LA’s once ultra-trendy Melrose Avenue is now sad shadow of its 90s self when likes of Madonna roamed its mom-and-pop vintage boutiques and coffee shops

Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles has become a remnant of its bustling 1990s self after decades-old stores closed.

It was also a place where locals could regularly see music legend Madonna hanging out and where the show ‘Melrose Place’ was filmed.

For decades, stores like Aardvark’s Odd Ark popularized used clothing stores, and LA Eyeworks had icons like Grace Jones and Andy Warhol modeling their quirky eyewear.

Dom DeLuca, the owner of skate shop Brooklyn Projects, which has called Melrose home since 2002, told SFGate, “If you looked down the street on a Tuesday or Thursday, there were people as far as you could see. It looked like CityWalk, at Universal Studios.”

But modernization and rising crime in the city have led to the closure of many such shops and driven the edgy punk rockers from the streets.

It was also a place where locals could regularly see music legend Madonna hanging out and where the show ‘Melrose Place’ was filmed

Dom DeLuca, the owner of skate shop Brooklyn Projects, which has called Melrose home since 2002, told SFGate, “If you looked down the street on a Tuesday or Thursday, there were people as far as you could see. It was like CityWalk, at Universal Studios’

The Mexican restaurant Antonio’s recently closed its doors after more than 50 years and Lala’s Argentine Grill suffered a kitchen fire and has not reopened.

A popular vinyl store called Vinyl Fetish has also closed.

One youpscale pub, known as the Village Idiot, also closed its doors last year, while an Italian restaurant called Spartina said goodbye last month.

Images further show that a burger joint called ‘The Burger That Ate LA’, which was shaped like a giant cheeseburger, has now turned into a regular brown Starbucks building.

According to store owners, business has declined in recent years and sales are not the same as they were in the 1990s or even the 2000s.

Rising crime may also be the reason why Melrose Avenue isn’t the same anymore.

Images further show that a burger joint called ‘The Burger That Ate LA’, which was shaped like a giant cheeseburger when glass bricks formed Ketchup and onions, has now turned into a plain gray building.

A popular vinyl store called Vinyl Fetish has also closed. An upmarket pub known as the Village Idiot also closed its doors last year, while an Italian restaurant called Spartina said goodbye last month

According to store owners, sales have decreased in recent years and are no longer the same as in the 1990s

Antonio’s Mexican restaurant also recently closed the doors of Lala’s Argentine Grill after more than 50 years, suffered a kitchen fire and has not reopened

In August 2023, a robbery took place outside Craig’s on Melrose Avenue at around 1am.

According to officials, two thieves approached the victims and demanded their personal belongings.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said two victims were approached outside Craig’s by two suspects wearing masks.

The suspects – both dressed in dark clothing – had guns and stole one of the victim’s watches before fleeing the scene.

A third suspect drove the group away in a white car, officials said.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the dramatic incident outside the establishment.

A robbery took place outside Craig’s – ‘one of LA’s most celebrity restaurants’ – under investigation on Thursday. Pictured: Police outside Craig’s in West Hollywood

The robbery may be related to another incident from July that was caught on camera less than a mile away, in which the victims were held at gunpoint by three suspects.

The robberies come amid a surprising increase in similar incidents in West Hollywood and the crime-plagued Los Angeles area.

West Hollywood has a higher crime rate than the state of California, with 5.67 violent incidents per 100 residents, according to Neighborhood explorer.

Residents have a 1 in 176 percent chance of becoming a victim in the area, compared to a 1 in 227 percent chance for California overall.

Additionally, there are approximately 783 crimes per square mile in West Hollywood. That number is more than 29 times the national average of 26.2.

Recent violent incidents in the surrounding areas also indicate that crime is increasing and will not decrease anytime soon.