There were ownership changes in all five business districts in Pacific Palisades this past year. Stores closed, new ones opened. Some simply changed hands, other changed locations. In the lower Highlands Plaza, veterinarian Dr. Henry Pasternak moved his office to a facility he had especially built on Sepulveda in West L.A. Opening soon in his old location is the Heat Boutique, the town’s first sunless tanning salon. Mogan’s Cafe, which serves breakfast and lunch and is owned by David Williams (who also owns the nearby Misto Cafe which serves dinner), opened in June. In Santa Monica Canyon, Patrick’s Roadhouse reopened in April after an electrical fire destroyed part of the kitchen and the counter area, while the Beach House has been closed since November after a car rammed into the unoccupied dining room and caused structural damage. Now occupying the space at 138 Entrada (formerly the Surf Shop) is Amazing Grace, a special events planner (weddings, bar mitzvahs, parties). And on W. Channel Road, there are two new interior design shops: West Channel Road which also sells wall hangings and furniture, and MLK Studio (formerly Brown Architecture) which also sells collectibles. The biggest news at Sunset and PCH is the almost $1-million renovation planned by Spectrum Clubs, Inc, which bought out the Pacific Athletic Club in early November. Improvements will take full advantage of the outstanding beach location to benefit the 3,000 members. New in the area on Sunset is The Guild, the town’s first tattoo and body-piercing salon. In June, the Dance and Twirl Studio opened in the Marquez Avenue business area and recently subleased some of its space in the alley to Palisades Electric. The latter was evicted from the storefront it occupied for 18 years facing the parking lot off Swarthmore (beside Amazing Music). Also evicted after 18 years was Westlan Construction, whose offices are now located in the 881 Alma Real building. Both businesses were given notice to make room for an office and storage area needed by a new kitchen retail store and cooking school scheduled to open in the spring at 872 Via de la Paz, the former site of Sheila May. She plans to relocate her permanent makeup studio somewhere in the village. Also new on Via de la Paz is Pink Pineapple, which manufactures and sells women’s and children’s clothes., but also manufacturers them. Changes in the Palisades village included the November opening of The Cottage consignment shop in the space formerly occupied by The Enchanted Cottage gift store. Also on Swarthmore, Palisadian Patti Black split with partner Cindy Ellis of The Nest Egg to open Black Ink, a stationary store, in the site formerly occupied by Casa Boca. Ellis brought in a new partner, Palisadian Megan Kaufman, at her Sunset location, which she renovated and reopened after Labor Day. In December, the village lost a restaurant, Il Sogno, bringing to seven the number of storefronts that shuttered in 2003 (The Enchanted Cottage, Casa Boca, Kids’ Universe, Inscriptions, and Video 2010-plus food take-out Cloud 9, soon to be replaced by Pinocchio, a family-style Italian deli. As of this week, the floor tiles have been laid and the fan in the open kitchen has been installed. Palisadian Theresa Whitworth, who also owns the highly successful restaurant La Luna in Larchmont Village with her husband, plans a spring opening. Other new businesses opening in the village last year included Village Arts and Enrichment Center in the Washington Mutual building and Onassis Jewelry on Antioch. Also on Antioch is Teraine, a “lifestyle” store owned by Palisadian Janet Greenblatt. Set to open tomorrow is Jiva on Sunset, the Palisades’ first dedicated yoga studio which will not only offer classes seven days a week but sell clothing and jewelry. Body Aligned, a Pilates studio, will open above Starbucks later this month. Scheduled to close later this month or in February is the venerable Yamato Nursery (corner of La Cruz and Alma Real), which will be razed to make way for a Village School performing arts/gymnasium/playground annex. Construction is expected to begin in April. On that same corner, Vassie Naidoo sold his Palisades Garden Cafe last January to pastry chef Okyo Pyon so he could concentrate on his karate school. Meanwhile, Emerson LaMay dry cleaners moved from its Swarthmore location to Sunset. And Elyse Walker Accessoire, the only ladies shoe store in the Palisades and voted Best New Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce, moved down the block on Antioch, adjacent to Walker’s clothing boutique. What does 2004 hold? What new businesses will occupy the three prime storefronts on Swarthmore vacated by Emerson LaMay, Video 2010 and Il Sogno? There are already 22 eateries in town, as well as 14 hair salons and seven gift shops. Will the village finally get a music store, a hobby store or a See’s Candy, as Palisadian-Post readers suggested last spring? Let us know your latest ideas, given all that transpired in the town’s various business districts in 2003. The e-mail address is: editor@palipost.com.
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