What Happened to Fairfax?
Archival Recordings 27
Archival Recordings 27
Fairfax Blvd., between Melrose and Beverly, has evolved quite a bit over the past few decades. It’s a good example of the boom/bust gentrification cycle that many parts of the city undergo on a regular basis, even if it seems really accelerated in that area in particular. I went to Fairfax HS on the corner of Fairfax and Melrose in the early 90’s so I recall the area before all of the money poured in. At the time, the main draw was the shops on Melrose Ave. As a result, Fairfax was somewhat of an afterthought. Most of the businesses were “mom and pop” stores that local residents and high school kids frequented, but they didn’t draw much attention from anyone else. At the time I was heavily into comic books and there was a shop called Cheap Comics on Fairfax that had a $1 bin full of manga. There was also the Cineplex Odeon movie theater on the corner of Fairfax and Beverly. Located in the same building as Bargain Fair and other shops, my friends and I saw movies there often on Friday afternoons. It later became a $2 movie theater (that was indeed a thing in L.A. for a while) before closing permanently. During this period, Fairfax was a sleepy stretch of stores in between Hollywood and West Hollywood but things would change significantly pretty soon.
In the 00’s, Fairfax evolved to become the main attraction in the neighborhood. And by 2010, it had become the heart of the L.A. streetwear scene. Several iconic stores set up shop including Flight Club, Turntable Lab, The Hundreds, and of course, Supreme. Trendy restaurants pushed out most of the stores that had been there for decades prior and the whole neighborhood became one of the busiest parts of the city. I moved back into the area around this time, living walking distance from Fairfax off the corner of Spaulding and Clinton. I remember being amazed back then at how much the area had changed but amazingly, there was more to come.
Fairfax Theater/Bargain Fair. 2024.
By the time the pandemic had hit L.A. in 2020, the area had already peaked. Some of the major brands were still present but most of the smaller stores had already moved on. The effect of the Covid lockdowns were instant and visible, decimating the atmosphere that was thriving just a few years prior. This crash led to the present version of Fairfax becoming a shell of its former iteration. This was really made apparent when I saw the hollowed out facade of the iconic Fairfax Theatre. Like the Sear’s Hollywood Bldg. in Hollywood that was recently demolished, it is a structure that was once the heart of the neighborhood, both economically and culturally. Fairfax won’t quite be the same without it.
Updates
I have a couple of really dope updates to share! First up. I started not one, but 2 new projects! They are both newsletter based and over on Substack (for now). The first one is called Recent Photography and it is direct spinoff from Archival Recordings. It is basically a standalone version of the Recent Photography mini essays that I published here over the summer. I wanted to give that part of the newsletter more space to grow. I'll keep it loose and image based over there, it'll function as a space to work out ideas and share new work as I make it.
The second newsletter is called Nontxt and it is centered around my art and design practice. As some of you know, I also create artwork and design things under the moniker "Nonstndrd Creative" in addition to being a Visual Designer in Higher Education. This newsletter is focused on my design, fine art, and illustration practice and how it continues to grow and evolve. be sure to subscribe for a different side of my creative output.
Archival Recordings Print Zine 03, "South of the 10", is going to the printer this week. So all of you who have subscribed to the paid tier of this project will be getting a copy in the next few weeks. This issue will also be up for sale in my online store when it drops.
And lastly, Archival Recordings is switching to being published monthly instead of every two weeks. I have found a good rhythm in writing/publishing these essays that could benefit from more time so it will be a change for the better.
Thanks for reading and all of the support!