Old Town Report (7/7/16 Issue)

Old Town Monrovia. – Photo By Monrovia Public Library / (CC BY 2.0)

By Pam Fitzpatrick 

It’s interesting to see how towns evolve. When my family and I opened our first business in Old Town, there were only a handful of open businesses in the district. There was a fabric store, a gift store, a shoe store, two pharmacies, a liquor store, a pawn shop, a bank, two florists, and The Monrovian Restaurant – that’s about it. Oh, and we had a boatload of empty storefronts. Everything in town was geared to the female market and there wasn’t much reason for males to be in Old Town for any length of time.

Well, news flash: both men and women eat, both work, and both like to relax. Somebody finally figured that out and restaurants started opening up all over Old Town. Now we have the Krikorian Theater, which appeals to a broader market, as do the yogurt and ice cream shops. And after being told for years that the creative market had dried up, never to return, we once again have a fabric store. Cat’s Quilting Corner opened on July 1 in the 500 block of South Myrtle. If you listened to the rumors about trends, that wasn’t supposed to be possible in Old Town, or any town. So don’t tell me we won’t eventually have a book store as well!

And if you believed the rumors about the “gentrification of Monrovia,” I bet you’re bewildered seeing so many young families with strollers around town. I’m personally coming to the conclusion that trend predictions are usually hogwash. The prediction that “too many restaurants” would ruin Old Town hasn’t come true; in fact, the restaurants have to be credited with bringing in customers from all over the San Gabriel Valley. True, with all of the evolving have come new things we can fret about: not enough parking, conflicting noises from entertainment, a street fair that is seems to be ever-changing, and no available space for new businesses wanting to come to town. But I’m an optimist: everything is fixable.

Like Street Fair: the rumors abound, but the facts are more difficult to find. Here’s what I know based on a meeting I attended last Friday. The white canopies and new lighting rumor is fact: those changes are expected by the Sept. 2 show. The vendors (including my store) will receive an easy link to purchase the new canopies and the lighting in plenty of time for the deadline. The “no dogs” issue is also real. Dogs are by law not allowed in markets (except service dogs) where there is food, so dogs will only be allowed on the sidewalks (not walking through the booths in the street). We’re working together on a plan for a possible “Doggie Fair Care,” so stand by on this one. Also, recognizing that we have so many young families with small children on Friday nights, the first Friday of each month will focus on kids. There are plans to keep our current Kid’s Area vendor (who is great), but there will be changes, including a possible baby changing station. Expect more, higher quality farmers as well as a mixture of the existing and brand new non-food vendors. The folks from Raw Inspiration are meeting with our Merchant Co-op on Thursday, July 7, so when I hear more, I’ll share.

And, finally, I want to announce that somebody must be reading my column, because when I strongly hinted that I wanted to be included in a tasting at The Saltner, I miraculously received an invitation to be a sampler last week. After four pours of white wines, four pours of reds, six tastes from the new menu, plenty of jokes from Andy Benscome, topped off with some delicious chocolate cake from Merengue, I didn’t have a care in the world. Watch for their opening in a few days!

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