The Victorian at 2640 Main St. closes as a restaurant and nightclub after its annual Halloween party on Oct. 31. It will reopen as The Santa Monican, a family membership club, with an opening targeted for mid-2028. Most of the coverage has treated this as a goodbye to twenty years of nights out. For the people who live within walking distance, though, the bigger change happens on Sunday mornings. The Main Street Farmers Market has been set up in the Victorian's parking lot, and the new lease commits it to becoming a weekly open-street event on Main Street itself.
The operators read Main Street the same way the market plan does. Its busiest hours are moving earlier in the day, and more of its activity is moving out onto the street.
The operators called the end of the nightclub era themselves
According to the City of Santa Monica's Oct. 9 announcement, Garner Gerson and Adir Tal, the hospitality operators behind it, went to the city in late 2025 with a proposal to move away from the late-night model. City staff restructured the lease, and the City Council approved it unanimously on March 24.
City Manager Oliver Chi described the conversation in the same release:
"During our early conversations, they shared that their nightlife model had run its course at The Victorian."
The building itself predates all of this by a long way. The two-story house was built in 1892 and moved in 1973 to its current spot in Heritage Square, across from the California Heritage Museum. The city owns it, and it has run as a restaurant and event venue for decades. Because the city owns the property, the lease sets conditions for what happens there. That is why the Sunday market comes up in a story about a nightclub closing.
What the lot holds on a Sunday right now
The market is bigger than it looks from the sidewalk. The city lists customer hours as Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., year-round and rain or shine, with exceptions for holidays and extreme conditions. The council staff report puts the operating window at 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. once setup and breakdown are counted. It describes about 28 farmers, 14 food vendors, and five Main Street merchants spread across the Victorian parking lot, with education booths and musicians on the driveway and lawn.
The prepared-food side includes Border Grill, Crepes by Silvio, and Bun Boss on the city's vendor roster.
All of that is currently packed into one property. The lease moves it out to the street while keeping the property involved: the Victorian's operator will continue providing restrooms, storage, power, and water.
August was the test run
Main Street has already tried this once. On Aug. 23, the Main Street Farmers Market, the Ocean Park Association, and the Main Street Business Improvement Association put on "Main Street Sunday Funday." Santa Monica Next listed the market's usual 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. hours, a Kids Play Zone on Heritage Lawn, chalk art by the Sunnyside Chalkers in the Victorian driveway, and live music from Alex Chaiet and the GM Jazz Quartet. The Main Street Entertainment Zone was active, with cocktails and mocktails served on the street. In the afternoon, the two business groups took over with street seating and DJs into the evening. The Santa Monica Daily Press reported that Main Street was closed to traffic from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.
Santa Monica Next described the event as part of a larger effort to explore moving the market into the street regularly, and said organizers would share more about a possible weekly on-street market later. That's where things stand as of mid-October. The commitment is in the lease. The March 24 staff report covers supporting the market at the property, but none of the published sources set a launch date, a list of blocks to close, or recurring hours for the street version. The August event gives a good preview of the format. The permanent schedule hasn't been announced.
What stays public at 2640 Main
The building becomes a membership club, but some of the grounds stay open to everyone. Mayor Caroline Torosis said in the city's announcement that the lawn and public parking will stay open, and that up to 20% of memberships will be free for qualifying Santa Monica residents, including families, educators, and small business owners.
Plans for The Santa Monican include a pool, a spa and fitness center, a family and youth facility, a coffee bistro, a restaurant and bar, and gardens and gathering spaces. The operators also plan to work with the city and community groups on seasonal events at the property, including free summer barbecues, Santa Monica Snow Days, and holiday celebrations. Membership details and pricing will come from the operators in the coming months.
The blocks around it are already shifting toward daytime
The Victorian's move away from late nights matches what has opened nearby this year. Most of the new spots keep daytime or all-day hours. The one major late-night return is an old favorite, not a new concept.
- Met Her at a Bar, 2651 Main St. This all-day café from Mindy and Vinny Kinne opened in August, right across from the Victorian, with roughly 100 jobs. Its location page lists 8 a.m. openings on Saturday and Sunday and 10 a.m. on weekdays. The kitchen closes every day from 2:30 to 4 p.m., but the bar and small bites stay available.
- Santa Monica Market, 2015 Main St. New owners added a full deli counter this summer.
- Punch Bowl Juice & Smoothie, 2218 Main St. Opened recently.
- Bar Fortuna, 2917 Main St. The city calls it an all-day wine bar from the team behind Crudo e Nudo. The Daily News reported on Oct. 8 that chef-owner Brian Bornemann is aiming for the end of October but hasn't set an exact date.
- Circle Bar, 2926 Main St. The bar has been on Main Street since 1949 and reopened May 22 after nearly three years dark. Los Angeles Magazine reported that the new local owners, Mark and Addie Van Gessel, kept the original floor plan and added upgraded sound and lighting, an elevated DJ booth, and new projection equipment.
- Nameless, 2810 Main St. The Victorian's operators plan to reopen this venue, which closed during the pandemic. No date has been given.
Main Street isn't losing its nightlife entirely. Circle Bar is back with a DJ booth, and Nameless comes from the same people closing the Victorian. What's changing is how the corridor's hours are spread out. The largest venue on Main Street, a city-owned historic house, is giving up its nights for family programming. Its Sunday tenant is moving onto the street, and the newest kitchens open in the morning.
The city frames these openings as part of a citywide effort. In March, the council eliminated the roughly $1,000-per-seat fee for new restaurants and set up a $3 million economic development fund. It approved the Victorian lease at the same March 24 meeting where it adopted a plan focused on reviving commercial corridors, Main Street among them.
The calendar from here
These are the dates that have been published, followed by the ones still unknown:
- Oct. 31, 2026. The Victorian's annual Halloween party, its last night as a nightclub. KTLA reported the date. The Santa Monica Daily Press first reported the closure on Oct. 5.
- End of October. Bar Fortuna's target opening, not yet confirmed.
- Late 2026. Expected start of renovation at 2640 Main.
- Date to be announced. The farmers market's move onto Main Street as a weekly open-street event, along with The Santa Monican's membership pricing and the reopening of Nameless.
- Mid-2028. Target opening for The Santa Monican.
Until the street plan is announced, the market's posted hours are still Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
If you live near Main Street and are wondering how a changing corridor shows up in what nearby homes are worth, or how a planned project like this one can affect timing when you sell, Tracey Kardash can walk you through it calmly and in plain terms. Let's Connect.
