Chain stores harm Westwood’s image

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 Edward Chiao

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With the increasing presence of large corporate chains such as
Ralph’s, Best Buy and soon Sav-On, the livelihood of small
businesses has been threatened considerably. This is especially the
case for theaters that show independent films. Most recently, the
local United Artists theater was shut down by the city. Many more
of Westwood’s smaller theaters are also expected to encounter
significant financial straits soon.

Luckily, the recent arrival of Landmark Theaters can help
compensate for Westwood’s loss. Landmark Theaters show many
of the same films and independent genres as the UA theater. These
include “Memento,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon,” and “Run Lola Run.” Many of these films
stand in stark contrast to some of the big blockbuster movies shown
by the larger theaters, like “Crossroads” staring
Britney Spears or “Collateral Damage” with Arnold
Schwarzenegger, whose plots are often as strong as the Westwood
economy. The presence of a wide variety of movies which are not
widely distributed is what makes Westwood unique ““ take this
away, and you take away part of Westwood’s image.

The Westwood Business Improvement District must help retain the
Village’s theaters and small businesses, who at present
cannot compete with national chains for real estate, a customer
base, or both. Students will feel closer to the Westwood community
if it has something uniquely different to offer ““ a
Ralph’s can be found everywhere. And when students feel
Westwood has something special to offer them, they will invest more
time and money in it. It’s too late to bring back the UA
theaters being replaced by Sav-On, but its not too late to help
keep the others from dying out.