Monrovia Old Town Report (3/9/17 Issue)

-Courtesy photo

By Pam Fitzpatrick

It’s almost spring – Sunday ushers in Daylight Savings Time – and I love the energy in Old Town. Projects that were on hold for the holidays and delayed because of the rain are now in full swing. The construction at Copper Still Grill is now actively visible from the front! Sam’s Mediterranean Kabob Room, featured on an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares” in 2012, closed at that location in 2013. Very soon after that closure, the Copper Still Grill took over the site and has been – off and on – demolishing and re-constructing for years since. Maybe 2017 will be the year we see the opening of another bar / grill in Old Town.

I spoke briefly with the owner of the Jake’s Roadhouse property who also owns the site next door which for years was Golden West Army / Navy. We were both at the Planning counter in City Hall, and I had a chance to ask him about the timeline for Jake’s expansion into that second space. Bottom line: he doesn’t know and is still waiting on plans and approvals, but it is moving forward.

The new Rubies & Pearls has opened their doors at 511 S. Myrtle (the old Resistor Records site) and I paid them a visit last Saturday. The owners tell me they wanted to open right away and even though their inventory is limited at first, they have new items coming in soon. I mentioned last week they will have eyebrow microblading in the back, but what I didn’t realize is they will also be doing make-up and both service locations are still under construction. I bought a very reasonably-priced cool denim “dress” that, at my height, turned out to be a cool denim “top.” Looks great with leggings, though …

My sister just forwarded me a fun email this morning: looks like four Old Town locations have won HulaFrog’s 2017 “Most Loved” awards. Congratulations to Center Stage Dance Studio (Dance Studio), Dream Big Children’s Center (Indoor Kid Gym), Monrovia Public Library (Co-Winner with Arcadia Library), and (yippee…) The Dollmakers’ Kattywompus (Toy Store). And, in case you have no clue what HulaFrog is, it’s a national network of local community guides for parents which highlights the best local events, places to go and discounts in each area.

Now back to the Daylight Savings thing – this is where Old Town comes alive. I know lots of folks who complain about the time change, especially the losing one hour of sleep part. Originally meant for farmers, this best-use-of-daylight thing is wonderful for retailers. Spring through summer in Old Town Monrovia is delightful – the evening activity grows without diminishing the morning activity. Stores and restaurants stay open longer, and Street Fair is way more fun during the spring and summer months. Speaking of Street Fair, don’t forget that next week on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) Old Town will be once again hosting the St. Baldrick’s FUZZFEST. During Street Fair, on the street between Rudy’s and the Monrovian (Colorado and Myrtle) you can watch your friends and neighbors getting their heads shaved to support Childhood Cancer Research. If you purchase a FUZZFEST T-Shirt online at fspdesigns.com / FUZZFEST, part of the proceeds will support this charity.

I promised my friend, John Campbell, fellow past Monrovia Chamber Board member, that I would help spread the news about an upcoming production to be presented at the Louise K. Taylor Performing Arts Center (aka the beautiful Monrovia High School auditorium). On March 24, 25 and 26 the Shakespeare Club will be presenting the musical production of “The Pajama Game” (which, by the way, is based on a novel called “7 ½ Cents.” Tickets are available at shakespeareclub.BrownPaperTickets.com at $30 / adults and $15 / kids. I checked this morning and there are still seats available.

See you next week …

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