Foothill Retail Corridor

The “Coming Soon” sign has been replaced by a “Now Open” banner on the Marshalls at 2340 E Foothill Boulevard in La Verne, at the southeast corner of White Avenue. Marshalls was formerly located across the street behind the new Panera Bread. Marshalls has been a part of La Verne since 1998.

The Marshalls and eventually new Staples (on the right in the picture) are in the location formerly occupied by Vons, which moved down the street to the redeveloped site of the former K-Mart just east of Wheeler and Foothill. When Vons left, the vacancy in the shop space in the center seemed to increase, even though a recently redeveloped Target is located in the same parking lot to the east.

No word yet on the opening date of the Staples.

Chipotle is now open in the La Verne Courtyard at the southwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and White Avenue/Fruit Street, directly across the street from the ongoing construction of the new Staples and Marshalls. The center is anchored by Office Depot and Orchard Supply Hardware as well as some shop space. Chipotle is right next door to Blockbuster. I was there during lunch and there was a vigorous lunch crowd.

Construction is well underway on the new Staples and Marshalls in the La Verne Towne Center at the southeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and White Avenue/Fruit Street. Vons vacated the site in December 2010 after having closed their other La Verne location at Foothill and Wheeler and moving into a new location across the street at the site of the old K-Mart. Marshalls is also relocating from the northeast corner of Foothill and White Avenue/Fruit Street. Staples is a new addition to La Verne, with the next closest stores in north Pomona at Foothill and Towne, and Glendora at Gladstone and Valley Center.

This month’s entry focuses on the closures and layoffs of just Los Angeles County, rather than including nearby areas such as Chino or neighboring Orange County cities, simply because the list is growing too large.

What I find interesting in this list is the number of medical jobs being eliminated (City of Hope 185 employees and Antelope Valley Hospital 45 employees). Supposedly medical jobs are one of the growth industries. Not surprising, aerospace is taking another hit, with Ball (120), JPL (33) and Northrup (75) eliminating a total of 228 positions. With budget cutbacks and aerospace moving out of California, I think this trend will continue.

The new Panera Bread at the northeast corner of Foothill and Fruit opened Tuesday, August 31, 2010 and business is booming. I spoke with the General Manager, Laura Berrie, and she is excited about how business is going.

I was there at two in the afternoon and the inside was packed and there was a line out the door.  As you can tell from the picture above, the patio was also full. Note how the patio was built to accommodate the two beautiful oak trees. You can see the oak trees that shaded the entrance to the old Michael J’s in the picture below. Michael J’s was torn down to make room for this exciting new addition to what is becoming the main intersection in La Verne.

Panera Bread was recently listed #99 on the Fortune Magazine list of top 100 fastest growing companies. The only other restaurant on the list was Chipotle Mexican Grill at #60.

In my previous post I listed Los Angeles regional closures and layoffs. While that post indicates a Los Angeles region that is still suffering major job losses, a closer look at the cities that comprise the Foothill Retail Corridor (“FRC”) presents a healthier job situation overall, but with a wide disparity within the FRC communities.

Comparatively, the FRC has a lower unemployment rate (9.3%) than Los Angeles County (13.4%) and California (12.8%), but is closer to the national average of 9.7%. However, the cities that comprise the FRC range from a very low 4.1% in Sierra Madre to a high of 14.5% in Azusa.

Please note that these numbers are from the government and they may not add due to rounding. And, I have no idea how the city of Bradbury can have an employment base of 500 with all 500 employed and still achieve an unemployment rate of 8.1%! As they say, close enough for government work.

Monthly Labor Force Data - July 2010

CDP is “Census Designated Place” – a recognized community that was unincorporated at the time of the 2000 Census.

Source: California Economic Development Department

Old Town La Verne at D Street and Bonita

Family Circle magazine has voted La Verne one of the ten best cities in America for Families, and deservedly so. La Verne has a small town feel with all of the amenities of a larger city. I simply love Old Town La Verne. Even though it is only a block long, there is so much there. Aoki’s has quite possibly the best salmon sushi. Then there is T. Phillip’s (see earlier post) with its fun atmosphere and great food, Cafe Alegro for awesome Italian food, Ellsworth’s Stationers, and a soon to open Mexican restaurant, plus many other gems.

But La Verne is more than that.  Their 4th of July parade is one of the best around. Each year it starts off with a cadre of probably about one hundred Harley Davidson’s, each one carrying an American flag or one of the 50 state flags. It gives me a chill just thinking about it! Then, walk around the residential section along Bonita and there are houses decked out with American flags and bunting. The same area is a great place for good old fashioned trick or treating at Halloween. Dozens of houses all decorated for the event.

The criteria Family Circle used includes schools, open space, affordable homes, low crime rate, and more. They pulled from a list of approximately 1,700 towns with populations between 15,000 and 75,000, and average incomes of $75,000.

Take a bow, La Verne!

View of the San Gabriel Mountains from Brackett Field

La Venre will be home to the newest Kiddie Academy due to open in time for the next school year. According to their website, Kiddie Academy is “a leader in child care education for more than 28 years. Kiddie Academy is a place where fun and learning experiences are shared everyday. At Kiddie Academy, children explore, play and grow. Parents become lifelong friends. And the communities in which they live become happier, healthier places to be.”

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The Panera Bread construction at the northeast corner of Foothill and Fruit is progessing toward an August/September opening. The former location of Michael J’s will probably generate a lot more consumer traffic to the corner, benefitting the retailers in the shopping center. People who otherwise have not visited the center will discover gems like The Corner Butcher Shop!

I LOVE cars! This beauty is a 1930′s era Rolls Royce that is housed in a museum in Ventura. 

I rebuilt a 1968 Firebird from the tires up when I was 17 years old. Oh, how I wish I could have that car back.

Anyway, I enjoy going to the local car shows and the Cool Cruise La Verne (http://www.coolcruise.net) is like opening day in baseball only for car shows. Downtown La Verne is blocked off and there are a couple of hundred classic cars occupying the streets. There is plenty of food from the vendors, music, and even a chili cook off.

Cars start parking at 7:30 and opening ceremonies are at 10:00. Bring the family; I’ll see you there.!