Old Town Report (8/6/16 Issue)

Old Town Monrovia. – Courtesy photo

By Pam Fitzpatrick

This week is a very special week. Why?  Well, in no particular order, here’s why:  this week Imprintability at 128 E. Palm is celebrating their 11th anniversary, and without Jennifer Stone and her presence in Old Town, we would not be what we are today; our special event for Santa Anita Family Service will be a huge success on Thursday,  and I won’t have to fret about it until next year; the Old Town Walking Tour will meet at the SE corner of Palm and Myrtle (by Knot Too Shabby) for a very informative 8-block tour of our Historic District conducted by The Monrovia Historic Preservation Group (the cost is only $5 and it lasts about 2 hours .  And, yippee … Taste of Old Town returns this Sunday (tickets are available online at TasteMonrovia.com, The Dollmakers’ Kattywompus, Rudy’s, the Chamber or the Community Center). Then I’m planning to RELAX.  (Maybe I should head on over to Movement Unlimited on E. Lime and try some Zumba – I hear they are so popular they just added a second class!)

Enough good news?

Well, if that’s not enough, here’s what else is going on … The bakery (Frost My Cake) in the 500 block where Monrovia Bakery was for years, will receive their permits to proceed this week!  The City is waiting on some routine info and then, “let the construction begin!”   I just want this bakery to open!  Joey Kouchakian of Diplomat fame (and now Salad Bistro fame) has applied for a Conditional Use Permit to serve beer and wine at Salad Bistro (504 S. Myrtle), and there will be a public hearing at City Hall on October 12th at 7:30 p.m.  I think this is a great idea and I will try to be there to support him.

As most of you know, our Old Town is comprised of several different kinds of businesses, not all of them traditional retail or restaurants. Last week I was writing about the 500 block of Myrtle, and I didn’t have enough space to finish what I wanted to say… (The paper gives me 630 words and you don’t know how hard it is to keep this column to 630 words!)  So, let’s talk about Teles Properties at 517 S. Myrtle, a firm that specializes in luxury homes and historic preservation, but also works with this less luxurious homes (like my brother’s, which I sold through Teles).  Teles has a large standing table at the front as you enter where you can browse through brochures or just ask what’s happening in Old Town.  And, just north of Teles Properties is Opus Bank at 515 S. Myrtle.  Opus has to be the friendliest bank in the San Gabriel Valley – I’ve had their employees (Shawn Spencer, for one!) pop out of the front door as I walk by just to say “Hi.”  I love Old Town.

Halloween is coming, and that means several tons of candy will be distributed throughout Old Town on Monday, October 31st from 3 – 6 p.m. The City and the merchants have teamed to present the “Annual Old Town Trick-or-Treat & Halloween Bash with events in Library Park that coincide with the candy give-away by the merchants.  But Halloween is only the beginning of our 4th Quarter happiness:  November 5th has been proclaimed “Celebrate Tina & Cleo Day” with free kid’s crafts, face-painting and balloons and music in the 400 block (east side) of Myrtle.  (For those of you who don’t know, Tina is our Old Town friend who lost who 21 year-old kitty, Cleo, last year, and we promised her a celebration!) And then comes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, the Holiday Parade with the man in red – and New Year’s Eve on Myrtle!

I’m ready!

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