A Members Club and Soho House Coming to the Westside? Yes Please.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Every great street goes through a moment of reinvention. Main Street is in the middle of one right now.
The Victorian, the beloved Santa Monica landmark that announced this week it would be closing its doors, is set to be reimagined as a private members club complete with a pool, spa, and fitness center.
According to city records, the new operator will reserve up to 20% of membership capacity as free scholarship memberships for qualifying Santa Monica residents, and will continue supporting the Sunday Main Street Farmers Market. A nod to the community that made this street what it is.
And then there is this: Soho House is opening a Venice Beach location in summer 2027.
Put those two things together and you start to see something taking shape. A members club corridor running through one of the most desirable stretches of the Westside. Ocean Park and Venice Beach, connected by the kind of amenity that used to require a trip to West Hollywood or a flight to New York. World class wellness, private pools, curated community, right here.
For anyone watching this pocket of Santa Monica, this is not a small thing. The neighborhoods that attract this kind of investment tend to hold their value and then some. The lifestyle that members clubs sell, the ease, the access, the sense of belonging to something, is exactly what Westside buyers are already paying a premium for in the homes they choose.
Main Street has always had soul. Now it is getting infrastructure to match.
The Holidays Are Closer Than You Think
I know, I know. But hear me out.
October is when I start thinking about the table. Not stressing about it, just thinking. What pieces do I want to use this year. What feels right for the season. Whether the pottery I brought back from Germany this summer will make an appearance alongside the pieces I found right here in the Canyon.
Collecting ceramics from my travels is one of my favorite things. A bowl from a small maker in Munich. A plate from a market in Berlin. A few pieces from a local artisan down the road. None of it matches, and that is exactly the point. The table is most interesting when it tells a story.
One of the things I love most about our home is how the kitchen, dining room, and living room all flow into each other. Hosting feels effortless when the space works that way. You are never disappearing into another room to check on something. Everyone is together, the conversation keeps going, and the whole evening just breathes.
The biggest trend for autumn tablescapes right now is dark and moody. Jewel tones, burgundy, plum, deep emerald, metallic accents catching the candlelight. A departure from the airy minimalism of summer that feels exactly right as the evenings get longer. Start with a calm neutral base, layer in taper candles, and let your collected pieces do the talking. Put something small and personal at each place setting. It tells your guests they were thought of before they arrived.
The table does not need to be perfect. It needs to feel like you.
Which is why I keep thinking about 4241 Campbell Drive. That kitchen, that indoor outdoor flow, the way the living and dining spaces all connect. Someone is going to host their first holiday dinner in that house this year and I am genuinely excited for whoever that turns out to be.
Come Be Part of Something at Gallery 169
Tomorrow is a special one at Canyon Square and we did not want you to miss it.
Frank and photographer Josh Madson are hosting a free community portrait session on Saturday October 10th from 10am to 3pm. You show up, spend two to three minutes in front of the camera, and walk away with two digital portraits emailed to you the same day.
The bigger picture is something worth being part of. Madson is combining every portrait into a collage celebrating the Rustic Canyon community, to be unveiled at Gallery 169 on December 12th. He has already done this in six other cities and plans to photograph 28 LA County communities before the 2028 Olympics. Forty thousand Southern California faces, all told.
Canyon Square tomorrow. Walk-ins welcome. Click the photo below to reserve a time. Come as you are.
A street finding its next chapter. A table set with pieces collected from places you love. A community showing up to be counted. That is October on the Westside. We would not want to be anywhere else.