By Kelsey Mcavin
Executive Arts Editor
The Beach Cities are losing their classic characters as online platforms like Amazon and the expansion of chain businesses are driving out small, local businesses that have been cherished parts of the community for decades. With the closures of beloved restaurants in downtown Manhattan Beach such as Lemonade, Pitfire Pizza, and Mother’s Market in El Segundo, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the local restaurants shut down due to raised rent and competition from online stores.
Local businesses and stores are the backbone of Manhattan Beach. With many of them being owned and operated by families or Manhattan Beach locals, they create a sense of community and provide more than just goods and services. Beloved restaurants like Fusion Sushi are now being forced to rebrand because they too cannot keep up with the rising rent of the city. It’s impossible for these smaller businesses and restaurants to stay afloat, meanwhile bigger chains are able to push out these independent businesses as they can afford the all time high costs.
Pitfire Pizza, which has been a staple of the Manhattan Beach community since 2013, and is getting replaced by Great White- a cafe featuring a little bit of everything. While still delicious, their prices are slightly higher and nothing can replace the emotional aspect attached to Pitfire.
Mothers Market, a small, health focused grocery store located in El Segundo is being replaced with the complete opposite: Erewhon. Many residents are beyond excited for this new addition, as the closest Erewhon is a twenty minute drive, but others are devastated at the loss of their local grocery store being replaced with sky high prices.
Along with the rent, the growing dominance of online stores has made it even harder for businesses besides restaurants to stay open. Amazon and other platforms offer convenience, allowing people to shop from their homes and have their items delivered right to their door. This is devastating for stores that rely on their customers, such as bookstores like Barnes and Noble closing because they can’t compete with the prices and selection of Amazon. Along with this, Party City and Hallmark are shutting down because party decorations and favors can be easily ordered with a click of a button rather than going to the more expensive local stores.
These closures aren’t just inconvenient, they’re changing the entire feel of the town. Rather than remaining as a small beach community, Manhattan Beach is turning into just another city with chain businesses. Without their local stores and restaurants, the town loses its unique identity. Instead of being able to be welcomed into a restaurant like family, customers are seen as just another transaction to these corporations.
The closures don’t just affect business owners, but also everyone who works there. When a local restaurant that has been in business for decades closes, the employees who have worked there forever lose their jobs. From servers to sheds to retail workers, countless individuals rely on these businesses to support both themselves and their families. This leaves workers to struggle to find a new job in an already highly competitive market. The loss of these workers further weakens the sense of community, as familiar faces contribute to the personal and welcoming feeling of the businesses.
Although change and evolution is inevitable, the result of this change is a town’s loss of identity. Residents lose their personal connections, and if this trend continues, the town will lose all the businesses and people that made it such a special place. Supporting local businesses, even if it’s less convenient or more expensive, is one of the only ways to push back against this shift.
The Beach Cities aren’t just regular big cities. They are small towns with unique characteristics, and these characteristics are worth preserving. If the rent stays this high and more businesses keep getting shut down for bigger corporations, residents will lose the place they once loved.
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