Sidewalks Could Take New Path in Retailing

From the stylish boutiques along a stretch of Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks to Hollywood’s seedy-chic Walk of Fame, the definition of where the sidewalk ends and commerce begins has become contested ground.

For decades, many cities have vigorously segregated the two, banning merchants from displaying goods along walkways in an effort to blot out eyesores and protect pedestrian access. But now, caught between the competing interests of shopkeepers and residents, Los Angeles has joined a handful of cities in the region that are rethinking the rules governing public walkways.

Sidewalks--no longer holy ground--are being incorporated into the commercial mix in some places, available to shopkeepers and pedestrians alike.

“It’s to allow people to enjoy and experience businesses without going inside,” said Steven Rose, president of the chamber of commerce in Culver City, where downtown merchants can now set some of their wares outside.

“It gives life to the boulevard,” agreed Lina Lee of Ideas Furniture in Sherman Oaks. “There’s always something to see.”

Not everyone endorses such a concept. Public walkways should be reserved for pedestrians to enjoy free of impediment, opponents say. Who would be drawn to a street resembling a big rummage sale? A seemingly simple issue, yet residents and merchants are divided over whether sidewalk displays help or hurt the local economy, reel in or repel customers, sweeten or sour the local flavor.

In support of liberalizing long-standing laws against curbside displays are shopkeepers who say they rely on such tricks to grab the attention of potential patrons.

After a recent crackdown along Ventura Boulevard elicited unhappy reactions from merchants cited for anything from outdoor clothes racks to planters, public works officials have begun trying to ease the law to allow decorative flourishes such as the phalanx of armored knights that stand guard outside the Psychic Eye Bookstore at Ventura Boulevard near Greenbush Avenue.

“There are a lot of little stores that you wouldn’t notice [without the sidewalk displays],” said Kelly Komo, as she shopped for furniture with her mother Joan. “They catch your eye.”

Merchandise would still be banished, but one alternative might be to designate specific zones, such as the antique district along La Brea Avenue, where sidewalk displays would be legal, said City Councilman Mike Feuer, who represents that area as well as Sherman Oaks.

“It’s important to distinguish the minor from the major,” said Feuer, who endorses “making these rules flexible where that’s appropriate.”

Culver City has taken that route.

When a local artist was cited for setting out his eye-catching furniture on the sidewalk last year, urban planners took note, realizing that the city was penalizing the very business owners who were key to revitalizing the foundering area, said Sherry Jordan, Culver City’s associate planner.

So city leaders approved a plan to permit sidewalk displays downtown, amending a strict policy that had been in place for half a century.

“This is a big breakthrough for Culver City. We’re trying to make things more pedestrian-friendly,” Jordan said.

But the City Council, mindful that the idea could spawn tackiness, set careful guidelines.

“They said, ‘We don’t want rolls of carpet. We don’t want barrels of 10-cent underwear,’ ” Jordan said.

Instead, the only types of merchandise allowed on sidewalks are collectibles, books and raw foodstuffs. Merchants must maintain six feet of unobstructed walkway and assume liability in case of any accidents.

Clearly, just as the right landscaping can give an aging neighborhood a face lift, the kind of goods on display help create the atmosphere and make all the difference in positive or negative reactions.

In Hollywood, where Leron Gubler has served as executive director of the chamber of commerce for four years, he has yet to receive any complaints about the trendy merchandise that often clutters the sidewalks of Melrose Avenue on weekends. Some stores even move major pieces of furniture onto the concrete to attract customers.

But shift north to often grimy Hollywood Boulevard, home of kitschy souvenir shops that put a postcard rack or sandwich board outside, and the complaints mount.

“It’s a different boulevard. You have to treat each according to its own needs,” Gubler said.

Freer use of the sidewalks along bustling Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park is also an uphill battle, to the dismay of Jack Wong, the city’s director of community development.

As along Ventura and Hollywood boulevards, many store owners on Pacific are immigrants whose native cultures embrace open-air markets and shopping in public spaces, said Wong, the founder of Ethnopolis, a nonprofit group that studies urban ethnic communities.

Shoppers in Huntington Park, which is more than 90% Latino, are comfortable with sidewalk vendors (whose presence is technically banned), Wong said. Yet local business people have been reluctant to promote the use of sidewalks for commercial purposes, except for outdoor dining.

Wong remains hopeful for change.

“We start first with sidewalk cafes, kiosks and carts, and perhaps in the future we can start modifying our codes to allow merchants to start displaying outside,” he said.

But opponents of opening up the public right of way to shopkeepers contend that the inevitable result is a downgrading of the area’s image, a loss of cachet. They applaud strict enforcement of no-display laws, which in Los Angeles have been in effect since the 1950s.

“The only argument I’ve heard for changing it is from merchants who want to set up shop on the sidewalk, and that’s not a reason to change the law,” said Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

Close said such displays undercut the well-scrubbed look and welcoming atmosphere the neighborhood has tried to cultivate along Ventura Boulevard. But Sherman Oaks is not of one mind.

“I think it adds to the flavor of the neighborhood,” said Lori Coleman, 43, as she skated Saturday morning with daughters Deirdre and Allison. “It doesn’t impede anything and it’s certainly more interesting,” she said.

“It brings attention to the businesses,” added Jennifer Reid, 26, as she perused piles of clothing at Iguana Vintage Clothing for a pair of blue jeans. “It would be one thing if the sidewalk was narrow, but there’s plenty of room out there.”

“I think it’s tacky,” said Rica Sabah, 59, as she looked disdainfully at an old sofa sitting outside a secondhand furniture store. “Ventura Boulevard is just starting to become a good walking area. I would hope the merchants take more pride in what they are displaying.”

The type of merchandise is definitely an issue, said Sherman Oaks resident John McNamara as he grabbed a burger and fries at Fatburger.

“I can’t say I would be ecstatic about car parts or sleazy Italian furniture,” McNamara said. “But I would stop if I saw an armoire I liked.”

Many who favor clear sidewalks cite the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and Old Pasadena, pedestrian areas that are thriving despite strict codes against moving merchandise into the public domain.

Indeed, the Promenade languished as a destination spot during the 1980s because so many businesses had taken to peddling their wares outside, lending the place a run-down, schlocky feel, said Casey Ure with the Bayside District Corp. in Santa Monica.

“It tends to look like a swap meet or a carnival when you’ve got all those kinds of things going on,” said Ure, whose nonprofit organization oversees upkeep and security at the Promenade.

Cleaning up the streets, then improving them for pedestrian access, was crucial to what has turned out to be a stunningly successful revitalization campaign, Ure said.

In Pasadena, Darrell Brooke, president of the Old Pasadena Business and Professional Assn., is sympathetic to the needs of cities trying to establish their own fun zones.

“The idea of having merchandise [outdoors] is good for an up-and-coming area as a way to induce people to come back and visit the city,” he said.

But along Colorado Boulevard--where the old sidewalks are left narrower than usual to accommodate the Rose Parade--”it’s difficult with the type of crowds that we get on Friday and Saturday nights to maneuver if merchandise were allowed to be put on the sidewalks,” Brooke said.

“As it stands right now, it can be pretty harried walking by groups of restaurants with outdoor dining. To add merchandising to the pot would really impinge on the flow of pedestrians.”

Times staff writer Andrew Blankstein contributed to this story.