A Not So Hot Spot

In the last couple months or so we noticed the L.A. Hot Spot Convenience store had popped up over on Franklin Ave in the South End. While we didn't visit immediately, the store caught our discerning Hartford eye for a handful or reasons. First, this thing isn't exactly the traditional convenience store or bodega. It's huge and the front is almost entirely large glass windows, unusual for that type of store. Second the peculiar name the "L.A. Hot Spot" brings the name of our least favorite big city to our favorite small city.


It's unclear to us whether the "L.A." brand name has any particular cache these days. In the roaring, snowy, snowy 1980's it certainly did as L.A. bands like Guns N Roses and Motley Crue dominated the pop charts and the Sunset Strip became immortalized as the place to be for music and excess in the era. We remember with certainty that the brand L.A. Gear was quite popular with our elementary school crowd. And as thousands upon thousands of embarrassing high school photos from the era will attest to, the blown out, hair spray look of L.A. spread through the country like wildfire. But today we aren't so sure about the L.A. brand, save for Curb Your Enthusiasm there doesn't seem to be much going on except for insipid reality show celebs.

Also notable about L.A. Hot Spot was the fact that the large front windows displayed a collection of hookahs, a popular tobacco smoking device. While we have no problem with hookahs, but as recovering nicotine addicts we've decided just to steer clear of that whole scene.

Anyway we finally got to stopping by L.A. Hot Spot last week only to find the store closed and empty. From looking through the window it seems possible that they are simply doing some work on the store, but the lack of of any inventory in makes us think that the L.A. Hot Spot might not have gone over all that hot. Anyone ever visit or have any info?