The Liquor Bank on 3600 West Stocker Street was a community favorite, known as a store for all, offering everything from a wide variety of spirits, to masterful deli sandwiches, and more. The iconic South L.A. store on the corner of Crenshaw and Stocker, lost its liquor license in 2017 and is currently being demolished, as the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to revoke the conditional use it to sell alcohol.
In recent years, nearby residents complained about the store’s negative influence in the area. According to a 2017 article in the Los Angeles Sentinel, residents have grumbled about the negative activities at this location for years.
The criticisms included drinking in public, the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors, attempted robbery, battery, on-site narcotics sales and use, gang activity, counterfeit goods sales, and blighted property conditions.
“For nearly a decade, the Liquor Bank served as a hot spot of crime, drugs, and violence,” said Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson at the time. “Today, we said enough is enough, our community deserves better.”
Established in 1975, the Liquor Bank serves as a nostalgic memory to some people, such as nearby resident, Michael Mitchell.
“In 1980, a liquor store offering handmade sandwiches was and is still unheard of. And there was no Subway or anything like it yet. It was a liquor store and a really good deli and all kinds of stuff,” said Mitchell.
Other local residents anticipate compare the demolished site as another example of the eminent fate of gentrification. But according to Urbanize L.A., the Los Angeles Planning Commission voted in support of a new multifamily housing and a ground-floor commercial space in this location.
The project, planned by Axiom Real Estate Investments, will include seven studios and one and two bedroom apartments as very low-income affordable housing.
