Voodoo Doughnut’s Venice Beach shop at 66 Windward Ave appears to have gone dark almost as quickly as it arrived. Roughly a year after its splashy debut, the storefront now sits empty, with neighboring businesses and passersby reporting dark windows and a cleared-out interior that leaves a pink-box-shaped hole in the middle of Windward Circle.
As first reported by Yo! Venice, an employee at a nearby business said the doughnut shop had been nonoperative for about a week, with “nothing inside except some signage.” The New York Post later noted the listed phone number now appears to be disconnected and reported that some customers on social media pointed to high rent as a possible culprit. For now, no one is saying definitively whether this is a brief pause or a permanent goodbye to the boardwalk.
Company Listings Still Show A Venice Location
Voodoo’s official locations page still lists the Venice Beach address and phone number for the Windward storefront, even as the physical shop sits dark and empty. When the company rolled out the Venice store in June 2025, a press-release announcement introduced a shop-exclusive “Venice Peach” doughnut and framed the opening as a marquee moment for the neighborhood, according to the company announcement. Taken together, that release and the current locations listing suggest the chain had planned on a longer Venice run than the streetscape now reflects.
Locals Weigh In Online
On Reddit, a neighborhood thread quickly filled up with opinions from Venice residents, who described the shop as “always empty” and aired frustrations about staffing and irregular hours, according to local commenters. A separate roundup of Voodoo Doughnut closures in other cities, compiled by AOL, shows that the Venice store is not the only outpost the company has quietly shuttered. Online reactions to the latest closure range from indifference to hopes that an independent bakery will slide into the Windward space.
What's Next For The Space
Commercial leasing materials for the Windward arcades now list space available at 66 Windward and 66 1/2, signaling that the former Voodoo unit is being actively marketed to a new tenant, according to a leasing brochure. Local coverage has also noted that franchise representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, as reported by Yo! Venice. Until either the company or the landlord speaks up, the reason for the shutdown and whether it is permanent remain open questions.
Where To Get Your Voodoo Fix
Voodoo loyalists craving a Bacon Maple Bar or a Voodoo Doll doughnut still have options in Los Angeles. The chain has other area locations, including its Melrose shop, which was part of the brand’s broader local push, covered in this story on the Melrose debut and wider L.A. expansion. For the most accurate list of currently open stores and hours, fans are directed to check Voodoo’s locations page while Venice waits to see what fills the newly vacant space on Windward.
