWS Volume 40, Number 6
Valentine’s Day 10
PODCASTS
LOS ANGELES
downtownPUBLICARTwalkingtours For more information and to download the tours visit
crala.org/art
W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M
February 7, 2011
The Selling of Downtown
INSIDE
Dreams of a football stadium.
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When It Comes to Wooing New Businesses, It’s Part Art, Part Science and A Lot of Walking
The $80 million jail finally opens.
by RichaRd Guzmán city editoR
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T
Bike visions for Figueroa Street.
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El Pueblo merchants may sue the city.
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photo by Gary Leonard
Hal Bastian (left) and Justin Weiss of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District in front of the Daily Grill, one of the first restaurants Bastian recruited to the area. The two spend hours every week giving walking tours to potential new business owners.
‘Variations’ lands at the Ahmanson.
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Art Walk Reloaded Monthly Event’s New Executive Director Looks to a Smoother and Self-Sufficient Future by RichaRd Guzmán city editoR
Hamlet and a Supreme Court justice.
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18 CALENDAR LISTINGS 21 MAP 22 CLASSIFIEDS
he signs of Downtown’s evolution in the past decade are obvious. In addition to the fancy new and renovated housing complexes and superstructures, there is the wealth of bars, restaurants and service businesses. It seems a couple new ones open each month. What’s not as obvious is what happens before the new arrivals open, before a sign is raised or a single nail is hammered into place. In fact, long before any lease is inked, there is usually a lengthy wooing period, a spate of weeks, months or longer when prospective business owners are led around the area. It’s not surprising, considering that for many entrepreneurs, Downtown still suffers from some of the negative perceptions of the pre-housing renaissance/ Staples Center days. Even if they may want to open in Downtown, they still need to be convinced that the Central City will be a profitable destination. That’s where the selling of Downtown comes into play. It’s part art, part science, part persuasion and a lot of walking. It’s also something with no single correct path, as a factoid or location that whets one entrepreneur’s appetite may do nothing for another. It’s not just finding a space, but reading a customer. For Hal Bastian and Justin Weiss of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, it’s a situation see Selling, page 8
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hen Art Walk unfolds this Thursday, it will probably seem no different than events of the past: The crowd will be huge, around 20,000 people. There will be food trucks and pop-up art spaces. Some of the more established art galleries, knowing sales are minimal during the happening, will be closed. Behind the scenes, however, things are much different than they were last year. The event on Feb. 10 marks the second Art Walk that recently appointed Executive Director Joe Moller will oversee. In addition, there is a larger board, increased funding
and a mission — to make the Art Walk selfsufficient within two years. Moller, a 36-year-old events producer, is the first paid head for the 6-year-old Art Walk. Former director Jay Lopez, who left in a cloud of acrimony last year, and previous leaders Richard Schave and Art Walk founder Bert Green, were all volunteers. After a blow-up last September that resulted in the firing of Lopez and the threatened dissolution of the event, a group of local property and business owners pledged $200,000 to keep Art Walk going. For Moller, that’s just a starting point. “We’re currently supported by benevolent see Art Walk, page 16
The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles
photo by Gary Leonard
Art Walk Executive Director Joe Moller will oversee his second event on Thursday, Feb. 10.