A new school year, a new set of businesses for Westwood Village

Westwood Village’s storefronts may look different to students than they did last spring.

As Noodle World, the Glendon Bar and Kitchen and others closed during the summer, new restaurants and stores like Tender Greens, KazuNori and Sur La Table opened, but many recently vacated spaces are still looking for tenants.

Many businesses closed because they were unable to keep up with high rent prices or failed to attract a strong clientele. Some Westwood officials see these spaces as an opportunity to attract visitors to the Village with unique dining options, nightlife and popular retail stores.

But because Westwood properties are owned by many different landlords, moving the neighborhood in a cohesive direction can be challenging, said Jim Brooks, president of Topa Management, a company that owns the most square footage in the Village.

“We’re a long-term owner,” Brooks said. “Instead of taking the first (business) that shows up, we’re patient with vacancies that will pay off in the long run.”

[Related: Yamato closes after nine years of service in Westwood Village]

This summer, KazuNori and Sur La Table opened in Topa-owned spaces. Brooks said he thinks these businesses will succeed in the Village because they operate in few locations and have established customer bases.

He said he thinks evolution and turnover of restaurants is natural, but certain types of these restaurants are overrepresented, such as pizzerias and sandwich shops. Westwood landlords decide which tenants to sign independently of each other, and often bring in similar types of businesses, he said.

Steve Sann, chair of the Westwood Community Council, said he thinks the Village has an unsustainable amount of casual restaurants.

Sann filed an appeal in June 2014 to prevent Panera Bread from opening, arguing its potential space was meant for a full-service, sit-down restaurant, according to the Westwood Village Specific Plan.

“(Businesses) come and think Westwood is a fast food gold mine…because of the students,” Sann said. “But students already have meal plans … it’s easier for them to use a swipe rather than walk to the Village and pay.”

Sann said Tender Greens, which opened in August and serves healthy Californian-style meals, is attracting customers ahead of its projections. Sann added he thinks Tender Greens is thriving because Westwood residents value fresh, light food. However, Garlo’s Aussie Pie Shop and Five Guys may have closed because they offered less healthy food, he said.

While there are other sushi restaurants in the Village, KazuNori is the only one that hand rolls sushi in front of customers, Brooks said in June. Sur La Table officials chose to open a location in Westwood because residents in the area matched its customer base.

[Related: New KazuNori location brings hand-rolled sushi to Westwood Village]

Sann said he thinks Village landlords should sign more retail stores and fewer chain restaurants. He added he thinks financially unstable landlords often sign the first tenant to approach them, which makes it difficult to encourage them to wait for a tenant who can offer more varied food and retail options.

Topa is planning to bring more non-clothing retail stores and chef-driven restaurants into the Village because they can attract visitors from other parts of Los Angeles, Brooks said.

Andrew Thomas, director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said he believes the Village should introduce more nightlife options.

“If we want to be a fully realized district we need to have things to do at night – more restaurants with a bar and stand-alone bars,” Thomas said. “I’d love to see live music.”

Thomas added he thinks the recent closures are an opportunity to bring in more interesting and successful businesses.

“Glendon (Bar and Kitchen) and Yamato have left, but those owners are having conversations with better tenants,” Thomas said. “O’Hara’s was hopping one night a week and Rocco’s (Tavern will be) a huge upgrade. Noodle World left, but that space is going to be highly sought after and it’s going to be better than Noodle World ever was.”

Brooks said he thinks recent successful openings suggest upward momentum that will attract more businesses to the Village.

“There’s been a perception that these long-term restaurants are closing, but every one is an opportunity for an upgrade,” Brooks said.