Magnolia Blvd.: Take a real city walk!
by Jim Berg
On Magnolia Boulevard near Vineland there is a bus bench inscribed “Look out Melrose, here comes Magnolia.” On the surface, one might respond, “yeah, right,” somewhat sardonically. Some of the boosters of this “NoHo thing” are making references to something or someplace else as an aspiration, be it SoHo, New York or Melrose, Los Angeles. Doing this fails to recognize what exists as truly unique, with its own merits. Magnolia will not duplicate Melrose and NoHo will not duplicate SoHo. Duplication is not a truly creative act. Any attempt to duplicate is merely a contrivance and is doomed, as it should be, to failure.
Let’s take a walk and see what actually is going on on Magnolia Boulevard. At the corner of Magnolia and Tujunga, in the shadow of the bronze statue of the missing aviator and former North Hollywood resident, Amelia Earhart, we can stop in the library to read today’s paper or the trades, or we might stretch out on the grass in the park. Either way, let’s not dally too long, because the sun is getting warm and there are places to go, people to see, and things to do.
If stretching out in the park didn’t wake you up, you can stop in Sitton’s Restaurant for a cup of coffee, or maybe even have breakfast. Nick, the owner, may or may not be in, but there’s a good chance you might see a group of actors from the American Renegade Theatre (right next door), especially between ten and eleven at night, after rehearsal or a show. Sitton’s is open 24 hours, so feel free to come back with the late night munchies. If you’re not in the mood for standard diner fare, go across the street to the Pizza Hop for a slice of pizza or a meatball sandwich. By the way, they do deliver.
If you’re having trouble with your sax, are looking for naked furniture, and need a rubber stamp, keep going on Magnolia to Rediger’s Valley Unfinished Furniture store, then to the Graphic Rubber Stamp Shop, then further down to The Sax Shop. That’s sax as in saxophone for all you cretins. The sex shop is on Lankershim.
Next we come to the intersection of Magnolia and Lankershim. The big ugly building is the former Hewlett Packard building. It’s no longer the Hewlett Packard building because they moved away. The new tenant is a French computer company called Dassault Systems. I don’t know if it will become the Dassault building. MCA has some offices in the building. Go into the lobby and check out the old pictures of Universal City and Cahuenga Pass before the freeways. Don’t be intimidated by the attentive security, just don’t identify yourself as a former MCA employee. You can also get a decent meal at a decent price in the Epicurean Cafe in the building.
Across Magnolia from the former HP building you will notice a big painting on the side of the building declaring the NoHo Arts District. This was done by Paul Vent in conjunction with the NoHo Arts Festival held in June. Paul is an actor at the American Renegade Theatre, whom you may have seen in the recent production Artichoke.
Across Lankershim is the Eclectic Cafe, popular lunch spot for industry types and popular night spot for the sober. If Brian Sheehan, the proud owner of the Eclectic, isn’t slaving over the hot stove, there’s a good chance you’ll see him schmoozing it up with the clientele. His schmooze is genuine, so don’t hesitate to say hello.
On the northeast corner is the Academy Business and Entertainment Complex. Aside from the Academy of Television Arts and Science (could that be an oxymoron?), the main tenant is the Landmark Entertainment Group. They design theme parks. If you go into the lobby you will find a scale model of their work. Disney Television Animation is also in the building, and occasionally you might see a couple of animators working out story ideas at Eagles Coffee Pub during lunch.
Walk around the plaza and check out the life-size statues of such television greats as Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball and Jack Benny. You’ll notice a couple of things such as the fenced in vacant lot and the vacant street level retail space. The lot symbolizes the stalled CRA development plans for the area, and the empty retail space represents a mismatch of economic development with economic reality. Apparently the space is priced way above what is appropriate for the area.
After touring the somewhat elitist Academy, you can go across the street to North Hollywood Billiards for a much more egalitarian experience. Open since 1962, North Hollywood Billiards has the largest number of three-cushion billiard tables (8) in any pool hall in Los Angeles, and at least once a year plays host to a sanctioned international three-cushion billiard tournament. Only in the United States is pocket billiards more popular than three-cushion billiards. For the uninitiated, a three-cushion billiard table has no pockets, and according to Larry Weir, the owner of North Hollywood Billiards, three-cushion is to pocket billiards what chess is to checkers. You can pick up a pamphlet at the pool hall to learn this internationally popular, yet locally rare game.
After shooting a game or two of pool, continue east on Magnolia past the auto body shop and check out one of the newest businesses to open on Magnolia, the Red Pendulum. The Red Pendulum is a New Age/occult supply and gift shop, offering ritual and hermetic supplies such as hand-blended oils, powders, and incense. Co-owner Chris is initiated in Celtic Wiccan and offers classes such as “Basic beliefs and tools of modern Wicca,” “Aura balancing, altar preparation, and circles,” “Herbal and psychic healing,” and “Tarot divination.” One of the goals of Fred, the other co-owner, is to expand into the Hispanic market by offering native Mexican, Central, and South American religious supplies.
Next door to the Red Pendulum is Kathy’s Boutique. Co-owned by Kathy and Ernestine, this very bohemian vintage clothing store has been in business for over six years. Kathy’s is packed with clothing and accessories from the 30’s through the 70’s. A 90’s woman can walk into Kathy’s and an hour later come out a 50’s Marilyn or a 60’s Cher. Fun and fantasy are all that is required at Kathy’s Boutique.
After filling out your “retro-70s” wardrobe at Kathy’s, you now have two choices for lunch. There’s Philadelphia Cheese Steak for a genuine Philadelphia cheese-steak sandwich, or Las Palmeras for inexpensive but good Mexican and Latin food.
If you go for the cheese-steak sandwich, say hello to George. If you wonder about his accent, he comes from Georgia. If you’re still wondering about his accent, that’s Georgia of the former Soviet Union. Philadelphia Cheese Steak has been a going concern at that same location for 26 years, using the same recipe and the same meat and bread supplier for all those years. Ask George about the history of the place. His enthusiasm and accent are fun to listen to.
If you opt for the Mexican food, the new owner of Las Palmeras is Hernan and the mustachioed chef is Lorenzo. The food is prepared with great care, and the best part is the price. For less than five dollars you get a complete meal and something to drink. Very inexpensive but good food is a wonderful find for the starving artist, and Las Palmeras definitely fits the bill.
After lunch, the next stop is the Survival Store. When I stopped in for this article, true to character, they viewed me with great suspicion and declined to speak to me. You’re welcome to browse around the store, but don’t ask too many questions. Here you will find books on such topics as the Marine Corps sniper training and how to establish a second identity for fun and profit.
Next comes Practical Props and the Artists Canvas Shop. Practical Props is a second-hand lighting store, where you’ll find just about every sort of lamp and lighting fixture that has ever existed. The Artists Canvas Shop is where you can get your canvases stretched and your artwork crated.
You’ve probably noticed Music, Cinema, Art Display when driving by, but always wondered what it was all about. They design and build just about anything that one might need for any sort of display, be it advertising, conventions, parties or whatever. Mellanie Cook provides the business genius and Mark Canepa is the artistic genius behind the operation. Mark discovered his talent while working for the Rose Parade as an award-winning float designer. Their work space also functions as gallery space for Mark’s sculptures, so stop in and check it out.
The next stop is the Pioneer Antique Store. In business for thirty-one years, the mother/daughter team of Marian and Judy Suprenant have amassed a great collection of antique furniture. The shop may be closed for most of August as Marian is visiting family in Chicago, but if you’re thinking of redecorating, do the politically correct thing and use recycled furniture.
If you still haven’t eaten, or are planning where to go for dinner, then definitely consider the next stop on Magnolia, the Trellises Restaurant. Trellises is an outdoor garden restaurant serving excellent Middle-Eastern food at extremely reasonable prices (one thing must be said for businesses on Magnolia, they are all reasonably or inexpensively priced). Kayvon, the owner, has spent five years nurturing the garden environment. On a hot day, when you go through Trellises’ doors, the temperature drops ten degrees in the lush shade. On very hot days, Kayvon turns on a misting system that puts out a fine mist of water that drops the temperature at least another five to ten degrees. In Trellises, you feel like you’re in a different place than Magnolia Boulevard in North Hollywood.
Before you get to Vineland, a couple of stops you might want to make are the Herb Products Store and Lafayette and Sons. Herb Products is a huge supplier of just about every herb you can imagine, and functions like a giant neighborhood potpourri. Lafayette and Sons refinishes pianos and also classic car woods. So if the wooden pieces on your Rolls or Jag are starting to fade, take them in for refinishing.
Now you’ve reached Vineland and Magnolia. If you decide to proceed east on foot, beware because the neighborhood gets a little shady (see “Hitchhiking on Magnolia,” p. 5) until you get close to Cahuenga. Just west of Cahuenga on Magnolia is Poquito Mas, the Limelight Theatre, Solbrooks, and Hugh O’Brien Salon. They’ve created a little enclave there on Magnolia that is well worth checking out. Poquito Mas is a Mexican food restaurant where “We don’t serve fast food, we serve fresh food as fast as we can.” Kevin, the owner, is very active in the neighborhood watch that is working to clean up Magnolia. Directly across the street is the Limelight Theatre which generally has very good shows. Definitely stop in Solbrooks for the celebrity portrait paintings that are all for sale. Say hello to Pat, the eightysomething proprietor. Next door to Solbrooks is the Hugh O’Brien Salon and Boutique. Hugh is almost certain to be there cutting a loyal client’s hair. If you don’t have an appointment, make one and check out the hand-crafted accessories that are available in the boutique.♦