Home Shopping

(Note: a shorter version of this article appeared in The Lookout on Jan. 23)

By Jorge Casuso

Feb. 9 -- If you think Santa Monicans have been nudged from their Downtown by visitors and tourists, think again. A recent survey found that local residents and those who live in neighboring communities visit the heart of the city an average of more than once a week.

Like visitors from outside the area, they mainly go Downtown to shop, but they also go there to eat, watch movies and run personal errands. Most say they go Downtown because it’s closer and more convenient than other shopping areas, but like the visitors who flock there from far-flung places, they also like the ambience and the choices of stores and things to do.

In fact, like visitors from other parts, those who live in or near the city say they would frequent Downtown more often if it were easier to park and the public restrooms were cleaner. If there was one thing they didn’t like besides the lack of parking, it was the presence of the homeless who hang out there.

Those were some of the key findings of an in-depth survey conducted for the Bayside District by the San Diego-based firm CIC Research, Inc. and presented at last month’s Bayside Board meeting.

Graphics by Robin O'Connell Design

The findings heartened Downtown officials, many of whom have long contended that the City – which is contemplating a number of proposed policy changes for the Bayside District – shouldn’t meddle with an area that is vibrant and healthy.

“The proof is in the pudding,” said Board Member Bill Tucker, a Downtown property owner. “More people are coming here. They’re finding it more desirable… Tweaking this right now is dangerous.”

“There is a general level of satisfaction with the Downtown,” said Bayside Board Chair John Warfel. “The high percentage of residents visiting the Downtown confirms that it is operating the way it should. We have certain problems we know about that the Bayside and the City are attempting to address, but they’re not keeping people away.”

“The local use of the Promenade is almost unprecedented,” said Robert O. York, a consultant for the Bayside District. “Statistically it says 100 percent of Santa Monicans come to Downtown more than once a week. That was off the charts.”

The survey found that 97.3 percent of residents of Santa Monica and the Westside who were interviewed by telephone had visited Downtown in the year prior to the survey, and 90 percent had been there in the three months prior to the survey an average of five times a month.

Visitors interviewed in the Downtown area, who were mostly from Los Angeles County, said they had visited Downtown an average of 8.6 times in the three months prior to the survey. Those who had visited the area more than once in the past three months said they had come Downtown an average of 5.2 times in the 30 days prior to the survey.

Both area residents and visitors described the Downtown ambience as “nice/pleasant/friendly” as well as “festive/vibrant/exciting.” Visitors interviewed on the Promenade – who tended to be younger than area residents interviewed by telephone – said the ambience was also “relaxing/cool/casual” and “young/trendy/hip.”

Most respondents who live in the area (18.9 percent) said what they liked most about the Downtown was that it was close to home, followed by the variety of stores (17.6 percent), the atmosphere or ambience (12.4 percent) and the variety of things to do (11.1 percent.)

Among visitors interviewed Downtown, most (14.9 percent) liked the people, followed by the variety of stores (13.3 percent), a particular store (12.5 percent) and the atmosphere (10.3 percent.)

Members of both groups – about 80 percent of whom drove Downtown – said they would visit more often if parking were more available and convenient and the area were cleaner, particularly the restrooms.

Asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 whether certain issues “would increase the quality of your trips” Downtown – with 1 meaning it would not increase the quality and 5 meaning it would definitely increase the quality – respondents to the telephone survey placed “additional parking” (4.03) at the top of the list, followed by “better parking convenience” (3.85), “availability/cleanliness of public restrooms” (3.49) and “cleanliness/upkeep of area” (3.44).

Those interviewed Downtown placed “availability/ cleanliness of public restrooms” (4.19) at the top of the list, followed by “additional parking” (4.01), “better parking convenience” (3.92) and “cleanliness/upkeep of area” (3.62).

In both surveys a “wider variety of stores” placed fifth, with telephone respondents giving it a 3.13 and visitors interviewed Downtown a 3.34. “More security” was given a 2.93 by telephone respondents and a 3.27 by visitors.

“Security doesn’t seem to be a major issue,” said Pam Jaffe, senior market analyst at CIC Research, who was in charge of analyzing the survey results.
Those interviewed by telephone (28.8 percent), as well as those interviewed on the street (34.8 percent), identified “people/homeless” as what they liked least about Downtown.

Conducted last October, the study is based on 405 “intercept surveys” with visitors in the Downtown area, including Santa Monica Place, as well as on a telephone survey of 400 area residents who had previously visited the Downtown.

Visitors in the intercept survey were interviewed in different locations and at different times on both weekdays (one-third of the surveys) and weekends (two-thirds) to obtain a cross-section of visitors. Of those interviewed, 13.3 percent were Santa Monica residents. Only English speakers were surveyed.
Those interviewed by telephone averaged 45 years of age, had a median income of $74,600 and were mostly women (63 percent). Forty-eight percent owned their homes.

Those interviewed on the street were younger and less affluent, averaging 33 years of age and having a median income of $47,500. Women made up slightly more than half the sample (51 percent). Of the respondents, 44 percent owned their homes.

The proportion of L.A. County residents has greatly increased since a similar survey was conducted in 1999, doubling from 29 percent to 58 percent, while the number of foreign visitors dropped from 13 percent to 7 percent over the same period, according to the report.

“That represents trends since 9/11,” said Kathleen Rawson, executive director of the Bayside District. “Foreign visitors have gone down, and regional visitors have increased.”

No matter where they’re from, those visiting the Downtown are spending more money. Visitors interviewed on the street said they spent or planned to spend $77, up from $64 in 1999 and only $24 in 1997. Area residents interviewed by telephone said they spent $40 on their most recent trip Downtown, up from $33 in 1997.

“What’s interesting is that this (the group interviewed Downtown) is a lower income and younger age group, but they’re spending more,” said Ernst Brazier, a senior economist at CIC Research who helped with the economic analysis.

On the day they were surveyed visitors interviewed Downtown went or planned to go to stores for “clothing/shoes/accessories” (66.3 percent), “eating & drinking places” (55.4 percent) and “eating places only,” which is generally fast food (34.4). The service most frequently used was banking.

By comparison, more than seven in ten respondents on the telephone survey had visited “clothing/ shoes/accessory” stores (77.5 percent) and “book stores” (72.7 percent) in the 30 days prior to the survey. Eating and drinking places were frequented by 66.7 percent, and 58.1 percent visited eating places only.

The main purpose people come here is not to eat,” Brazier said, “but they eat when they come here.”

Most of those interviewed by telephone had visited stores on Third Street (81.6 percent), 4th Street (44.4 percent) and 2nd Street (32.4 percent), results similar to those in the 1997 survey. As with those interviewed Downtown, banking was also the most frequently used service.

In a question that already has triggered different interpretations and is bound to be used in an ongoing debate over whether chain stores should be discouraged or restricted, the survey found that most respondents felt the mix of stores Downtown was “about right.”

Nearly half – 49.8 percent – of those surveyed on the telephone thought the mix of stores was “about right,” while 39.1 percent would like more independent stores and 11.1 percent more chain stores.

Of those interviewed Downtown, 59.8 percent thought the mix was “about right,” while 31.4 percent would like more independent stores and 8.8 percent would like more chain stores. “That makes sense since this is the reason they’re coming,” Jaffe said.

York thinks the response given may have been influenced by the way the question was asked: “Do you think the Downtown area needs more chain stores, or more independent stores, or is the current mix just about right?”
“I think most people say they want more independent stores, but that may not reflect their behavior,” York said. “In popular culture, ‘chain stores’ has become a term with some negative baggage.”

But York thinks the prospect that chain stores could be taking over the Promenade is “obviously an issue. It’s something people are sensitive to on the local level. I think it gets us back to the uniqueness issue. Everybody wants to have something a little different.”

But some board members think the survey results send a clear message that Santa Monicans are unhappy with the current mix of stores and want to see more independent shops.

“I think when 40 percent of the people are unhappy with the mix, it does mean that there needs to be a concerted effort to address the problem and improve the situation,” said Board member Patricia Hoffman.

“The Promenade serves a purpose that is beyond an economic purpose,” Hoffman said. “It should serve as a community gathering place. It’s clear that we want to preserve the uniqueness of the Promenade.”

When it came to street performers, the telephone survey found that 29.3 percent of the respondents derived a “great deal” of enjoyment and 51.3 percent some enjoyment from the performers. Of the visitors interviewed on the street, 59.7 percent said street performers provided a “great deal” of enjoyment.

Shopping areas near Santa Monica offered the stiffest competition for those surveyed on the telephone. Given a list of six shopping areas, the highest proportion of respondents said they had visited the Westside Pavilion shopping area (with nearly 68 percent visiting at least once in the three months prior to the survey), followed by Century City (with nearly 58 percent) and The Grove (nearly 43 percent).

By contrast, the same six shopping areas were seldom visited by visitors interviewed Downtown. The Beverly Center topped the list with less than 30 percent visiting the indoor mall in the past three months, followed by Century City (less than 28 percent) and The Grove (20 percent).

But Downtown Santa Monica will likely see competition stiffening, with the Westside Pavilion adding a state-of-the-art art house theater that will be one of the largest in the country and Century City renovating and expanding its theaters, as well as the restaurants and stores, York said.

“We can’t ignore our competition,” said York, a partner in The Fransen Company. “Ten or twelve years ago you came (Downtown) to the theaters because that was the thing to do. Now we run the risk of becoming less competitive in one in the cornerstones of our Downtown’s success.”

Bayside officials said they were pleased with the survey’s general findings, but there is always room for improvement.

“The issues haven’t changed, and the people who visit the Downtown are generally satisfied,” Rawson said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have to improve.”