The Radiant Radish was a health food store located at the corner of

Melrose Avenue Melrose Avenue is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard, at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. It ends at Lucile Avenue in Silver Lake. Melrose runs north of Bev ...

and San Vicente Boulevard in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

, California, from 1969 to 1971. It was managed by Brian Wilson of

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

, his cousin Steve Korthoff, and friend Arny Geller.

Background

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...

member Brian Wilson opened the small health food store with his cousin, Steve Korthoff, and friend Arnie Geller in mid-1969. It was financed with $15,000 (equivalent to $ in ). Prior to this, Wilson had displayed a fervent interest in physical fitness with his band's 1967 song "

Vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

". When he had planned to issue the song as a single, he held a mock photoshoot at the Los Angeles Farmers Market, where he posed in front of a fruit and vegetable stand. The location was at Fairfax Avenue and 3rd Street.

Operations

The Radiant Radish had irregular hours. Wilson would open the store whenever he felt like it, usually at night, and manage the counter while still dressed in his pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers. He would also occasionally indulge himself to up to $1,000 of his own stock (equivalent to $ in ). Journalist Tom Nolan recalled encountering Wilson alone at the store and clad in a bathrobe. Wilson refused to sell him a bottle of

Vitamin B-12 Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is required by animals, which use it as a cofactor in DNA synthesis, in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. It ...

, explaining that Nolan first needed to provide proof of a doctor's prescription. Nolan wrote about the experience in his 1971 cover story for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', "The Beach Boys: A California Saga". Biographer

Peter Ames Carlin Peter Ames Carlin (born March 13, 1963) is an American journalist, critic and biographer who has written for publications such as ''People'' magazine, ''The New York Times Magazine'', '' The Los Angeles Times Magazine'', and ''The Oregonian''. Seve ...

later wrote: "Nolan was less surprised by the robe than by the simple fact that the man wearing it was a millionaire rock star whose penchant for seclusion had become nearly as famous as the many hit songs he had written and produced. Just three years after writing and producing '

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record ...

', Brian Wilson was selling vitamins out of a health food store in West Hollywood."

Closure

The Radiant Radish was closed by 1970 due to unprofitable produce expenditures and Wilson's lack of business acumen. In 2015, Wilson said his favorite part about running the store was the

cash register A cash register, sometimes called a till or automated money handling system, is a mechanical or electronic device for registering and calculating transactions at a point of sale. It is usually attached to a drawer for storing cash and other ...

. He also met journalist and radio presenter

Jack Rieley John Frank Rieley III (November 24, 1942 – April 17, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and disc jockey who managed the Beach Boys between mid-1970 and late 1973. He is credited with guiding them back to popular acclaim and was ...

at the store, who would manage the Beach Boys and act as Wilson's principal lyricist for a brief period.

In popular culture

* In 1970, the Beach Boys recorded Wilson's song " H.E.L.P. Is On the Way", which mentions the Radiant Radish in its lyrics. The song was unreleased until the 1993 box set '' Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys''. * In 1990, the shop appeared as an illustration on the cover of the

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

'' Smiles, Vibes & Harmony: A Tribute to Brian Wilson''.

Background

Operations

Closure

In popular culture

References

Sources

Further reading