Abbot Kinney is a street in Venice, CA, where “screenwriters” hang out in a trendy coffee house and couples browse rustic-looking antique shops for something to impress their friends. Barbra Streisand used to send a “picker” to scour the shops for the beaded evening bags she collects. In other words, it’s a haven for Venice hipsters and people with too much time and money.
Now, the community is hopping mad that a Pinkberry has invaded this hallowed territory. Some residents have collected thousands of names on their petition to get rid of the Pinkberry, which they consider a chain store. Chain stores have no place on the shabby-chic street, argue these residents, who want to preserve Abbot Kinney’s celebrated arty charm.
I’ve lived in Venice for a hundred years, and at various times I have eaten pizza, had a haircut, bought t-shirts, and had a drink on Abbot Kinney. I’ve gasped aloud at the prices of crap in the antique stores. I’ve never witnessed anything that isn’t perfectly compatible with a Pinkberry shop.
There’s a lot to hate in this world, but let’s never forget to hate Bobos. They are a scourge who should not be encouraged to shape neighborhoods to their loathesome specifications. These Bobos in Venice obviously want to feel they’re more elite that the average schmuck drinking latte in a Starbucks.
Fuck them.
” It is better to be a good, ordinary bourgeois than a bad ordinary bohemian”
[Aldous Huxley, 1930]