Keeping up with Broadway

You'll find plenty of write-ups cheering the "natural progression" of Starbucks opening on Spring Street and 6th in Downtown Los Angeles. I get that Starbucks has its fans, but it just seems weird to drop a few dollars on Starbucks coffee on Spring Street when there are about five other coffee options within a block.

I've said so before, but I'm fascinated by the long-time businesses that try to stay relevant while Downtown residential and retail demographics change. That includes Stereoline, the guitar shop where I picked up a bass for EzraPounded a couple years ago. They were bumped out by Starbucks and landed a block away in a cramped space on Broadway. Not only did they lose their prime corner location, they ended their run a couple months ago when the driver of a van crashed into one of the Stereoline storefront windows.

What's a business to do when the customer base is moving to other neighborhoods? Some move to keep up with the clientele, while others drift from location to location and try out gimmicks and goofy signs.

On the 500 block of Broadway, Sassy Perfume is putting up new wall signs tonight. Check out that hot pink.

Via viaduct

I took a few days off work last week to catch up on some things, including my morning jog around town. On Wednesday morning the three finalists in the design competition for the 6th Street Viaduct (6th Street Bridge) replacement project set up displays inside the Los Angeles Public Works Building. Inside I went to get the lowdown on the proposals to replace the deteriorating connector between Downtown and Boyle Heights.

So it's down to AECOM, HNTB, and Parsons. The staffers representing AECOM and Parsons were kind enough to answer my bonehead questions despite my sweaty appearance, and the HNTB folks rolled up just as I was leaving. The end selection will most likely come down to cost, and you can bet the nice connections to the lower level and recreational and river access improvements will be trimmed. Whatever happens, I'll have a new jogging route to look forward to.

Yauch tribute

Two Boots unlaced

Two Boots on Broadway is open. I had a slice of Night Tripper...sun dried tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño pesto...all delicious.

These guys are great...they deliver as far east as Vermont Ave, west to Central Ave, north to the Santa Ana Fwy, and south to MLK Blvd. Don't be sad if you live outside those boundaries...Two Boots is coming soon to Nashville, Tennessee.

Story Story

The large and loud red awnings and bands of advertising that were on the Walter P. Story building at the corner of Broadway and 6th Street were removed last weekend. I heard that city inspectors were constantly nagging the property owner to remove them because they weren't fire rated, and he finally relented to safety codes when faced with a court order.

I like the banner that had been hidden for years under the material. It's advertising pagers...

Ravin'

The Hollywood studios seem to be warming up to having more film premieres in Downtown Los Angeles. Better yet, they're more willing to premiere films in historic Broadway theaters, bypassing the glossy stadium seating at LA Live on the other side of Downtown.

The Raven is set to screen at the Los Angeles Theatre on Monday. Maybe I'll swing by and see if John Cusack has completely transformed into Alan Rickman.

Wool locker

Work has begun inside the old Woolworth's building on Broadway that's going to be a Ross. A contractor who had walked the inside let me know there was a stash of Foot Locker (the most recent tenant) referee uniforms still in there.

Hey, that reminds me of the Foot Locker spiel from years ago...you're about to buy a pair of stinks, and the cashier-ref asks, "Would you like shoe laces or shoe cleaner with your shoes?" Haha, the "Would you like fries with that?" of the shoe world.

Signima

Like most chain businesses, the signs for Famima convenience stores come in several different types. Look at the difference between the signs on the Famima at the Roosevelt building at 7th and Flower...and the Famina at the Arcade Building on Broadway, a short stroll away from each other.

Which design/scale is a better fit for an historic building? Does it matter?

7th St.

Broadway

Broadway

Schaber's Demoleria

I remember watching the Flintstones as a kid and being fascinated by Bedrock versions of cafeterias and automats. Sure, I hated school cafeteria food like everyone else, but a dine-in cafeteria in the middle of the city seemed like a whole nuther nanimal.

Demolition of the interior of the former Schaber's Cafeteria on Broadway in Los Angeles began several nights ago. This is going to be a new location of the Figaro restaurant based in Los Feliz. Hard to believe this was a first-class cafeteria in the 1930s and '40s...

You can kinda see the old tile on the wall

Two Boots two toots

Two Boots makes some tasty pizza. I'm not convinced their little take-out restaurant under construction (actually a remodel of the old Husky Boy burger/pastrami/burrito stand) on Broadway will handle the flow of pizza fans, but maybe some sidewalk coordination will keep the merry crowds in good order.

Best design detail...the circular cutouts with the pizza window film...

Clifton's boxed in

Plywood on the Clifton's entry...

Shoots and ladders

Add this to my list of Sure Signs of Unpermitted Construction or Repairs...an extension ladder from the sidewalk to a building on Broadway at night. If I had to put money down, I'd bet these dudes (and the property owner) are cutting corners...correct me if I'm wrong...

Broadway musical chairs

Every Saturday the Los Angeles Conservancy has a walking tour of the historic movie theaters on Broadway. A few Saturdays ago I overheard a walking tour docent pass on one of Downtown's urban myths to his group. "Broadway has the highest rents anywhere in Los Angeles, even higher than Beverly Hills."

That might've been true 20 years ago when Broadway had the foot traffic to support high rents, but the shoppers have moved on to places like Santee Alley and other cities like Huntington Park. Sure, Broadway is shaping up for another renaissance with new restaurants, restored theater venues,  rehabilitated commercial and residential space, and possibly a streetcar in the future, but these tour groups need to be honest about the current lease rates and the transitional state of the retail base.

With all the changes, I find it interesting that some of the mom and pop shops on Broadway often hop from one location to another. They're either playing one landlord off of another for a better deal, downsizing to a floor area that better matches their sales, or getting pushed aside for the Next Big Thing.

For instance, the Luxury Perfumes shop leapfrogged from their old suite over Baraton to the subdivided former location of Shoe Hot. I don't know when they started leasing their previous spot, but this post includes a photo of the night they installed their sign in June 2010.

Goodnight, Paul's Electronic Discount

It's closing time for Paul's Electronic Discount on Broadway. You know their number was up when you see their old sign still advertising Kodak. I need to get some pictures of the other electronics shops down the road before they shut too.

The bottom photo is a look at the inside through the roll-up door...my poor dog was startled by the sounds of demolition, slipped out of her collar, and trotted leashless up the sidewalk. This dude at the nearby bus stop said, "Cool dog. Walks herself."

Umami confessin'

Invitation only opening last night at the new Umami flagship location on Broadway. I was invited to stay on the sidewalk and walk away...

Famina plans

The contractor left a set of construction plans in plain view at the Broadway Arcade Building...another Famima convenience store is on the way.

I'm a fan of their onigiri, which I usually just call "triangles." Those rice balls wrapped in seaweed were lifesavers when EzraPounded and I were working in Japan...we were only paid once a month, and our company deducted all kinds of upfront housing fees from our first month's checks. By the end of that first (second?) month, we were living off of bread from the Little Mermaid bakery and triangles from 7-Eleven.

Although I can walk a few blocks to one of the Famimas already open for business, this one will be the closest yet to home sweet home. Or as they write in Japan, home sweat home.

Kwai by night

I love prison/war camp escape movies, and the Bridge on the River Kwai is a classic. The projectionist played a reel out of order, but the mistake was all part of the charm. She stopped the film and yelled out her apologies...a classic movie classic moment.

yawning awning

Late night removal of awnings...on a holiday...to avoid city inspectors because nobody bothered to get permits, or to avoid regular folks walking around?

Whitney Houston tribute

Clifton's unscreened

Those cinder blocks in the windows gotta go...