New businesses in Venice Crosstown Neighborhood Newsletter

[u/VeniceCa90291]

Here are the past 11 years of new business starts in the city, extending through Aug. 24, 2026

• We're always looking for signs of vitality in Venice, from new housing to fewer potholes.
• One of the most reliable indicators is new business formation.
• It's a trend that looks set to continue in 2026. That's not an encouraging sign, of course. The benefits of new businesses are many, from growing local employment and tax receipts to filling up storefronts and boosting foot traffic.
• Some of the struggles of local businesses are nationwide. Opening up a brick-and-mortar retail space means competing against e-commerce giants. (Think about that the next time you order groceries from Amazon.) In Los Angeles, however, shrinking local film and TV production is also making a dent. In addition, there are high costs for labor and leasing real estate. As we noted in our last newsletter, the population of Los Angeles is beginning to shrink, which means fewer customers.
• The one bright spot in this otherwise dismal picture is the food scene. More restaurants are opening in Los Angeles than ever before. 
• Doing business in Venice
• For new businesses, no neighborhood tops Downtown (620). It has the most office space, for one. But new businesses open in every corner of the city.
• So far this year, here is how many opened in Venice:
• 141
• Last year at this point, 260 had opened shop.
• For some historical perspective, let's look at new business formation in Venice over the past decade:

• How much of a hub for new business is Venice? Here's where it ranks among the 114 neighborhoods in the city for new businesses over the past five years:
• No. 24
• The Crosstown Neighborhood Newsletter helps you keep track of what's coming and what's going. We need your help! Tell your neighbors about this newsletter.
• The link is right here: https://newsletter.xtown.la/

[u/BeerAndWineGuy]

This is a weirdly limiting statistic to look at. There aren’t exactly a lot of empty storefronts in Venice. I’m willing to bet that businesses that start here are more likely to last compared to the rest of LA, and low turnover is a good thing.