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Abbot Kinney Boulevard as we know it today, with its trendy design shops, high-fashion retail and culinary spots, came to life in the 1970's after being renamed after almost a century of being known as Washington Boulevard. Veiled as a tribute to its founder though most likely a marketing ploy, the re-naming of Venice's main commercial drag was a clear move to commercialize the area and bring new high-end businesses to the street. A new Rodeo Drive with attitude, no chain stores or businesses are allowed to set shop on the street by ordinance of the neighborhood council, Abbot Kinney is the public face of the changes Venice has gone through in the last quarter of the 20th century. Instead of community-owned barbershops and barbecue joints, the boulevard's new facade offers a glossy finish for the movable creative class.
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