Erewhon rival – Laurel Supply, a new West Hollywood luxury grocer, opened without marketing or social media and is already drawing TikTok hype.
A $20 smoothie and a $19 single strawberry are no longer the only West Hollywood headline act in the high-end grocery scene.
Laurel Supply. a new luxury market opened last week just a few blocks from Erewhon. is drawing comparisons from passersby and shoppers almost instantly.. The store’s sunlit. timber-and-glass look resembles the Erewhon aesthetic familiar to Angelenos. but its launch came with an unusual twist: it reportedly went live without a press release or an active social media push.
The owners behind the venture also operate the neighboring restaurant Laurel Hardware. a connection that local coverage said gave them a deep understanding of the area before Laurel Supply opened.. According to local reporting. the opening itself was years in the making. suggesting the project was built around local demand and location knowledge rather than a quick promotional sprint.
Instead of leaning on paid advertising or pre-announcement hype. Laurel Supply’s team appears to be betting on something more organic and more replicable: the willingness of curious customers to document what they find and share it.. The approach quickly caught on as TikTok users posted comparisons almost immediately after opening.
Video reaction started circulating on TikTok with one user stating that an “Erewhon dupe” had opened across the street from Erewhon in West Hollywood.. Over the weekend. dozens of similar clips reportedly flooded the app. as shoppers flocked to compare the experience side-by-side and post their own first impressions.
That burst of online attention highlights a central shift in how luxury grocery is marketed—one in which the store’s environment can function as its own advertising.. While wealthy shoppers can buy full grocery baskets at places like Erewhon. the report notes that most customers tend to focus on specific categories. especially prepared foods and viral snack items.
Erewhon’s commercial engine helps explain why competitors want a slice of the same market.. The brand has more than just aspirational appeal; it has been able to make significant money from standout items.. The report cited that Erewhon’s Hailey Bieber-branded smoothie generated $10.6 million. with the product launching in 2022 and bringing in roughly $40. 000 per store each month.. It also cited that, beyond hero products, the brand posted $171.4 million in profit in 2023.
But the logic of competition is not limited to copying individual SKUs. The report frames the bigger draw as the lifestyle Erewhon sells alongside food, which is why members are willing to pay $200 a year for exclusive perks such as a free smoothie.
Retail expert Pamela Danziger. as quoted in the report. described Erewhon as operating at the intersection of two forces shaping the luxury market: luxury as an experience rather than a product. and the broader wellness and well-being trend.. Under that framing. the store becomes a destination—a place designed for repeat visits and social sharing—rather than just a place to complete a shopping list.
Laurel Supply’s in-store choices reflect that same premise.. Freshly pressed juice in glass bottles is prominently displayed. colorful produce fills the aisles. and ready-to-eat food is prepared across different stations. including a matcha bar and a sushi counter.. The report also notes the presence of an in-house mill for pizza. supporting both grab-and-go convenience and the option to eat in the sunny outdoor areas.
Even staffing and presentation appear engineered to match the kind of imagery that travels well online.. The report described staff in matching white jackets and added commentary from product growth analyst Aakash Gupta. who said details are designed to photograph.. In a separate social post referenced in the report. Gupta also argued that the Erewhon customer does not respond to traditional ads but instead to the question of whether someone has visited the new place.
For Laurel Supply, that means its “marketing budget” is effectively the store itself—paired with viral comparisons. The report suggests that the strategy of having no strategy is working, with users claiming the shop was busy throughout the weekend.
One TikTok user. as reported. said they were at Laurel Supply and believed it might be the hottest spot. going so far as to apologize to Erewhon.. Whatever the final verdict from shoppers. the immediate online momentum underscores how quickly luxury retail can be won—or at least contested—when the experience is built for social proof rather than sponsored awareness.
Erewhon rival Laurel Supply West Hollywood grocery luxury retail TikTok marketing prepared food Hailey Bieber smoothie