Ed Fuentes

A man caught shoplifting escaped by crashing through the window of the Main Street art supply store.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — March's Downtown Art Walk exposed some growing pains. The large crowds visiting Downtown are a great success story, but with them come some challenges. Art and architecture supply store Raw Materials learned that lesson the hard way last night as an individual caught shoplifting escaped by smashing a large front window.

The party atmosphere that surrounds Art Walk's later hours is proving a challenge for store and gallery owners, particularly around Main street between 4th and 5th.

"We will tinker with the formula so the experience remains positive," says Art Walk founder Bert Green, who recently began closing his gallery doors at 7:30 or 8pm.

Is there a time when Downtown Art Walk jumps the shark? Some said it was a year-and-a- half ago, when alcohol in the streets became an issue as LACAN declared it a issue of entitlment. Or a year ago, when craft vendors began to squat on the sidewalk with unsanctioned tables causing a crowded sidewalk.

Not even Jim and Celia of Raw Materials will consider last nights drama a reason to pack up. "We are still here," says Jim.