Live entertainment loss is village’s end

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in
Chief  Timothy Kudo

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 Michael Falcone

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 Maegan Carberry
 Edward Chiao
 Kelly Rayburn

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 Maegan Carberry
 Edward Chiao

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In the late 1980s, Westwood Village was a happening social scene
““ dance clubs and live entertainment were abundant, as were
paying customers eager to indulge in what Westwood had to
offer.

Just fifteen years later, movie theaters are packing up and
moving out of the village, while remaining businesses are
struggling to stay above ground. Historical businesses are slowly
being replaced by profit-driven chain-stores. What was once a
bustling village is now half-empty on Friday and Saturday nights.
However, the village’s demise isn’t because the tastes
of its customers have changed. Instead, the decline is a result of
a few local conservative homeowners banding together and ripping
the very heart out of Westwood ““ live entertainment.

Gypsy Cafe and Habibi Cafe are the two latest victims in the
homeowners’ systematic clamp-down on what they deem
unfavorable entertainment in the village. The two trendy
Middle-Eastern-style restaurants, which hired belly dancers to walk
around tables and perform for patrons, were told to remove the live
shows since they were operating without city permits. Gypsy Cafe
also had stand-up comedy every Wednesday night, and Habibi Cafe
hired a disc jockey to mix music on weekends.

The entertainment proved to be extremely popular, and the two
cafes were packed on nights with scheduled performances. But all
this was too much for local homeowners to stomach, and the cafes
were ordered to stop the “unruly” entertainment or face
harsh penalties.

While the reasonable solution would be for the owners of Gypsy
Cafe and Habibi Cafe to simply apply for entertainment permits, the
local homeowners have made it their mission to be unreasonable.

Acquiring a permit for entertainment requires a non-refundable
deposit of $4,539 and a public hearing where the applicant must
present the plans. Coupled with this large financial burden, the
chances of obtaining a permit in Westwood are close to none, since
local residents are hesitant to approve any proposal which would
bring more people ““ or in their eyes, more trouble ““
into the village.

But homeowners are not the only residents with a say in the
village. Students represent a large percentage of consumers, and
they are expressing dissatisfaction with the current state of
Westwood by taking their entertainment dollars elsewhere.

Third Street Promenade has become what Westwood once was ““
a bustling social scene where students and local residents alike
come together to shop, stroll and watch live shows. But Third
Street is not alone. Century City and Universal City Walk are
picking up the slack that Westwood Village has left. All three of
these places have one thing in common: entertainment.

In order to compete and survive against these new entertainment
destinations, Westwood homeowners must ease up and allow more live
entertainment into Westwood. These homeowners must realize that the
conservative ordinances placed on businesses within the village are
not economically sound ““ catering only to the concerns of a
few ““ by leaving out students and young professionals who are
often more willing to spend disposable income on entertainment.

If these students and young professionals will pay to watch
belly dancers perform while serving food, then make that form of
entertainment available in Westwood. Otherwise, the only
mid-sections on display will be when the cafes and surrounding
businesses go belly up.