Spike Lee’s Shop
Recently, I had the good fortune to visit Los Angeles. My trip included a visit to Melrose Avenue and Spike Lee’s store (among others). I am writing now in response to “X Marks the Spot of Controversy Over Spike Lee’s Store” (Nov. 6) and specifically to the persons who expressed a note of disapproval over the location of the shop on Melrose.
Melrose Avenue is a slice of contemporary Americana and unlike other locations in Los Angeles (and other cities) where “ethnicity” is capitalized upon, Melrose makes no excuses. Consumers come in search of the historical evidence of some cultural heritage and Melrose awaits them with the hodgepodge, potluck and conglomeration that are the memorabilia of the historic ethnic evolution of Americana. So, I defend Spike Lee’s location on Melrose Avenue; it really belongs there.
We live in an intense and volatile age. The memorabilia in Melrose shops are from a generation that grew up witnessing the most recent unsettling and questioning times in our nation’s history. I look forward to my next visit.
LAURA BURKHOLDER, Ridgecrest
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