Actress Julie Newmar's call to action being heard at Supreme store in Fairfax District

Friday, February 16, 2018
Actress' call to action being heard at Supreme store in Fairfax District
A resolution has been reached for people in the Fairfax District upset over long lines at the high-end clothing store Supreme.

Fairfax Avenue is known for its long-standing delis and bakeries, but the landscape has drastically changed.

"For the last four years we've been kind of plagued with this intrusion that has really upset things," said actress Julie Newmar.

Newmar, who played Catwoman in the original Batman TV series, owns property there and said a high-end clothing store called Supreme is destroying the area.

"There's garbage, filth everywhere. There's no parking for any of the people. They urinate. The other day, a kid (overdosed) in one of my bathrooms."

Newmar said it's not the right kind of business for that part of the Fairfax District.

Ahead of their flash mob-style sales, Supreme customers are known to camp out along Fairfax and the surrounding streets for days - sometimes as long as a week.

Newmar said they frighten residents and have caused businesses to close.

Longtime establishments like Western Kosher have watched their neighbors leave and be replaced by skate shops and high-end coffee shops. Western Kosher's Katriel Green Director of Operations said the whole atmosphere has changed since Supreme moved in.

"It just looked like a permanent fixture of a whole bunch of rowdy people. We've called 911 a few times - people stopping traffic in the streets, getting belligerent with either drivers or people walking," said Green.

But changes are now being made. Thursday was a "drop day," when Supreme releases new merchandise. Normally, the lines snake through the neighborhood, but now, only a small group gathered at the store's entrance.

Instead of crowds, the sidewalk was roped off and there were security guards with tablets giving customers specific shopping times.

"We get a text, we don't have to hang out, we don't have to sleep overnight, we don't have to camp out anymore. We come, we sign up, and we go home, and it's easy," said a woman who identified herself as Supreme Queen.

People standing with her in the first group to go inside on Thursday all agreed that the new system is much better.

The city has been working on the issue for months, and said Supreme has agreed to reduce lines, secure bathrooms and hire a service to clean the street.

In a statement, LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz said: "I am strongly encouraged by these steps, and I believe that by working together and not against one another, we can create a Fairfax that is a clean, safe and vibrant hub of both culture and commerce."

Business owners said they certainly hope that's the case.

"We have to bring it back to its original vitality, to say no to these criminal elements that have creeped in. We have to say no," said Newmar.

Eyewitness news reached out to Supreme for comment but didn't hear back.