Spring 2005
Bruin Walk

Jersey boy’s toys

Wandering into filmmaker Kevin Smith’s new shop on Westwood Boulevard without having seen Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma or anything else in Smith’s slacker-stoner oeuvre is like dropping into a Star Trek convention never having seen the TV show. It’s creepy and fun at the same time.

Smith is a shameless purveyor of his own movie-related merchandise. Secret Stash is a full-frontal assault of bobbleheads, “inaction figures,” posters and videos from Smith’s six films, the latest of which is the romantic comedy Jersey Girl, set in his native New Jersey. The merchandise all bears the baggy-shorted auteur’s signature.

Secret Stash opened in September at 1045 Westwood Blvd., just in time for the DVD release of Clerks X, the 10th-anniversary edition of the 1994 surprise hit about two loser store clerks and the eccentric drug dealers who hang around their shops, Jay and Silent Bob. Smith is the Silent Bob of the duo while his longtime friend, Jason Mewes, plays Jay.

Mewes reportedly works behind the counter at Secret Stash but finding this Clerks star clerking is a bit of a challenge. “He’s not really known for showing up to work on time,” a store co-worker says.

by Anne Burke