Place/Time: 909 Ocean Front Walk, Venice 90291, 1pm-4pm, January 5th
https://www.facebook.com/events/1604135346354715/
On Thursday December 13th, Starbucks quietly opened at 909 Ocean Front Walk, the ex-Freak Show building, and Skechers is planned to open in early 2019 just one block south at 1015 Ocean Front Walk. Please join us in front of Starbucks on Saturday January 5th between 1-4pm to protest these establishments and the opening of future national chains on Ocean Front Walk.
What you need to know:
A) As per our City Councilman Mike Bonin’s office, his department is currently working with City Planning to create an ordinance to prohibit future national chain stores on the walkway.
B) After Ben & Jerry’s opened in April 2018, the Venice Dogz sent letters to all property owners on the walkway. These letters stated that the next national chain store that opens on Ocean Front Walk will be protested, picketed, and boycotted. These same letters were also hand-delivered to each store on the walkway, and emailed to over 200 commercial realtors in Venice and LA.
C) Other national chains that are rumored to open on Ocean Front Walk are: McDonald’s, Chipotle, Subway, Nike, and Adidas.
D) In recent years, cities all over the country have passed ordinances and amended existing laws to prohibit and/or limit national chain stores in their towns, or parts of their towns, including San Francisco which has prohibited “Formula Businesses” entirely in the areas of North Beach, Hayes Valley and parts of Chinatown.
E) This is not a protest against the Starbucks corporation in particular, Ben & Jerry’s or Its Sugar. It’s a protest against these national franchise chain stores on our historic walkway, adding more of these businesses, and preserving the character and uniqueness of Ocean Front Walk, which is the identity of Venice, in addition to property owners that have free reign and force out viable small businesses. Adding more of these chain stores not only threatens our beloved local establishments, but it destroys the uniqueness and vibe of our famous boardwalk. If you have problems with their business practices, the amount of waste they generate, the racial incident in Philadelphia, their green straws that might end up in the sand or ocean, the smell of their coffee or anything else please join us, but know the goal of this protest is for the City of Los Angeles to put in an ordinance as soon as possible, to reiterate to property owners that national chains are not wanted on Ocean Front Walk and to instruct everyone to boycott these establishments.
Ocean Front Walk is a special place - it’s the heart and soul of Venice, and that should be celebrated, advertised, protected, and honored. We encourage everyone to boycott these establishments entirely, tell everyone you know, and please share this protest and spread the word.
LINKS:
ARTICLE ABOUT MIKE BONIN’s PROPOSAL: https://westsidetoday.com/2018/12/04/banning-retail-on-the-venice-beach-boardwalk/
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW OTHER CITIES ARE PROHIBITING NATIONAL CHAINS: https://ilsr.org/rule/formula-business-restrictions/
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION: https://www.change.org/p/venice-dogz-no-more-national-chains-on-ocean-front-walk-in-venice
VENICE DOGZ website: www.venicedogz.org
Thank You,
The Venice Dogz: An Alliance for the Preservation of Venice