I get chastised lots because I never seem to find my way out of Old Town Monrovia. And if I do, it’s a short road trip to some other relatively nearby location where I can investigate another downtown – to get ideas – or, to validate my high opinion of what we have here in Monrovia. So far this year I’ve made it as far as Arcadia….
At any rate, what we lack, that other town centers usually do have, is vacant space. I can’t tell you how many calls we get every month from people looking for space to open a business here. And we lack retail, in the traditional sense of the word, but what we have more and more is “specialty retail.” Bottega in the 400 block of Myrtle will be that specialty combination of ready-to-eat deli and bakery items combined with the added flavor of fine oils and packaged market items. By the way, the word is that Bottega is still waiting for gas lines to be installed, so that opening has been delayed for a short time. The Saltner on east Colorado is classified as “specialty” because of the wine sales. If you get a chance, peek into The Saltner and take a look at their new overhead lighting – beautiful! The Saltner should open by mid-April.
Talk about “specialty”: 423 S. Myrtle’s transformation should be very interesting. For many of us, that location will always be remembered as the former “Wang’s Palace” (now operating as “Wang’s” on east Lemon), but it is soon to be a themed restaurant specializing in “cosplay.” I knew the food offerings would be a type of Asian cuisine, but I had no idea what “cosplay” was. “Cosplay,” says the internet, is the “practice of dressing up as a movie, book, or video game, especially one from the genres of Japanese manga and anime.” I will be anxiously awaiting the Planning Commission date for this venture where we will get more detail on the proposed operations.
And now we move on to 109 E. Lemon (previously Bull Taco, and before than Devon) – that another Planning Commission date I won’t miss. On April 13th the owners of “The Diplomat” will be asking approval to serve beer and wine and to offer live entertainment. Now, this is where it gets “specialty”: we’re used to the beer and wine, and we’re used to live entertainment, but new to Old Town (at least in the past few years) would be the belly dancing. The proposal is to have live entertainment on Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday (brunch). The live entertainment would be a three-piece band, a DJ, or two belly dancers, an idea that I personally like. If you’ve spent much time listening to Kattywompus String Band on Friday nights in the 400 block of Myrtle, or if you have attended summer’s Traditional Music Gathering in the Lemon Courtyard any one of the last ten years of its existence, you will have seen my sister, Jennifer, dancing with her zils (finger cymbals) and challenging the guests – both adults and children – to give it a try. And no, I’m not even trying…..
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