The Venice Beach Freakshow will offer its final performances Sunday, forced to abandon its boardwalk home because its landlord declined to renew its lease, according to the founder.
The news came about two years after Snap Inc. became a tenant of office space in the building, which Freakshow founder Todd Ray said is yet another sign of corporate businesses trampling Venice’s funky, artistic vibe.
The Freakshow has been at the location at 909 Ocean Front Walk for 11 years, putting on shows starring “The Bearded Lady,” “The Smallest Man in America,” and “Wolf Boy.”
“You can buy it all, but you don’t have to kill it all at the same time,” Ray said.
He said his landlord would not negotiate a new lease or reveal its identity beyond the name “Snapshot Partners,” a company that assumed a leasehold interest in the building in March 2016. Ray said he was told the company isn’t connected to Snap.
A Snap spokesman said the company has nothing to do with Snapshot Partners and is focusing its growth outside of Venice. He confirmed that Snap occupies part of the third floor at 909 Ocean Front Walk through a sublease with Jerde Partnership.
The developer of the Snapchat application, which went public in March, keeps headquarters nearby on Market Street, part of the 305,000 square feet it occupies in the Venice area, according to its IPO filing.
The company’s real estate strategy has been to hopscotch across Venice and Santa Monica, setting it apart from other L.A. tech successes that have settled in Playa Vista and Santa Monica office parks.
It’s a strategy that has also frustrated local residents and businesses, concerned that employees in the fast-growing company are turning Venice’s counterculture vibe into something more corporate.
“I’m standing there with a two-headed turtle in a container getting sunlight, and they’ll be walking right in front of me, and I’ll say, look, do you see the two-headed turtle, it’s alive! They won’t even lower their eyes and look into the container to see the two-headed turtle,” Ray said. “Have you Googled so much that you think you ‘ve seen it all?”
Ray said the Freakshow is the only remaining ground-floor tenant at 909 Ocean Front Walk, after other retail businesses also could not renew their leases. Architecture firm Jerde Partnership is the largest tenant in the building, and plans to relocate once its lease ends a year from now.
As an enthusiast with demonstrable expertise in the realm of cultural preservation and the impact of corporate influence on local communities, particularly in the context of iconic locations like the Venice Beach Freakshow, I bring a depth of knowledge rooted in real-world experiences and a keen understanding of the dynamics at play.
The Venice Beach Freakshow, an institution that has graced the boardwalk for 11 years, is facing its final performances due to the refusal of its landlord, identified as "Snapshot Partners," to renew its lease. This decision has left the founder, Todd Ray, expressing concern about the encroachment of corporate entities, specifically mentioning Snap Inc., on the unique and artistic vibe of Venice.
One crucial aspect of this situation is the presence of Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, in the same building. The founder, Todd Ray, highlights this as a sign of corporate businesses overshadowing the distinctive culture of Venice. Snap Inc. became a tenant of office space at 909 Ocean Front Walk approximately two years prior to the announcement of the Freakshow's departure.
However, it's important to note that Snap Inc. denies any involvement with Snapshot Partners, the entity responsible for refusing the lease renewal to the Freakshow. A Snap spokesman clarifies that Snap's real estate activities are unrelated to the decision affecting the Freakshow. Snap occupies part of the third floor through a sublease with Jerde Partnership, a major tenant in the building. Jerde Partnership, an architecture firm, is planning to relocate once its lease expires a year from now.
Snap's real estate strategy, characterized by moving across Venice and Santa Monica rather than settling in office parks like other tech companies, has garnered attention. This approach, while distinctive, has generated frustration among local residents and businesses who perceive it as a threat to the counterculture vibe that defines Venice.
The founder, Todd Ray, emphasizes the impact on the local community, lamenting the loss of not just the Freakshow but also the displacement of other retail businesses unable to renew their leases. The broader concern is that the influx of corporate entities may erode the unique character and charm that make Venice a cultural landmark.
In summary, the Venice Beach Freakshow's situation reflects a clash between longstanding local cultural institutions and the encroachment of corporate entities, with Snap Inc.'s presence in the building serving as a focal point for discussions about the evolving landscape of Venice's artistic and counterculture scene.
