You might have heard the name, or you might have noticed Erewhon while driving down Wilshire Blvd. It’s the big glass building with the white minimalistic chairs outside. As locals, we might shop there but know nothing about the “trend.” Erewhon has become influencer heaven and has been romanticized by TikTok and Instagram bloggers.
The California luxury market chain was originally founded in 1980 in snowy Boston. Erewhon Organic worked as a health food supplier with just a single store in 2011. The luxury chain eventually got bought by Tony Antoci, who served as the current CEO. With six locations only based in Los Angeles, the popular demand has only grown. What makes it so special? Erewhon gained so much popularity, as referenced as “Anarvin” in the Netflix original series “You,” as the workplace of the main character, Joe Goldberg.
If you have ever been to this supermarket, you will understand and experience why it is a “luxury” supermarket. As a local, I went hundreds of times, but it was only by the end of 2020 that I realized how popular this store is. The store is arranged in a way that makes you feel like you just entered a futuristic type of supermarket—a minimalistic but luxurious feeling. The fruit and vegetable aisles are aesthetically pleasing and are color-oriented. The workers are friendly, and one of the main attractions is their buffet. They also have a smoothie and coffee bar, but their buffet is what makes people come. The store smells like nice organic food, and you have no choice other than participating in it. Their inventory has unique and special items. Some of the most popular ones include soups sold in mason jars, Apricot Lane Eggs, Paleo Bread, Blue Pearl Almondmilk (yes, it’s actually blue), and their BBQ Chicken Pizza. Speaking from personal experience, you can’t go wrong with their pizza or their tonic smoothies.
After influencers discovered the unique items and the luxury feels and prices of the products, Erewhon started gaining social media popularity. Like Urth Café, Erewhon is a place to be seen, and you better snap a picture while you are browsing through the aisles because it is one of the latest social media trends. Some people go for the food, and some go to experience the rich and famous lifestyle. Many celebrities have shown their public love for Erewhon, which includes Gwyneth Paltrow or Miley Cyrus. There have been trends online that challenge social media users to go “celebrity hunting” at one of the Erewhon locations. Since there are not that many, this trend’s success rate is high but intrusive for celebrities.
Social media has its weird ways of romanticizing literal supermarket chains or the most basic foods. Erewhon deserves recognition for its organic produce and unique products. If I had to rate this supermarket, I would say it is worth the trend. Make sure to check it out. However, I do not approve of celebrity hunting or making it your daily routine to wait at one of the supermarkets. You could your coffee and walk around Wilshire, Montana and enjoy the rest of your day. As locals, we see the real and raw version of things and not the filtered, romanticized version of things. Until then, make sure to try out some blue collagen almond milk and eat some BBQ chicken pizza on your next daily stroll through Wilshire.
Charlene Laurent is 24 and moved to Santa Monica for some of the exact reasons long-term residents loathe. She likes the urban style apartment living and loves her daily coffee runs. She is an actress, model, and writer, and doesn’t mind seeing people taking selfies all the time. When she isn’t writing or acting, she enjoys landscape photography and watching the sunsets at Will Rogers beach. Send her a selfie at press.charlenelaurent@gmail.com or find her on social at Instagram/@thecharlenelaurentofficial Twitter/charlenesmind.
