blogdowntown: Life in Downtown Los Angeles (Stories+Headlines)

LA Olympics revisited in downtown LA photo display

Hayley Fox — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:05:19 -0700

O.J. Simpson carries the Olympic torch before the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Photo by Javier Mendoza/Herald-Examiner Collection.

In a one-day-only photo display at Downtown's Mark Taper Auditorium, a collection of photographs will work to paint a picture of the 1932 and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, just in time for the start of the summer's Olympic games in London.

The "L.A. in Focus: Images from the LAPL Photo Collection" event will be curated and narrated by David Davis, a part of the L.A. library's Photo Friends and author of a new book called "Showdown at Sheperd's Bush" about the 1908 Olympic marathon.

The photos were pulled from the Los Angeles Public Library's collection and include many pictures taken by the Herald Examiner.

"They shot the hell out of the 1984 Olympics," Davis said.

There will be an hour presentation with 80 to 100 photos, and will include facts, context and memorable tales about the L.A. Olympics.

"Sometimes it's just beautiful imagery," Davis said, but often times the photos capture historical and significant moments -- including lighting the Olympic flame at the Coliseum and the first woman to run an Olympic marathon.

For the 1932 games in L.A., the first ever athlete village was built in Baldwin Hills. Only the men lived there, the women were "sequestered to hotels," Davis said.

The 1984 Olympics was a huge turning point for the games, Davis said. After the 1972 terrorist attacks in Munich, the 1976 games that left Montreal crippled with debt and the 1980 Moscow games which the U.S. boycotted, L.A. was "about the only city" who bid for the '84 games.

"They changed the paradigm for how the Olympics are set up," Davis said, explaining that Los Angeles kept building to a minimum, using the resources they already had (like the L.A. Coliseum) to host the games.

He added that since 1984, big cities across the globe have been competing to host the prestigious event.

The event will take place Sat. June 9 at 2 p.m. at the Mark Taper Auditorium. It's free and open to the public with no reservations required.

By Hayley Fox.

LAPD still searching for two suspects in connection with DTLA jewelry robbery

Andrew Lopez — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:55:56 -0700

Two Downtown jewelry stores were the scene of attempted robbery by three men. Two men fled the scene while the other was shot by an off-duty deputy reserve. Photo by Google Maps.

Two suspects are still being sought in connection with an attempted robbery of two Downtown jewelry stores on Tuesday.

The incident occurred when three men entered two shops in the 600 block of South Broadway at about 2:30 p.m., the LA Times reports.

One man jumped the counter of a jewelry store and took gold chains before leaving, according to CBS.

Next door, two other men entered a store and allegedly "took hold" of a security guard, according to the L.A. Times. An off-duty deputy reserve for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was also in the store at the time and fired at one of the suspects.

The suspect was struck and taken to the hospital in stable condition, LAPD said.

A revolver of the man who was shot was recovered at the scene, LAPD said.

No other injuries were reported. The two other suspects fled the scene in a gray sedan and a Cadillac, police said. It's unclear whether there were more suspects waiting inside the escape vehicles.

By Andrew Lopez.

DTLA to become home of the 'badass' breakfast sandwich with new vegan cafe

Hayley Fox — Wed, 30 May 2012 09:47:59 -0700

The Baaadasss Breakfast Sandwich is what locali is known for and what may become Localita's trademark snack, owner Melissa Rosen said. Photo by .

A new vegan, kiosk-style cafe is coming to the DTLA Academy Awards Clothes building next month and plans to offer "healthy and hearty vegan comfort food," said owner Melissa Rosen.

Localita and the Badasserie is setting up shop in a small space on South Los Angeles Street with a few tables and chairs and bar seating. Rosen will be serving pre-made vegan sandwiches, salads and smoothies as well as "pantry staples."

She explained that the new Downtown spot is called Localita because it's a "baby version" of the original store, Locali; and "Badasserie" because of the shop's trademark all-vegan breakfast sandwich made of sausage, soy-free cheese, chipotle sauce and maple syrup, all on a multigrain english muffin.

"It's like crack," Rosen said. "People get addicted."

Rosen is the co-owner and co-founder of the original store, Locali, located in Hollywood. This shop offers carnivorous choices along with vegetarian options, but Rosen said vegan food has always been her real focus as she's committed to getting people to really think about their food choices.

According to locali's menu, the vegan reuben (marinated tofu deli slices, vegan cheese, sauerkraut and vegan russian dressing on rye bread) is "internationally-renowned" and often a little too convincing in its faux meatiness.

"I've had people come in and yell me saying, 'You put corned beef in our sandwich!'" Rosen explained.

Locali's menu also includes smoothies full of ingredients such as almond milk, gluten-free oats, kale and coconut kefir -- along with paninis and quinoa bowls.

She said that Downtowners will probably "get a kick out of what we offer," adding that her Hollywood location is mostly supported by regulars who come in multiple times a week. Although the DTLA store will be entirely vegan, as the business grows she will try to cater to what the locals want, Rosen said.

Store hours will start at 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays with abbreviated hours on the weekends. Localita will have curbside service and eventually, Rosen said she hopes to extend hours to catch the late night, post-bar crowd.

Localita and the Badasserie will be located at 817 South Los Angeles Street

By Hayley Fox.

On the eve of the Stanley Cup Finals, has LA caught hockey fever?

Omar Shamout — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:31:53 -0700

The L.A. Kings are looking to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in team history. Photo by LA Kings/Bernstein Associates.

Now that the eighth-seeded L.A. Kings have usurped the NHL’s Western Conference throne from the top-three teams heading into the playoffs, the team is ready to being the Stanley Cup to Los Angeles for the first time in the club’s 45-year history.

The Kings will begin their Stanley Cup Finals series on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils before returning to Staples Center to play games 3 and 4 next Monday and Wednesday in front of a sure-to-be rocking, towel-waving crowd clad in the jerseys of their favorite players like Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty.

Because this is such an historic moment in L.A. sports history, we decided to gauge how much hockey fever has spread across the Southland. Does the rest of Los Angeles know as much about our conquering Kings as the hockey die-hards who pack Staples Center each night?

You be the judge.

By Omar Shamout.

Bike network open house to update Downtowners on city plans, public transit

Hayley Fox — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:27:51 -0700

Councilman Jose Huizar and other cyclists on Spring Street's green bike lane after a ceremonial ribbon cutting. The open house will include information on possible developments to make the city more bike friendly. Photo by Eric Richardson / blogdowntown.

An open house is scheduled for Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in DTLA, to teach residents about the "expansion of the bicycle network in downtown Los Angeles" and explain what these developments could mean for people who live, work and visit the area.

The drop-in event will include a presentation around 6 p.m. and information from multiple transportation and bike advocacy agencies.

CicLAvia will be there with information on potential new routes and plans for expansion, Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc. will have maps on hand to show possible routes for the DTLA streetcar and Metro will be educating people on the Regional Connector and its relationship to cycling.

Other participants include Bike Nation who will have information on their bike share program and Melendrez Design Partners, who are working on bike and transit improvements for Figueroa Street.

"The event will highlight projects and planning efforts that are making Downtown LA even more transit friendly and will make the walking and biking experience in Downtown LA even more practical and enjoyable," according to a statement from the Downtown L.A. Neighborhood Council -- one of the event's organizers.

The event is also hosted by Council District 14, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT).

This event comes on the heels of an announcement from the LADOT Bike Blog that within the next three months a northbound bike lane will be installed on Main Street from 9th Street to Cesar Chavez to compliment the already existing green lane on Spring Street.

The event takes place Wed. May 30th from 5pm to 8pm at Aiso Plaza, located at Judge John Aiso Street and First Street.

By Hayley Fox.

Battle of the beards moves hairy competition to Downtown theater

Hayley Fox — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:40:47 -0700

Jeffrey Moustache dons a freestyle beard at the Silverlake Beard and Mustache competition. The L.A. Beard and Mustache competition is planned for June 24th in DTLA. Photo by Mae Ryan/KPCC.

The L.A. Beard and Mustache competition is moving their tournament of facial hair to the Belasco Theater in Downtown for their second annual competition coming up next month.

The June 24th event runs from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a dinner intermission at 5:30. The hairy competitions includes "Business Beard," "Sideburns & Chops," "Styled Mustache" and a wildcard "Freestyle" category. There is even a "Whiskerina" entry for the ladies, who construct fake, elaborate mustaches for their own competition.

Tickets for the beard and mustache event are $15 for spectators and $25 for competitors. The theme for this year's event is "classic Hollywood and the 1920s," so attendees are encouraged to "get in the spirit and try your hand at an elegant look, too," according to the website.

The approximately seven-hour-event includes live music, DJs, a raffle, food trucks and full bars (with some of the "sexiest/hunkiest ‘tenders in the greater Los Angeles area").

The club's president and founder, John Myatt, is a celebrity in the facial hair world himself, holding the 2011 world champion title in the "Groomed Beard" category.

Myatt founded the Los Angeles Beard and Mustache club in 2010, after he attended the National Beard and Mustache Championships in Oregon and was disappointed by the SoCal presence at the event, according to a press release.

The group's monthly meetings began with about 10 people and now has grown closer to 50. They held their first competition in North Hollywood last year and according to their website, the event sold out within 15 minutes of the doors opening.

The Belasco Theater is located at 1050 S. Hill Street and has a larger capacity than last year's event -- it's expected to hold up to 1,000 people.

For tickets and more information go to the L.A. Beard and Mustache Competition website. For a peek into last year's event, see the clip below:

By Hayley Fox.

Leather manufacturer Sandast opens shop in their Downtown factory

Sonali Kohli — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:19:09 -0700

Milan Franeta opened a showroom for his leather bags and accessories in Downtown on May 17. Photo by .

Roll up the door to one factory space on South Hill Street, and a showroom of handmade leather bags and accessories, mounted on handmade wooden and iron displays, will greet you.

Peer through the glass on the right, and you can watch employees bend and shape leather, softening it until it reaches the dark, worn shade that Sandast bags are known for.

Sandast, a local vintage leather company, moved into the 4,000 square foot factory and storage space a few months ago, said creative director Milan Franeta. They opened it to the public as a showroom and store on May 17, incorporating Franeta’s pieces with others from clothing, jewelry and even sunglass designers going for the same handmade style of workmanship.

“I’m impressed,” said Orlinda Parris, who has worked down the street for 20 years, and hasn’t seen a store on this block. “It’s usually more industrial and factories.”

The space, and the brand, weld together Franeta’s personal and professional paths, starting with the name itself. “Sandast” is a combination of the names Sandra, Danilo and Stephanie – Franeta’s three children.

“My wife was complaining in the beginning … I couldn’t fit her name.” Sandast said. “But then I named a bag after her.”

Franeta grew up in Montenegro, and left in 1987 as war was beginning to escalate in the small Mediterranean country, he said. He and his wife first came to Los Angeles to visit her family, and they decided to stay, he said.

He started off in a coffee shop, then took advantage of his eye for fashion and worked to export vintage jeans and import Italian designers, finally settling on designing and leather.

Franeta’s first attempt at leather manufacturing was a reality check, though.

He bought a 5,000 square foot factory in Vernon, but knew nothing about production or manufacturing.

“I lost a lot of money,” Franeta said.

But owning the factory did help Franeta develop the skills to create his own products.

Franeta had learned how to hand stitch from his grandmother in Montenegro. Watching the workers in his factory taught him how to use the dyes and machines to work with the leather.

When his employees left each day, Franeta would close the doors and work on his original designs, often for one or two hours, and sometimes past midnight. He’d listen to hip-hop music while he worked, crafting belts and bags to the beats of Snoop Dogg and Outkast.

“At the time, I was into [hip-hop]. It’s full of energy,” Franeta said. “Music is really a part of my creation [process].”

After that venture failed, Franeta moved to more humble digs, scaling down to a 500 square foot space on 9th Street, where his only company was the few machines he’d kept from the big factory. He worked his way back up, designing for private labels, until he and a business partner decided to launch Sandast independently, leading to today’s space.

Franeta has scoured the U.S. to find old machines that will create vintage leather products. One of those machines had the primary purpose of making horse saddles, and another that he uses for splitting leather is more than 100 years old.

“Our goal is to make stuff like people used to make 50, 60, 100 years ago,” Franeta explained.

Right now, foot traffic yields about 20 visitors a day, Franeta said. This isn’t an area that attracts many Downtown shoppers, and he doesn’t expect a lot of individual visitors to the store right now.

Ultimately, Franeta envisions a space that is even more multi-functional than it currently is, adding organic juices and hard-to-find foods, and hosting events for charity organizations or private parties.

He wants the showroom they’re in now to feel like a home to visitors, somewhere they can be comfortable. While shoppers browse his purses (priced anywhere from $150 to upwards of $1,000), Franeta uses his coffee shop skills to whip up a cappuccino at one of two bars in the store.

The space exudes quirky and vintage all the way to the bathroom, which Franeta has constructed as an ode to Vincent Van Gogh, his favorite artist.

Items like a antique cash register and an old typewriter pepper the showroom floor, and on a trunk near the entrance, one of Franeta’s $450 bags stands on a weathered trunk next to rusted nails.

“I put a lot of love into this,” he said. “We want to be different than other shops.”

By Sonali Kohli.

Sweet sustainability: Bicycle-powered ice cream maker comes to DTLA

Hayley Fox — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:19:26 -0700

Edward Belden has been making ice cream for two years now -- churning it out on his specially made bike. Photo by .

Seated on a powder blue, man-size tricycle is Edward Belden, demonstrating how he uses his pedals and a hand crank to churn out a creative array of ice cream flavors on his bicycle.

"There's so many ingredients in the world and the possibilities are endless," said Belden. "You can mix onion into ice cream and make something great happen."

Peddler's Creamery, Belden's company, isn't churning out onion-flavored sweets, but producing playful combinations of ice cream flavors like Strawberry Basil sorbet and Mexican Chocolate.

He uses organic, high-quality ingredients; getting his milk from a Northern California producer and sourcing as many ingredients as he can from California.

"Vanilla and chocolate don't grow in the States," Belden said, classifying these as "exotic flavors" that he'd use, but have to get from abroad.

It's been two years since Belden started making ice cream, and now he's planning on opening a Downtown location this coming summer.

"I didn't want to do a traditional business," he said. "I wanted to do something that's geared towards creating a sustainable world."

Belden said he wasn't sure exactly how much energy he saved by using a bike as a power source, but he did say that the larger and more industrial the ice cream makers get, the more energy they require.

"As you scale up, you're obviously using more electricity, so that's one thing ill be able to offset," he added.

The idea of using a bicycle to churn ice cream is fairly new to Belden, but he's adapted quickly. Although he didn't want to give away trade secrets, he said making a batch on the bike definitely takes less than an hour -- about the equivalent of a three-mile bike ride.

Belden's love of ice cream is deep and longstanding. His first real job was at Baskin Robbins, and it's here he professionally scooped his first scoop.

"I loved seeing that feeling of everyone having an ice cream cone in their hand and being happy and excited; enjoying the summer day," he said.

In recent years, Belden's done a lot of flavor experimentation and even made a trip to Wisconsin -- the dairy mecca -- to see how the pros do it.

Some of his experimental flavors include salted caramel, kumquat sorbet and mango chile. Belden's also experimenting with vegan-friendly, dairy alternatives such as using a coconut base instead of milk. Next up for Belden? He wont give details, but flavors may include turmeric and/or wasabi.

Belden's started a kickstarter to try and raise $15,000 to help get his retail store up-and-running. His incentives for backers include t-shirts, pints of ice cream and the chance to create your own ice cream flavor.

In addition to being spotted at bike-friendly CicLAvia events, Belden said he plans to start attending farmers markets and other community gatherings. Next month he'll be dishing out bike-made creations at the Hammer Museum's "Bike Night" -- a celebration of all things biketastic.

By Hayley Fox.