Old Town Report 03/10/2016

Pam Fitzpatrick – File Photo

By Pam Fitzpatrick

Hurray for a successful opening day of our long-awaited Gold Line! Too bad about the glitch that temporarily interrupted service from the Monrovia station to Pasadena, but in the long run, this short interruption will be only a memory.

Speaking of the Gold Line, for the last two years I have been asked repeatedly what I think the Gold Line will do “to”, rather than do “for” Old Town Monrovia.  That question reminds me of the controversy years ago caused by the news that a dreaded Walmart was planning to open in Duarte.  Here’s my answer:  what the Gold Line will eventually do for our historic district is much the same as Walmart did for Old Town: bring us new visitors and new customers.  I never worried for a minute about Walmart taking away from our businesses, and I have never viewed the planned development at Station Square as interference, or as competition with the ambiance of Old Town Monrovia.  Both areas will thrive, and they will feed off of each other.

While the Station Square business development will take a good while to complete, right now I’m focusing on Old Town development.  I was excited to see that Parchment (used to be Friends Café) opened their doors last Thursday to reveal their new interior.  Very nice…and the coffee is excellent. Those who know me know I’m a coffee snob, and Parchment’s brew passed the taste test. When I visited Parchment over the weekend I saw only pastries on the food side of the menu, but they assure me they will be adding sandwiches, etc, in the near future.  This morning I saw Julie from The Saltner (east Colorado) and she says the electrician is busy at work while she puts the finishing touches on the third coat of interior paint.  She’s still looking at an April 15 opening date and I’m still happy as a clam.  Around the corner and north to the 500 block of Myrtle,   Frost My Cake (used to be Monrovia Bakery) is still waiting for their final approval and permit from the City, so we have a way to go on this one.

And speaking of promotions, I’ve always thought that side street establishments in our Business Improvement District tend to get short-sheeted. (If you don’t know what that means, ask your older sibling).  We’re a square, rather than a linear district,  bounded on the north by the south side of Foothill, on the south by the north side of Olive, on the west by the east side of Primrose, and on the east by the west side of Ivy.  Clearly, Myrtle Avenue businesses have the most visibility, and it takes extra effort to get attention on a side street.  Anticipating the challenge is the best way to avoid surprises.  Because we try to work as a team, we’ve developed the Merchant Co-op to share ideas, brainstorm promotions, and just stay connected. And, of course, we have our monthly city meetings for MOTAB (Monrovia Old Town Advisory Board) which is a City Commission similar to Community Services, Planning, and Historic Preservation.  Through strictly volunteer efforts we orchestrate monthly newspaper ads, run the Old Town FB page and dedicated website, and oversee all of the filming in Old Town.  Team efforts survive the blips in the road and carry on to promote a town center we can all love.

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