Oldies but Goodies

You never know what you'll stumble upon when you explore Mission Street's antique stores. (But can you still buy Tri-X film?)

Treasure

You never know what you're going to find at Zinnia.

Shop Fair Oaks

The businesses on Fair Oaks have been seriously hurt due to the construction project. Some of them will no longer be there by the time the project is finished. What nobody has explained to me is how this plan is going to help our city. I've heard talk about how it is "necessary." (Why, exactly?) I've heard that the design will assist traffic flow. (By cutting it off?) I have heard that the business district will prosper. (By virtue of dying and going to business heaven? Because so many people will want to visit South Pas to get stuck in traffic and look at new street lamps?) I've heard that "we have to go through with the plan," which reminds me of a doctor telling a patient "we have to finish the treatment prescribed" which looks okay on paper but is, in fact, killing the patient.

Several decades-established businesses have already lost their leases. Countless employees have lost their jobs. This is not some abstract idea of economic challenge -- this is the wholesale destruction of our business district. Where is the leadership to rethink this project? At this point, the city is landscaping a yard for a house that is uncontrollably burning to the ground.

Storm over Fair Oaks

I snapped this shot the other day when the winter storm was approaching. Now, Fair Oaks is dealing with another kind of black cloud. Business owners are struggling to get by with the massive gridlock caused by the city's street improvements. Several spoke out at the last city council meeting with stories of lost revenues and layoffs.

Those of us who have maneuvered Fair Oaks know that the situation has impacted the business community because it's such a hassle to get to the shops and offices. Both sides of the street are torn up with open trenches. Work vehicles regularly block traffic in the two remaining lanes. You might be tempted to walk, but good luck finding sidewalks that haven't been turned to rubble.

Look, we can complain about this and wonder about the way it was executed but that won't help our neighbors who are taking a huge economic hit. I believe each of us should make an effort to patronize one of the Fair Oaks establishments this weekend, even if it means getting cement dust all over the car.

Grab champagne and ribs at Gus's brunch. Too much? Then go for a Napa salad at Shakers or an Italian chopped salad at Wild Thyme. The coffee is worth crawling over rocks to get into Starbucks or the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. The tarts at Union Bakery are as good as you remember. And nothing, I do mean nothing takes away the headache caused by a loud jackhammer quite like a Raymond Sundae from Fair Oaks Pharmacy.

There are dozens of other shops and stores I haven't mentioned. Go to one of them. They need our help.

Storms and Lights

Ordinarily, rainy weather makes me feel poetic and snuggly. Yesterday, for whatever reason, all of the soggy gray just bummed me out. I'm tempted to post a Sylvia Plath poem or link to some naval-gazing mid-90s trance music on YouTube.

I am resisting the urge to compare the fall season's chilly drizzle with middle age and its inbetween-ness -- not exuberantly, flowery summer hot, but not yet settled into winter's clarity. Just dull and irritating...

Because that would be as obnoxious as all of that mid-90s trance music.

So, instead I'll just post a picture of Jasleen's mosaic lamps. They're bright and lovely in any weather -- and I'm sure there's some uplifting symbolism in there somewhere.

Boo!

Just look who I caught leering at me as I walked past Videotheque yesterday. If you're in the mood for the perfect Halloween movie to watch -- or maybe something to forget the holiday altogether -- check out the shop's amazing collection of films. We're not talking your average video store ... Videotheque is the San Gabriel Valley's independent source of indie, foreign, cult, classic, documentary, new and rare cinema DVDs and Blu-rays. Their
catalogue is so vast even Quentin Tarantino might find a movie he hasn't seen before.

And for spooky South Pasadena stories, if you haven't already taken a look, check out my Halloween column with video at South Pasadena Patch. Patch also has a great round-up of events around town and some wonderful photo montages of our town's best ghouls and goblins.

Zinnia

If you haven't wandered into Zinnia, you're definitely missing out on one of the funkiest, most inspiring shops in the greater Los Angeles area. Modestly described as "an artist's store," Zinnia is more like a garage sale hosted by muses. You won't find oil paints or sketch pads (well, maybe they're in there somewhere...) but what you will find are overflowing baskets, bins and shelves of interesting stuff. There are beads and trinkets, stamps and old postcards, antique keys and buttons, shells, old typewriter keys, vintage photos, ribbons, rocks, papers, mismatched door handles, doll heads, springs and some unidentifiable items that just look cool. This isn't a mere store, it's an emporium of exquisite doodads and magical bijoux. If ever there was a chance to finally use the word gewgaw in conversation, it would be here. Zinnia definitely has the gewgaw you're looking for. (And a few more you didn't know you needed.)

The last time I stopped by I couldn't resist buying a mobile made out of old chandelier crystals and a rusted house number 3. If you are nodding your head, then Zinnia is the place for you. Plus, how can you go wrong with a shop that also has classes with names like "Needle Felted Fairy" and "The Art of the Altered Page?"

Read what others say about Zinnia here. Better yet, stop by and get lost among all the treasures. (And be sure to pet the store cat. He's a sweetheart.)

Settings: Part 24

There's a story here. Maybe more than one. But don't worry, I won't ask my clever readers to concoct their own versions...

Wait a minute, of course I will! (It's what I do!)

So... if this were the setting for a scene in a movie, what would happen here?

Ellen's Silkscreening

By day, you can't beat Ellen's for silkscreening, embroidery and promotional gear. (Just ask Occidental College, the Getty Museum, the Huntington Library, the Rose Bowl, the Armory, Art Center, Cal Tech, Trader Joes and the Norton Simon Museum -- they're all clients.) Ellen's has been a San Gabriel Valley favorite since 1978, with an in-house art department that puts competitors to shame and an online catalog that contains over 250,000 promotional items.

But by night, just look at that sublime noir silhouette...

Outside the Box

I often notice these boxes in front of Fair Oaks Cigars. I really should go in sometime. I don't smoke cigars but I'm fascinated by cigar culture -- mostly because it's so contrary. (Smoking is rebellious enough in our nonsmoking era, but smoking stogies is so counterculture it's borderline punk rock.) And yet it's quaint. Smoking cigars is something people did in old black and white movies, something out of a time capsule...

Which is the real reason these boxes intrigue me. When I was 12 years old my best friend Sally had the great idea of making a time capsule. It was 1976, and Bicentennial fever had reached epidemic proportions. When the official Bicentennial American Freedom Train rolled through my hometown the hoopla was so big you'd have thought the government reanimated Abraham Lincoln to wave from the caboose. The thing was massive: a huge steam locomotive pulling twenty six train cars filled with American artifacts. George Washington's copy of the Constitution was in there. So was Judy Garland's little gingham dress from The Wizard of Oz.

"Are you going to the Freedom Train?" My classmate David was the first to ask me. He had recently gotten extra credit in history for making a poster entitled 200 Years of Texas Agriculture. It featured a map of the state showing crops of every region. The row of little cotton balls glued along the southern coast was a nice touch.

"My dad is letting me miss school," our friend Ralph said. "We're going to camp out."

"I'm going to sneak in my Polaroid," Diane said. She sat at the desk behind me and worked on the school paper. "They say you can't take pictures, but this is too important not to capture on film."

"Who cares about a bunch of old junk?" Sally said. "I mean really," she said, "so they have Betsy Ross's thimble and some moldy popcorn from the first Thanksgiving? Big deal. We could make our own time capsule and bury it in my back yard."

And so we did. We took one of her father's cigar boxes and filled it with our own artifacts. I don't remember everything, but I know there was a Tiger Beat magazine featuring Lief Garrett, a rock with a happy face drawn on it, a package of Chicklets Sally swiped from her mom's purse, the comics section of the newspaper and a cassette tape of the two of us singing a couple of songs: America the Beautiful followed by Rock and Roll All Nite.

I never did make it out to see the Freedom Train, but I still felt like I was a part of something historic.

The Dinosaur Farm

If Santa needs a little help this Christmas, I have no doubt he'll turn to The Dinosaur Farm. Dubbed by its owners as "not your ordinary toy store," this specialty shop has been a local favorite for the last 15 years. Pasadena Weekly voted it Best Toy Store for the third year in a row. LA Parent Magazine named it Southern California's Best Independent Toy Store. Malcolm McDowell said in a 2007 interview with the LA Times that it's "the best toy store in the world." And, truly, it is. Even Forbes included it in a list called "10 Amazing Toy Stores."

What makes it so special? Just think about Toys R Us for a minute: the impersonal corporate veneer, the shrink-wrapped sameness, the plastic overload, the fluorescent lights. Now, think about the opposite of that. The Dinosaur Farm is the kind of toy store Peter Jackson would create as a setting for a movie -- a place that would probably have secret passageways, talking T-Rex models and a back room filled with busy elves or mischievous fairies. The Dinosaur Farm is packed with cool stuff and staffed by cool people who understand kids of all ages. Plus, the fanciful murals on the walls are reason enough to stop in for a visit.

You'll find old favorites here along with unique new treasures and the best selection of dinosaur goodies this side of the Jurassic period. (In fact, the online store specializes in all things dinosaur-related.) The book section of the shop is pretty wonderful, too.

I couldn't resist getting a late night picture of the store window. Haven't you always dreamed of spending the night in a toy store?

And Pretty Maids All in a Row

As I walked past The Ivory Suite Bridal Boutique the other night I had to stop and take a long look through the glass. I'm not sure, but it looked like that row of gorgeous couture gowns might have been moving a little in the darkness. Restless before their big days? Swaying to a distant wedding march, perhaps?

Or maybe they were just under an air conditioning vent.

Reedy's Barber Shop

In the Los Angeles metropolitan area, trendy hair salons are as ubiquitous as palm trees and vanity license plates. But Reedy's Barber Shop is special. Accommodating all styles from conservative to rock-a-billy; flat-tops to rock star shags, this one-chair barber shop marries old-school with new style in what can only be described as classic. In fact, the tradition of great barbering has continued in this exact location on Mission Street for almost 100 years.

A beauty shop opened here in 1912 when the structure was built. A barber shop took its place in 1924, operated by William Halminski. In 1955, William passed the sheers to his son Edward who continued until his own retirement in 1992 when he personally asked skilled local barber/stylist Steve Reedy to step in and set up his own shop. Steve opened his door in 1993.

If you're looking for a salon that offers chakra-balancing organic mud facials in addition to highlights -- this place isn't for you. But if you want a truly excellent hair cut at a low price in a great setting, you can't go wrong with Reedy's. If you ask around, chances are you'll hear something like, "Reedy is the best barber in town. Period." (My husband agrees.) You can read why guys love Reedy's so much here, here and here.

First and...

After all, it's good to have your priorities straight!

Big Smile

We should think like a three year old...

My little daughter kept asking me when we were going to drive past "that happy face place" again. I had no idea what she meant until we were driving on El Centro and she pointed at the spartan Dynasty Iron Doors building and exclaimed, "There's that happy face place! See Mommy? That whole place is smiling."

Happy face place, indeed!

Yeah, there's a logical explanation for this sort of thing -- buzzkillers, those neuroscientists -- but I prefer, like my little girl, to assume the world is smiling at me. (And, apparently, so does this guy!)

Ocean Liquor Store

I haven't been inside this store. In fact, I haven't been inside any liquor store since I lived in Venice Beach in my 20s and bought Lotto tickets, Marlboro Reds and Pabst Blue Ribbon at a seedy place called Dan's Liquor Locker. (Ah, youth...)

But from all appearances, Ocean Liquor Store is well-stocked!

Gracie's Market

Need to grab refreshment before you catch the train? Gracie's Market is right across from the platform on Mission Street, and it beats the heck out of your average Circle K or 7-11. Sure, you can get the usual bag of potato chips and a red bull, but there is a lot more. This is definitely a hip take on a classic General Store. You can munch yummy old-fashioned molasses oatmeal cookies and sip dark roast Sumatran as you shop for paper towels and dish soap. You'll find basic home staples next to high end bath products and handpicked gift items -- all in a setting that resembles something out of a collaboration between Laura Ingalls Wilder and the guys from Queer Eye.

The entire Mission West District embodies the philosophy that form is equally as important as function. And what pretty form! Locally owned boutiques and service providers blend with a few small-scale chain stores along a beautiful stretch of sidewalk. In a world of soulless Big Box shops and strip malls, Mission Street is a lovely alternative -- and Gracie's fits right in.

Out of the Closet Thrift Store

How's this for a groovy neon sign? Proudly self-described as “the world’s most fabulous thrift store,” Out of the Closet is one of Southern California’s treasures. Since 1990, what started as a single store (and a great idea) has grown into a chain with outlets all over Southern California, Northern California and most recently Florida. The organization is owned and operated by AIDS Healthcare Foundation -- the largest specialized provider of AIDS treatment and advocacy regardless of patient ability to pay. Sales from the stores raise funds for the medical and counseling services AHF provides. Four thrift store locations even offer confidential free HIV testing utilizing a state of the art rapid response test with results in 20 minutes, and counseling available in a private area of the store. Since the height of the AIDS crisis, Out of the Closet has been an excellent source of HIV support and information. The South Pasadena store is located on Fair Oaks, across from Vons.

Way back in the early 90s I found all kinds of fantastic clothes at the store in West Hollywood. (I still love my 1950s black satin full-length gloves and matching clutch.) I discovered a 1930s pink art deco lusterware teapot, sugar bowl and creamer there… for $18! You just never know what you'll find at one of these stores. Each one still manages to deliver amazing finds when – after decades of Boho chic and the resulting raid on all things vintage -- most other thrift stores are well picked over. Shop there. Donate there. I think the world needs more of this kind of big-hearted and innovative thinking.