Sur La Table to spice up Westwood with upscale kitchenware selection

Topa Management, a property management company, announced Tuesday a high-end kitchenware store will open in Westwood Village next spring.

Sur La Table, which will open at the corner of Westwood Boulevard and Weyburn Avenue, will sell kitchenware and offer on-site cooking classes, said Rick Chancellor, vice president of the McDevitt Company. The 6,000 square-foot store will open across the street from CVS Pharmacy in 2016.

Chancellor said Topa Management officials chose to bring Sur La Table into Westwood to appeal to an older group of shoppers, including hospital staff and residents, whose needs he said have not been met. He added Topa officials will continue to bring in more high-end businesses that provide different apparel and dining options.

After six months, the McDevitt Company finalized a deal between Topa Management and Sur La Table. The Westwood branch will be Sur La Table’s 31st store in California and sixth in the Los Angeles area.

Steve Sann, chair of the Westwood Community Council, said he hopes Sur La Table’s arrival will encourage other quality retail businesses to move into Westwood and offer residents a larger variety of options.

“When people think Westwood, they think it is just a college town,” Sann said. “But there are also wealthy and upscale people who are willing to spend that money.”

Doralece Dullaghan, director of strategic partnerships and public relations for Sur La Table, said the company chose to open a store in Westwood after deciding the neighborhood best reflected its customer base.

Carole Magnuson, who has lived in Westwood for more than 50 years, said she thinks Sur La Table’s Westwood location will be convenient for residents because they will no longer have to drive out of the area to shop for kitchenware.

“Westwood is a lovely place, but it is totally inconvenient to drive out of Westwood to fulfill our retail needs,” Magnuson said. “Our services haven’t been met, and there aren’t enough high-end stores.”

Some students said they don’t plan to visit Sur La Table’s Westwood location.

Madeleine Impert, a second-year psychology student, said she doesn’t live in the apartments so buying kitchenware is unnecessary.

Hayley Haag, a second-year political science student, said she thinks the store will not attract many students, but the location will increase Westwood Village’s vibrancy.

“The store is geared towards adults, so it doesn’t really impact me,” Haag said. “But more high-end clients can come in and make Westwood Village more upscale.”