The Hollywood sign and … Erewhon? How the luxury grocery store became an L.A. tourist destination

When William Rath mapped retired his post-law schoolhouse travel to Los Angeles successful May, his itinerary included the city’s quintessential landmarks: gazing up astatine the Hollywood motion from Beachwood Canyon, taking a personage homes tour, scanning the Pacific Ocean for whales disconnected the seashore of Long Beach. But amid these classical stops, 1 destination roseate supra the rest. Erewhon, the luxury grocer, was a nonnegotiable — not for its groceries, but for the clout, the curiosity and the spectacle.

Rath, a freshly minted postgraduate from the University of Oregon and influencer, made his pilgrimage to the Beverly Hills location, the gleaming wellness emporium nestled conscionable steps from Rodeo Drive, wherever Hailey Bieber’s Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie routinely draws queues 20-people deep. Unable to find a spot outside, helium retreated to his rental car successful the shadiness of a adjacent parking garage, and filmed a TikTok review.

“TikTok was the main crushed I went. It’s ever been connected my ‘For You’ page,” says 25-year-old Rath. “I ever spot a batch of influencers going determination and trying antithetic things. It’s a large trend, and it hasn’t stopped.”

Once the domain of wellness devotees and Hollywood insiders, Erewhon has transformed into thing much universal: for some, it’s their section market store, but it’s besides present a bucket database tourer destination. Like the Hollywood Walk of Fame oregon the Getty Museum, the upscale grocer draws out-of-town visitors successful hunt of not conscionable sustenance, but presumption — a smoothie, a snapshot and societal media impervious they were there.

Hailey Bieber’s Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie ($20) attracts tourists to Erewhon.

(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)

Aspiration defines overmuch of Erewhon’s appeal. In an epoch erstwhile tourists question experiences arsenic overmuch arsenic landmarks, the store offers thing singular: a mode to illustration a definite benignant of shiny L.A. life. It’s wellness arsenic entertainment, market buying arsenic presumption symbol. Some tourists are conscionable radical connected abrogation determination to gawk, portion others are influencers determination for content.

“It’s a taste moment,” says Christina Basias, 36, who has checked retired Erewhon’s Santa Monica, Venice and Silver Lake locations erstwhile traveling from New Jersey with woman Alexis Androulakis, 38. When they go, the quality merchandise educators and entrepreneurs scope retired caller merchandise trends and wellness ingredients that haven’t yet deed wide retailers. “At slightest 40% of what I spot astatine Erewhon, I can’t find anyplace else,” Androulakis adds.

Founded successful 1966 by macrobiotic pioneers Michio and Aveline Kushi, Erewhon began arsenic a earthy foods stall successful a Boston marketplace earlier opening a determination successful L.A. successful 1969. The brace borrowed the store’s name, an anagram of “nowhere,” from Samuel Butler’s 1872 satirical caller of the aforesaid name, which centered connected a utopia wherever unwellness is considered a crime. After Tony Antoci and his woman Josephine acquired the marque successful 2011, the stores became sleeker and much light-filled; valet parking became the norm. Perhaps astir significantly, Erewhon began partnering with celebrities connected exclusive smoothie collaborations with nary much iconic than Hailey Bieber’s Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie.

The exterior of Erewhon is seen successful Culver City successful 2024.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

By mastering the intersection of curated wellness and personage cachet, the marque has turned mundane buying into a benignant of luxury theater.

For galore first-time visitors, going to the store is driven by seeing the improvement for themselves. That was the entreaty for Chloe Forero, an influencer from Chicago, who visited L.A. successful May. “It was precise overmuch a Whole Foods connected steroids,” she says. “It conscionable seemed much similar a societal experimentation than a spot radical store time to day.”

Forero, 22, walked distant with a sushi roll, 2 juices and a cooky totaling $65. “The cooky was great,” she admits. “But I ate that sushi reasoning possibly this volition alteration my life. Perhaps this sushi volition beryllium truthful bully it’ll beryllium worthy the terms tag that comes with it. It was not.”

Some longtime Erewhon shoppers — yes, immoderate of whom are influencers themselves — grumble connected societal media astir the Erewhon tourists. Meredith Lynch, a Los Angeles native, writer and influencer who often dissects influencer civilization online, says the Beverly Hills location, successful particular, has go a stage. “So overmuch astir L.A., for amended oregon worse, is astir being seen,” she says. “Erewhon is simply a spot wherever radical go, and they get seen.”

Inside the Culver City Erewhon successful 2024.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The performative facet resonates with young out-of-towners. Kiara Dewrance, a cook from Cape Town, South Africa, had hoped to effort the Bieber smoothie erstwhile she visited L.A. past September. But aft seeing the terms ($20), she opted for 2 little costly drinks and inactive walked distant thrilled.

“It benignant of feels similar erstwhile you’re watching a movie. It benignant of felt similar a movie infinitesimal seeing it successful existent life,” says Dewrance, 27.

Gibson Ardoline, a 19-year-old influencer and concern medication large astatine the University of Florida, spent $91 connected luncheon erstwhile helium archetypal toured L.A. past November, which included sushi, foodstuff and 1 of the store’s blistery barroom meals. He offset the costs by filming 2 TikTok reels chronicling his experience, which received much than 1 cardinal views combined and earned him much than what helium spent astatine Erewhon acknowledgment to payments from TikTok arsenic portion of the platform’s Creator Rewards Program.

“It was worthy going 1 time, conscionable to person the laughter and accidental I spent $90 connected lunch,” helium says, though helium wouldn’t disclose however overmuch helium made. “It mightiness not beryllium a laughter for everybody, but to me, it was profitable.”

Not everyone leaves ambivalent. Patrick Oatman, a exemplary and economics large astatine the University of Connecticut, was genuinely impressed erstwhile helium dropped by Erewhon past June.

“It seemed to beryllium miles distant from a regular market store, truthful it was entertaining successful that perspective. It felt similar this out-of-reach L.A. thing,” says Oatman, 21.

Erewhon carries respective branded wellness products, similar this Neptune Blue Sea Moss gel.

(Juno Carmel / Los Angeles Times)

For Rath, who hopes to determination to L.A. and signifier amusement instrumentality 1 day, his $100 tab was little a travel disbursal than a rite of passage.

“This couldn’t beryllium my play spot for groceries, but If I had a occupation successful L.A., possibly I would go, though it would person to beryllium similar erstwhile each 2 weeks,” helium explains.

When asked to fertile Erewhon among the different iconic spots helium visited, helium didn’t skip a beat.

“Honestly?” helium says. “In-N-Out was fine, but I preferred Erewhon.”