In and Out of Town

There's lots going on in and out of town this week:

HELP WANTED

The restaurant that's going in next to the Claremont 5 Theatre in the Village Square is hosting a job fair Monday and Wednesday. If you're looking for a job, you might want to check this out:

CASA MORENO JOB FAIR

In December 2009, the City of Claremont awarded Casa Moreno Grill a job creation grant for their proposed new business in the Village Square, across from the City’s Public Plaza. The purpose of the grant was to create six full-time equivalent jobs for low-moderate income persons living within the Claremont area. Casa Moreno’s construction is well underway and they are now looking for qualified applicants to be members of their team. To that end, they are hosting two job fairs in which they will be accepting applications for the positions of hosts, bartenders, busboys, dishwashers,prep cooks, head cook, and line cooks. These job fairs will be located in front of their new restaurant and held on the dates and times below. Casa Moreno’s goal is to be open in early June. For more information regarding the Casa Moreno restaurant job fair,please contact Susan Moreno at (626) 339-9496.

Casa Moreno Restaurant Job Fair:
101 N. Indian Hill Blvd., Suite C2-103
Claremont (adjacent to Hotel Casa 425)
Monday April 19th, 9:00am-12:00 noon
Wednesday April 21st, 9:00am-12:00 noon
(These are the only dates/times Casa Moreno will be accepting applications.)

PARK OPENING

Parents and kids involved with AYSO will want to go to the Padua Park grand opening next Saturday, April 24, beginning at 10am. The turf is in at the park, is the restroom building and the park lights. Looks like a lot of the landscaping and walking paths haven't gone in yet, so the park as it stands doesn't look to offer much in the way of public space for walking or picnicking.
Those other amenities may have to wait until the city's finances are in better shape.

So, for the time being, it's pretty much a one-function park as opposed to a park like the Village's Memorial Park that is more conducive to family outings. Anyway, the city was wanting people interested in attending to call ahead. Here's the flyer for the event (just click on the image to enlarge it):



ROTARY CLUB FUNDRAISER

April 24 is also the day the Claremont Rotary Club hosts its annual Taste of Claremont fundraiser at Taylor Hall from 5pm to 8pm. Tickets are $50, and you can order them from the event's website or you can get them at any of the following Claremont businesses:

Bejeweled
260 West Bonita Ave.

Carkle Sudie
216 West Second St.

Euro Café
Mills & Baseline in the Von’s Center

Prudential Wheeler Steffen Real Estate
500 West Foothill Blvd.

Wolfe’s Market
160 West Foothill Blvd.

Xerxes
319 Yale Ave.

11th Annual Taste of Claremont

Date: April 24, 2010
Time: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: Taylor Hall

1775 Indian Hill Boulevard
Claremont, CA 91711

LA TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS

The Times may have done away with its Sunday stand-alone book section, but that hasn't stopped them from hosting their annual Festival of Books at UCLA next Saturday and Sunday.

There's a little branded something for all ages, from the Target Children's Stage to

The festival runs from 10am to 6pm Saturday April 24, and from 10am to 5pm Sunday April 25. General admission is free and parking is $10. Check out the Times website for details (as of 4:30pm today the site was down - never a good sign for a bankrupt media company).


UPCOMING ATH SPEAKERS

As always, Claremont McKenna College's Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum has an interesting slate of speakers lined up for the remainder of their spring speakers series.

M.M.C. Athenaeum
385 E. 8th St.
Claremont, CA 91711-6420
(909) 621-8244
Fax: (909) 621-8579
athenaeum@claremontmckenna.edu

April 19	Gil Hoffman, chief political correspondent and analyst, The Jerusalem Post; "Red States, Blue States and the Jewish State: Jerusalem-D.C. Relations from an Israeli Insider’s Perspective" (12:00 p.m.)
Monday, April 19	Musicians and Dancers from the Department of Dance, Minzu University of China; "Music, Song, and Dance of the Mongols and other Ethnic Nationalities of China"
Tuesday, April 20	George Roberts '66 P'93, founding partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company (KKR); "Lunch with a Leader" (12:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, April 21	Mark Juergensmeyer, professor of sociology and global studies, affiliate professor of religious studies; director, Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, U.C. Santa Barbara; author, Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution (2002) and Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence (2000); "Religious Rebellion in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Afghanistan" (12:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, April 21	Mark Juergensmeyer, professor of sociology and global studies, affiliate professor of religious studies; director, Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, U.C. Santa Barbara; author, Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution (2002) and Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence (2000); "Beyond Religious Violence in South Asia: Conflict and Reconciliation"
Thursday, April 22	Wayne Ferson, Ivadelle and Theodore Johnson Chair of Banking and Finance, Marshall School of Business, USC; co-author, Testing Portfolio Efficiency with Conditioning Information (2009) and Asset Pricing Models with Conditional Alphas and Betas: The Effects of Data Snooping and Spurious Regression (2008); "The Problem of Alpha and Performance Measurement"
Friday, April 23	Michael Armacost, Shorenstein Distinguished Fellow for Political Affairs, Asia-Pacific Research Center; Stanford University; co-author, "New Beginnings" in the U.S.-ROK Alliance: Recommendations to the Obama Administration (2009) and Asian Policy Challenges for the Next President (2008); "President Obama's Foreign Policy: A Preliminary Reckoning After One Year" (1:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, April 27	David Schulman, Renee Lang professor of Humanistic Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; co-author, Textures of Time: Writing History in South India, 1600-1800 (2003) and co-translator, God on the Hill: Temple Poems from Tirupati (2005); "Dark Hope: Working for Peace in Israel and Palestine"
Monday, May 3	Ken Rogoff, Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and professor of economics, Harvard University; co-author, This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly (2009) and Foundations of International Microeconomics (1996); "McKenna Lecture on International Trade and Economics"

Nick Q. Responds - UPDATED

We received a couple responses to yesterday's post about the letter in the November 12th edition of the Claremont Courier from one Laura Jaoui, who claimed that she had received no response to two calls she made inquiring about leasing space in the Claremont Village Expansion.

Jaoui's letter was followed by a response, again in the Courier, on November 22nd from Jonathan Tolkin at the Tolkin Group, the Village Expansion developer.

One person who contacted us yesterday was interested enough to take some photos of the empty shop space at the Expansion, that area west of Indian Hill and between Bonita Ave. and First St. Our other respondent was Nick Quackenbos, the project's listing realtor.

In the interest of both conserving valuable blog space and maximizing irony, we've combined the photos with Quackenbos' email.

Is Nick being sarcastic in his note to us? Sexist? We can't tell:

DATE: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 5:43 PM
SUBJECT: Claremont Village Expansion
FROM: "Nick Quackenbos"
TO: Claremont Buzz
Cc: pweinberger@claremont-courier.com, jtolkin@tolkingroup.com

Click to Enlarge

Gentlemen:

I have noted with interest your comments regarding the response to Ms. Jaoui’s letter to the Editor of the Courier, Mr. Tolkin’s response to her calls and my supposed lack of response. I state unequivocally that my office has never received a call from Ms. Jaoui: it is only in our self-interest—financially, if for no other reason—to return all calls. Each is a potential lease, a potential deal, potential income. We don’t let things like that slide by.

Now, please read the letter below, sent to Ms. Jaoui on November 19. To date, no response. Interesting. Also, to date, no response to Mr. Tolkin’s letter to the Courier. Even more interesting. Perhaps if you are able to contact the lady you could encourage her to follow through, as we have. As I say in my letter to her, perhaps she has useful ideas which we would love to hear.

We will appreciate your help with this matter.

Sincerely,

Nicholas C. Quackenbos,

November 19, 2008

Ms. Laura J. Jaoui
[Address redacted]
Claremont, CA 91711

Dear Ms. Jaoui:

I read you letter to the Courier concerning the Claremont Village Expansion and the lack of communication from the Developer. I can only presume that your calls were made during the earlier stages or the wrap-up stage of the project and in the flurry of that activity your messages were mislaid.

In any event, I am now the listing broker for the project. I would be pleased to review with you its current status, show you the available spaces and, most importantly, listen to your ideas on what might help make this a better development. It is often input from observers such as you—I’m presuming you are outside of the real estate industry—which give us insights that we do not have or gloss over.

Please call to arrange a meeting or to at least have a chat on the phone.

Sincerely,

Nicholas C. Quackenbos, Broker
Quackenbos-Bell Commercial Real Estate

[Italics added -ed.]

UPDATED - 6:44A

The Daily Bulletin's David Allen has a post on his blog about another Village Expansion (Village West) closing. Allen writes that Cold Stone Creamery closed this past weekend:

Cold Stone Creamery in Claremont's westside-of-Indian-Hill development (the name for which nobody can agree on) closed Sunday, the latest in a string of failures there that includes children's clothing store Chloe and Hunter and women's clothier Peyton Grey.

(Tally for Men, meanwhile, has had a "going out of business" sale since last spring. It's like a hammy death scene that goes on and on.)

Allen remarked that he was glad to see that if only one ice cream parlor could survive, he was glad it was Bert and Rocky's. Amen to that, David.

Village Expansion Talk

The issue of the branding of Claremont has been much in the local news lately.

In the last week or so, there's been a spate of letters and an opinion piece in the Claremont Courier commenting on the City's possible branding initiative. On November 12th, the Courier had a letter from former Claremont resident and frequent visitor Carrie Young. Young argued that the City needs to look outside Claremont to find advertising talent with "major branding experience." Young also suggested the City not try to do their branding initiative on the cheap.

In the same issue of the Courier, reader Laura Jaoui indicated that the people responsible for leasing in Village West leave much to be desired. (Hey, Nick Quackenbos! Aren't those your signs we see in all those empty shop spaces in the Village Expansion?) Jaoui also thought we might want to rethink the mix of businesses in the expansion. Here's some of what Jaoui had to say:

I read that some retailers are leaving the Claremont Village West. I was not surprised. As a former apparel importer and wholesaler, I phoned the developer twice to inquire about leasing space and never received a return call.

I also felt that the exuberance for high end retailers was misplaced since much disposable income in Claremont was garnered from debt such as home equity loans and the like. I think that Claremont could forgo perusing (and paying) for consultants if the town focused on inviting youth oriented retailers to the vacant stores in the Village West. I can imagine a Buffalo Exchange store, a store like Wacko on Melrose Ave. in L.A., a sushi business that is not high end, but is affordable, such as you find in other college towns, a fine cheese store like the Cheese Store in Beverly Hills, and maybe a trendy high end clothing boutique a la Fred Segal’s.

And yesterday, the Courier had a letter from reader Margaret Kreidler, who thought that rather than spend money on branding Claremont, we need to target a younger demographic:

Don’t spend money on slogans, get a few college students (pay them if you need to), maybe a few high schoolers and listen to them. My college students come home, want to go out with friends, but where? Heroes—older crowd. Village Grille—closes early. Pizza n’Such—older. Walters? All the new ones in Village West—expensive and older crowds. The new pub—actually great, but crowded and lots of “olders” tend to stake out the tables reading, and visiting for so long that others give up. We need more like that, though.

Meanwhile, Claremont business owner Chas Seward had an Op-Ed piece last Saturday, November 15th, responding to Carrie Young's letter urging the branding initiative. To Seward's thinking, it doesn't make much sense to toss money down the marketing drain at a time when the economy has gone into the toilet. Seward also writes that the larger new retailers in the Village need to step up and help with some of the marketing costs:

There are people in Claremont who did not fall off the turnip truck yesterday and have wonderful, creative suggestions just like Ms. Young. Unfortunately, they usually require dollars to execute. The sad reality is that there are no major retailers in the Claremont Village willing to support a sustained marketing effort and it has fallen on the underfunded City staffers to become makeshift marketers, along with a small group of volunteer merchants. Chico's, American Apparel and Laemmle — marquee brands lured by the City— have left it to the "mom & pops" to come up with the marketing bucks.

Ms. Young is now in favor of spending taxpayer's money on high-priced consultants to perform a branding study and tell us about our "essence" while Village merchants are out purchasing 'for lease' signs. The City helped build a new shopping precinct in the West Village and the mistakes it has made are well documented. Throwing money at a branding campaign during the economic meltdown is ill-advised and not necessary. It should have been done before the Village expansion opened, along with an ad campaign, strategic signage, and agreements from the new major retailers to spend advertising dollars. Now Ms. Young recommends entrusting this same administration to re-brand Claremont. Wait six months and the Village will have re-branded itself.

It's the Branding, Stupid

Boy were we wrong! We thought that the city of Claremont and its economic development projects were facing the same problems as the rest of the country, but Tony Krickl reported in yesterday's Claremont Courier that the folks in City Hall have figured out that our economic woes are simply a matter of packaging:

Businesses are slowly trickling out of Village West, leaving behind empty storefronts and leasing signs on their doors.

Red Line Leather in the Packing House is long gone. Boutique Peyton Gray and children’s clothing store Chloe & Hunter recently closed down. Celley’s on Indian Hill Boulevard will follow in the coming weeks, said Storeowner Marcelle Sanam. The owners of Stone Cold Creamery and Maui Wowi are looking to sell, while others are barely staying afloat.

While much of the hardships of the $22.5 million redevelopment project are blamed on the dismal economy, some shopkeepers have complained that the city has not done its part to promote the area as a vibrant shopping destination.

In response, city officials are in the process of discussing a “branding study” that they hope will re-define the city and draw in visitors and their sales tax dollars from around the region. City staff estimated the project would cost $50,000 to hire an outside consulting firm to come up with the brand and another $50,000 to promote and advertise the new brand.

“We have a lot to offer,” said Assistant City Manager Tony Ramos, speaking at a meeting of the Economic Development Committee on Tuesday. “We’re a very unique town. This is not a marketing plan for businesses, it’s a branding of the community.”

Phew! What a relief! We thought we were in real trouble there for a second. It's a good thing the city paid the Rose Institute of Claremont McKenna College to conduct that survey of local businesses.

The Claremont City Council received the Rose Institute survey at their last meeting on October 28th. The staff's survey summary, by the same Assistant City Manager Ramos quoted in the Courier yesterday, painted a sunny picture of today's business scene that didn't seem to square with the Courier's article :

Claremont business owners reported a relatively stable year in gross receipts. The survey asked owners whether their gross receipts increased or decreased over the past yea.r An overwhelming 60 of businesses reported an increase or said their receipts were about the same as the year before. 33 of businesses indicated their receipts had decreased while 7 did not know whether their sales were up or down or refused to answer the question. There was very little difference between Village and non-Village business sales in gross receipts over the past year.

Since Claremont's city staff directed the parameters of the survey, it was also unsurprising to see the Rose Institute polling businesses about and increase in the city's Transient Occupancy Tax - the tax charged to guests at hotels and motels within the city limits:

SUMMARY

The Rose Institute of Claremont McKenna College conducted a business climate survey. The purpose of the survey was to determine how Claremont's businesses are fairing in today's economy; if businesses have plans for expanding or relocating, what role businesses believe the City should play in marketing businesses within the City; and, if businesses would be willing to provide financial support for funding a citywide marketing campaign. The ad hoc survey committee has reviewed the survey results and is recommending that additional education be provided to the business community regarding transient occupancy taxes (TOT) and business improvement districts (BID).

Why a TOT increase? Because the city wants to use the money raised to pay for its efforts at marketing (branding) the city. It would be unpopular to tax businesses for that, so they decided to find people can't vote and charge them instead.

The transient occupancy tax gets passed on to folks like the parents of students at the Claremont Colleges, who presumably will get to help pay for marketing the city of Claremont without necessarily receiving commensurate benefits.

Typical of Claremont city staff's thinking is the fact that although the Rose Institute survey showed that only 16% of the 283 businesses contacted indicated they would support an increase in the TOT, staff did not conclude the tax increase was a bad idea. No, instead Assistant City Manager Ramos wrote:

In addition, survey results suggest that many business owners may not understand what the transient occupancy tax is and how it mayor may not affect their business. A greater effort at clarifying the exact nature of the transient occupancy tax and how that tax would fund future marketing campaigns to the benefit of all the businesses in Claremont may be an option well worth further consideration by the City and the Chamber of Commerce.

To translate into English: Business owners are to stupid to realize how much City Hall will benefit from this tax. We need to manipulate them a little more. They'll come around like they always do.

The Rose Institute's survey carries this conclusion about the city's proposed TOT increase

It is possible that business owners would be more likely to support such a measure if it was clear that the tax burden would fall on transient visitors who stay in local accommodations. It should also be noted that many local hotels cater to visiting parents or relatives of students at the Claremont Colleges and this clientele is unlikely to be strongly discouraged by city tax rates.

In other words: Let's stick it to the college families. They can afford it.

When are we ever going to figure this out? It's the credibility, stupids.

Downtown Wine Events

Political junkies who love wines can come out tonight to Winestyles on Indian Hill Blvd. in the as-yet-to-be-named new Claremont Village section to watch the Democratic National Convention and to sample of a glass of Winestyles' finest.

A reader forwarded us an announcement for Winestyles Labor Day activities:

Thursday August 28th — “WATCH PARTY” Come enjoy the Democratic National Convention on 55 inches of pure High Definition magic. $5.00 glasses of wine, $5.00 flights , and 15% off all wines and accessories as we kick off our ...

LABOR DAY WEEKEND BLOW OUT SALE !!!!!!

Friday August 29th – Christina Petrie from West Coast Wines will be on hand to sample us on some new offerings. From the RICH Niner Sauvignon Blanc to the BOLD Broadside Cab, this tasting will surely be a hit.

Saturday August 30th – Come enjoy the last of some great SUMMER wines. These wines can be enjoyed year round, but they are extra special during those HOT SUMMER months. From those thirst quenching Sauv Blanc to those mouth watering Rose’s..

Winestyles
201 N. Indian Hill Boulevard
Suite A-100
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 447-4400

Village News

Have we figured out what to call the Claremont "Village Expansion"? When it was still a concept, the city was calling it Village West since it's west of Indian Hill Blvd. and sort of balances out the old Claremont Village on the east side of Indian Hill.

At some point, the name suddenly changed to the Village Expansion. We kinda liked the old name. It sounded a little less bureaucratic, a little less developer-speaky.

The Courier has an online poll to see what readers think is the best name. The leader with 128 votes in is Village West by a landslide. Look for the poll towards the bottom of the Courier's website and vote for yourself. Also, check out the comments.


_________________________________


Meg at M-M-M-My Pomona has a post about a visit to a gastro-pub in Culver City called Father's Office. FO is known for its beer selection and its signature burger, the creation of chef/owner Sang Yoon, whose original FO is on Montana Ave. in Santa Monica.

Meg noticed some strong similarities between the Culver City FO and Claremont's Back Abbey in the Village Whatever:

The CC outpost features three of the four: The beer selection is amazing; the burger was slammin'; the place was so crowded they had a rope and a line at the front door; but the employees were perfectly civil.

But that's not what I'm here to talk about.

No, I'm here to say this: Back Abbey is a complete Father's Office rip-off. Even the LIGHT BULBS are the same, ferchrissakes! From the menu to the beer-tap presentation to the server's shirts, everything is strikingly similar. As for the burger, they are almost identical; it's just that FO's is fresher and cleaner-tasting than BB's. Oh yeah -- it's cheaper, too.

I'd agree with Meg on the pricing over at The Back Abbey. It's one thing to serve great Belgian brews, but it's another to use Belgian Euro pricing. We found at another blogger who noticed a some parallels between FO and The Back Abbey. Steve at Summer of Beer wrote:

The food is what also makes this a destination for those that aren't even beer lovers. They have a simple menu- moules, frites, soups, brats, cheese plates, and probably the most popular item- the Back Abbey Burger (and a couple variations too). Many have said this rivals the famous Father's Office Burger, and I can say it does. They use the same sort of greens and caramelized onions as FO does. It tastes very similar, and is very good (for $13), though I think the cheeses (gruyere and maytag blue cheese) used in the FO burger make it a bit more interesting. The frites are very good, and my sister who went to lunch with me loved the corn chowder.

Steve is right about the corn chowder, which is creamy with all sorts of diced veggies and chunks of thick sliced bacon floating around to give it a rich, smoky flavor. A Leffe and a Back Abbey Burger isn't a bad meal either, even if it is a little pricey.

The Back Abbey may have borrowed or expropriated from FO, it may be more expensive, and and the food may not be that's not quite as good as FO, but to me it has one major advantage. It's here, not in Culver City or Santa Monica. And, it does have the sort of neighborly pub feel you might find in a Belgian town, and Claremont definitely needs more of these types of places.

If you're interested in seeing what FO's all about, I found a video of the original in Santa Monica. It's a foodie show called After Hours with Daniel and features chef Daniel Boulud chumming it up in the kitchen of with FO owner Sang Yoon. The video runs long but is kinda fun if you're into Food Network-type celebrity chef shows. Here it is (sorry about the commercial tag at the beginning):

Claremont Is: Nuttiness You Can Savor

David Allen has a column today talking about last week's grand opening for the year-old Claremont Village Expansion.

If the timing seems strange, you're not alone. Allen shares your confusion:

PEOPLE CALL it the mall, or the Village Expansion, or Village West.

And now a new name has surfaced for Claremont's expanded downtown: Village Square.

That name was promoted last Friday at the formal opening of the development, which is bordered by Indian Hill Boulevard, Oberlin Avenue and First and Second streets and has a small hotel, restaurants, shops and a movie theater.

If the timing seems puzzling, that's because the first businesses opened in summer 2007. And yet no ribbon-cutting ceremony had taken place. How did we stand the suspense?

And so we gathered in the civic square near the Laemmle theater and Le Pain Quotidien for speeches, a stilt walker and free food.

This is the fourth ceremony I've attended related to the Expansion, my favorite being the one where they unveiled the sidewalks. As I've said before, Claremont will celebrate the opening of an envelope.

This sort of silliness is exactly what Claremont loves to do. Don't forget that we had two centennial celebrations twenty years apart, one in 1987 and another in 2007, so that Judy Wright could preside over her own town 100th birthday back when she was still mayor.

All you have to do to see the absurdity of this self-important town government is go over to the northeast corner of First St. and Oberlin and take a look at the commemorative plaque from September, 2003, that marks the "Village Expansion Infrastructure".

Yes, only in Claremont would officials erect a bronze monument to sewers and underground utilities. The plaque lists the two main architects of this Claremontian nuttiness:

Click to Enlarge

Big George Unveiling Kicks Off Downtown Weekend Festivities

That anatomically correct mystery bronze by Claremont sculptor Barbara Beretich (right - the horse, not Beretich) has a name, as turns out. The horse, which has been stalking one of our readers, is known as Big George.

Big George's formal unveiling, according to yesterday's Claremont Courier, will be this Friday, August 1st, at 4pm in the little porkchop park at the southeast corner of Indian Hill Blvd. and Harrison Ave., across from Mallows Park.

In the same Courier, Tony Krickl reports that there's a whole menu of events scheduled for this coming Friday and Saturday, all part of the Claremont Village Expansion (née Village West) ribbon cutting ceremony:

The event kicks off on Friday, August 1 at 5:00 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Chamber of Commerce to be attended by city officials and project developers from the Tolkin Group.

“It’s just going to be a lot of fun and entertainment for all ages,” said Jonathon Tolkin, developer of the project. “I think we found a great mix of businesses to make the Claremont Village a really appealing place to be.”

Locals gather near the Laemmle Theater marquee on Indian Hill Boulevard. The official grand opening celebration for the Village Expansion project kicks off this Friday at 5:00 p.m., and runs through Saturday night.

The celebration will coincide with several other weekend activities taking place in the Village, including the Friday evening Art Walk, which includes free admission to the Museum of Art, and Friday Night Live, featuring live bands performing throughout the Village.

On Saturday, the Laemmle Theater will run a free showing of The Princess Bride at 10 a.m., followed by games, prizes, street performers, music and activities in the Village throughout the day and evening.

Many of the new businesses will also take part in the event. Wine Styles will host a “Wine Tasting Extravaganza” with over 25 wines to sample. Le Pain Quotidien will hold a drawing for a gift basket that includes a host of its gourmet foods. Many of the businesses will also offer discounts up to 15 percent.

Okay, so some of the businesses have been open a year or more already. Better late than never. There's a new website devoted to the Village Square, that area that includes the Hotel Casa 425, the Laemmle Theatre, Le Pain Quotidien, and the surrounding shops west of Indian Hill Blvd. and excluding the Claremont Packing House.

Here's a list of this weekend's events:

Ribbon Cutting, Dedication & Grand Opening Festivities

Friday, August 1st, 2008

5:20pm - Claremont High School Theater Group Performing songs from their summer musical The Wizard of Oz
5:30pm - Ribbon Cutting and Dedication - Claremont City Council /Chamber of Commerce/Tolkin Group
5-7pm - Stilt Walker
6-8pm - Face Painter, Magician and Clown (Balloon Twister)
6-9 pm - Joel Ceballos Band, On Square (3 piece singer song writer)
- Project Open House, Promotions and Samplings
- Art Walk and Sidewalk Sale throughout Village

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

10am - Free Children's Movie - The Princess Bride - at Laemmle Theatres
11am-9pm - Project Open House, Promotions and Samplings
- Sidewalk Sale throughout Village Square
2-5pm - Live Music - DAVID CHAPMAN
6-8pm - Face Painter, Magician and Clown (Balloon Twister)
6-6:45pm - Troupe Melange - Tribal Belly Dancing
7-8pm - The Moultrie Academy - Song and Dance Performance
8-9pm - Folklorico Dance Performance

Claremont Museum of Art News

We've fallen down on the job keeping folks in touch with the goings on at the Claremont Museum of Art, so here's a brief update:


MUSEUM RECEIVES ANONYMOUS $10 MILLION GIFT

Museum Director William Moreno has announced the the Claremont Museum of Art recently receive a $10 million gift from an anonymous Southern California donor. Mr. Moreno's note to museum supporters said:

To our valued Members and Friends,

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, I'm extremely pleased to announce that the Claremont Museum of Art has received a donation of $10 million. It is the largest single gift from an individual to date, coming only 15 months after the Museum's grand opening in April, 2007. The donor, who has requested anonymity, is a long-time resident of Southern California. It is extraordinarily rare for a young museum to secure such a large gift so early in its history, and we are truly grateful to our donor’s vision and support of our efforts.

We view this significant gift as a major vote of confidence for the work of the Board of Directors and Museum staff, and for our exhibitions and programs. Over time, this gift assures the financial security of the Museum and will help provide for ongoing operations and, most importantly, long-range planning.

We also know that this contribution will instill confidence and inspire others to support our ongoing exhibitions and public programs. Although this donation provides a platform for our continued growth, we continue to rely on your support to help us achieve our long-term goals.

Our thanks, also, to our Founders Circle, Museum Builders, members and supporters for their continued support and good will.

William Moreno
Executive Director

Congrats to the museum on receiving such a strong vote of confidence!


2008 DOWNTOWN LA ART TOUR

The Claremont Museum of Art is also sponsoring a downtown Los Angeles art tour on Saturday, August 2nd. Tickets are $200 per guest or $150 for museum members. Call (909) 621-3200, ext. 103 for information or email the museum director of development Evonne Gallardo here.

Here's the full itinerary:

2008 Downtown Los Angeles Art Tour
Saturday, August 2, 2008

TOUR SCHEDULE

10:00 AM Guests arrive at the Claremont Museum of Art
10:15 AM Guests depart on air conditioned mini coach
11:00 AM First artist studio tour
12:00 PM Lunch at award-winning and historic Pete’s Café
2:30 PM Second artist studio tour
3:30 PM Third artist studio tour
5:00 PM Day ends back at the Claremont Museum of Art


ABOUT THE ARTISTS

RICHARD DUARDO
Richard Duardo has been both an artist and an advocate of the arts in Los Angeles for over 25 years. Since graduating from UCLA with a degree in graphic design, he has been a prolific producer of serigraphs. He has had museum shows in Tokyo and Gifu, Japan, New York and Los Angeles. His work was selected for a National Endowment for the Arts travelling exhibition where he was represented both as a printer and an artist. In 1988, Duardo received The California Arts Commission for The Artist of the Year Award. His work is represented in many notable collections including The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His artistic contributions to music label Fatima Recordz are currently featured in the Claremont Museum of Art’s exhibition Vexing: Female Voices from East L.A. Punk.


ROLAND REISS
Roland Reiss is a painter and sculptor who has exhibited extensively in the United States and abroad. He studied at the American Academy of Art and UCLA. His work has been seen at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Documenta in Kassel, Germany, and at museums in Brazil, Mexico, China, Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan and Taiwan. He is the recipient of four National Endowment for the Arts grants and of more than forty prizes and awards. Reiss served as Chair of the Art Department at Claremont Graduate University for 29 years. Before coming to Claremont, he taught painting and drawing at UCLA. Since 1992, Reiss has concentrated exclusively on abstract painting. Currently, he is Director of “Paintings Edge”, an advanced program in painting for Idyllwild Arts. His work was featured in the 2007 Claremont Museum of Art’s exhibition Locus I: Art and Craft of Claremont and the Region.


WON JU LIM
An MFA graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Won Ju Lim lives and works in Los Angeles as a sculptor and installation artist. Taschen’s Art Now: 137 Artists at the Rise of the New Millennium finds that Lim’s work “focuses on the tensions between perception, space, and subjectivity in the post-modern age. In order to reflect on and represent the shifting relationship between these three elements, she usually takes architectural reconstructions whose ‘realism’ she questions, critically and poetically, through the judicious use of light, slide projection and video installation.” Lim is represented by Patrick Painter, Inc. in Los Angeles and has had solo exhibitions in Madrid, Salamanca, London, Berlin, Siegen, Basel and Vancouver. Her work was featured in the 2007 Claremont Museum of Art’s exhibition EPHEMERAL: Explorations in Light.

OTHER EVENTS

The museum's current show, "Vexing: Female Voices from East L.A. Punk" continues through August 31st.

The museum also has exhibits featuring the work of artist Maya Schindler and photographer Zoe Crosher. Both of those exhibits run through August 31st as well.

The museum also has two other events on tap for the month of August:

Sunday, August 17, 12 – 4 p.m.
Family Art Day: “Turn artwork into a pin”
Free and open to the public
Vexing artist and photographer Dawn Wirth will show you how to transform a piece of art into a an original pin. Bring your own photos or drawings!

Saturday, August 30, 8 p.m.
Live Performances: “The Sirens” and “Go Betty Go”
Free for Museum Members, $5 for non-members
Two all-girl L.A. bands come together for a lively performance! The spunky and aggressive pop-punk band Go Betty Go and all-girl rock/punk/Spanish fusion quartet The Sirens perform for this final weekend of Vexing.
Now in the galleries through August 31

So, come on out to the museum, located in the Claremont Packing House and take a look at what's going on.

Claremont Museum of Art
536 West First Street
Claremont, CA 91711
909.621.3200

Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays, 11am to 5pm, Open until 8:30pm the first Friday of each month.

Admission: $3.00 for adults, under 18 free. Free admission 5:30pm-8:30pm the first Friday of each month.

David Allen Reviews New Pub

David Allen reviews The Back Abbey, the new Belgian pub on Oberlin Ave. next to the Claremont 5 Laemmle Theatre. Allen thought that at $13 his burger was "possibly the most expensive in the Inland Empire." He was very impressed with the fries, and the beers he could take or leave, though he does tell us he's not a real beer fan.

Like Meg at M-M-M-My Pomona, Allen thought the noise was overwhelming.

Village Business News

We wrote yesterday about Warren Buffett saying the economy is in recession and that the downturn would be longer and deeper than most people have been thinking, and those problems certainly extend to local businesses.

We've written about the challenges confronting places like Wolfe's Market and PFF Bancorp, and Tony Krickl had an article in Saturday's Claremont Courier about the the pressure local business owners are putting on the city of Claremont to help draw more foot traffic to the Claremont Village and to the Village Expansion area.

(The Krickl article isn't online yet, so we can't link to it.)

According to Krickl, the city is taking steps that include a "way finding" signage program directing motorists to the downtown areas. The sign program, Krickl wrote, was hung up at the last City Council meeting because the council couldn't agree on the style of the signs.

The article also said:

The council recently approved $21,500 for a professional polling survey of Claremont businesses. The survey would cover how businesses are faring in today's economic climate, what role businesses believe the city should play in a marketing program and whether businesses are willing to financially support a citywide marketing campaign.....

"All that's going to be a huge help," said Joan Bunte, owner of Stamp Your Heart Out and Chairman of the Village Marketing Group. "[The survey] will be a big asset to have that info available to us as we try to move forward on different projects.

In addition, the city has earmarked $50,000 in the next budget cycle for a branding study that would clearly define "who is Claremont and what message we want to go out to the rest of the world," [Assistant City Manager Tony] Ramos said.

The article noted that Claremont merchants have complaints about the lack of clear planning for the Village Expansion:

"To date, Village West has not even had a grand opening," [Chas] Seward said. "...Key locations are standing vacant, businesses have already moved, and/or closed and professional signage has been virtually non-existent.

City Manager Jeff Parker said a grand opening could still be in the works once some of the key locations in the expansion are occupied. That could happen over the summer.

Some city officials admit that the Expansion thus far has not been as successful as they had hope but argue it is hard to compare it to projects like Victoria Gardens [in Rancho Cucamonga] or The Shoppes in Chino Hills.

Adding to their structural problems - finding downtown Claremont, poor planning with the Village Expansion, competition with larger outdoor malls, attracting out-of-area customers - the dragging economy and rising fuel prices have consumers watching their pennies more carefully and driving less.

Three Forks Reviews

Meg at the M-M-M-My Pomona blog went over to Three Forks Chop House on Sunday and has come back to report on her foodie venture into the Claremont Village Expansion.

Meg thought the overall dining experience was was good, but she had some qualifiers (the three saddest letters in the English language, B-U-T):

We ran into friends who live in Village Walk, the condos right next to 3F, as we moseyed to the restaurant. When we told them we were planning on trying the Farmers Market Dinner (a Sunday special every week -- three courses for $45), they put on brave smiles and bid us goodbye as if we were heading off to a tax audit or a biopsy. Apparently the Farmers Market Dinner is precisely what NOT to have at 3F (she told me afterward).

Our verdict: Okay. Pretty good for the 909. Ambitious (and it took me three years in college to realize that when a professor wrote that on my paper, it wasn't high praise).

See Meg's post for more good comments and descriptors. Meg liked he ambiance, especially the music. If you've been to Three Forks, you can also weigh in with your own comments.

David Allen also visited Three Forks in March and had a blog review. He seemed to generally like the food. But he didn't much care for the price:

Total bill, by the way: $144.51. Gulp.

That said, the experience was a cut above Fleming's, the steakhouse in Victoria Gardens, if a cut below Ruth's Chris in Pasadena. Would we go back to Three Forks? On a rare occasion, sure. Perhaps to try the farmers market dinners on Sundays, which sound intriguing.

Plus, you never know when you might want the Three Forks specialty, a reduction of your bank account. And a dose of rusticity.

Three Forks hasn't changed it's name yet. In February when we wrote about the chop house called III Forks getting bent out of shape over the similarities between the two restaurants, it looked as if Claremont's Three Forks might have to find a new name. But owners Mick and Mark Bollinger seems to have dug in their heels and haven't changed a thing.

Packing House Wins Award

Kevin Roderick at LA Observed had a post about the 27th Los Angeles Conservancy preservation awards. The Claremont Packing House received an award for adaptive reuse. The Conservancy's press release said:

Claremont Packing House, Claremont -- The last visible link to Claremont’s pioneering history in the citrus industry was transformed into a thriving center for arts, entertainment, retail, and community services, becoming a model of adaptive reuse and an anchor for revitalization.

The conservancy apparently did not look at the effectiveness or economic viability of the Packing House reuse. Consumers will ultimately have the say on that count.

The awards will be given out Thursday, May 8th, at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets are $125 per person. Call (213) 623-2489 for more information or email pal@laconservancy.org.

Mailbag: A Soulless Village?

This came in from a reader last week. The reader had some comments on the Village Expansion experience. We'd meant to post this sooner, but it kept getting pushed back:

Hello! Just like to say I like your blog. Just recently started reading it. The other day I went down to the Village West. I wrote a few comments about my experience. If you did want to use my letter on your website I don't want my name involved though. That's because I just don't know anything about Claremont's political atmosphere and until I understand more I don't want to publicly comment on things. I'm a twenty-something who has grown up in Claremont and still lives here. These are just my comments. I'm thinking about also sending a copy to the Courier but not sure. Thanks.

Recently, on a Friday night I went to downtown Claremont-the new part. What I felt was different than usual. Wealth and money were in the air around the Packing House and 425 lounge. My father and I stopped in to see what the new lounge looked like. The UCLA-USC game was on and I was a little interested because I am an alumni.

Well, in that lounge I felt business people who are doing "well" and a poshy vibe. I noticed a few people taking in my father-a retiree who prefers wearing golfer-style relaxed clothes and a hat and they were kind of not approving. The girl at the desk had a kind of smirk. Now I understand how some places are like this-like Hollywood, LA, NY, but Claremont? This is a working class area. The people here are smart, hard working, respectable-but we're not posh. And I like it that way. But the people there on that night were and so are a lot of the boutiques and restaurants.

Which leads me to ask myself the questions others have posed-just who was this complex built for? Who were the planners thinking of when they built and planned this? Certainly not my family and friends who are all modest in their consumption, and with good reason. The world's materialistic greed is starting to poison us-literally. More does not always equal better. What message are we giving to our young kids by putting this place with its fancy clothes and corporate business like American Apparel? Buy more, accept the status quo, conform to the latest fashion---and fashion these days has lost most of the soul that dressing ourselves should have.

I just don't like the taste of the materialism, consumerism, and classism down in that new part. The places are nice-don't get me wrong-they're just not us or not the values I consider Claremont to stand for. More is not always better, let me repeat, and you already see the problems like with parking, etc. I saw recently an article for people to come together and help plan Claremont's marketing strategy. At the end of the article the author said, "Let's give Victoria Gardens a run for their money!!" Firstly, I don't like Victoria Gardens-it's so tasteless and artificial, but that's beside the point.

Secondly- Why? Why do people need to be enticed to come shopping here? I know it's part of economic growth, more taxes for the city, etc. but in this time of environmental worry and damage should we really be urging people to buy more, to consume more and to drive their cars further (thereby polluting more of the terribly overburdened environment)?

As someone who lives just blocks from the constant noise and pollution of the 210 and someone who cares about the earth I would say a far better idea is to put our efforts into getting our community involved and together. What if people took more time from driving and spending and started to focus on the community? What if instead of trying desperately to get people to come and visit Claremont we worry about the people who are already here? We're not all driving expensive cars and wearing expensive clothes and drinking expensive wine.

The class division is so in your face down there it stinks and it's endemic of what's going on right now in society but I don't want to get too far off topic. All I know (is there's something not quite relaxing about the new part of the village, something a bit soulless. I don't know if they wanted to create a new Pasadena for people who don't want to drive to Pasadena-kind of like Pasadena is the place for people in that area who don't want to drive to LA, but one thing seems certain, the clothes don't quite fit [metaphorically speaking] and I don't think they ever will and I think we'll all see the difference as time goes by and I have to say I'll most likely stick to the "old" part. It's just a better fit.

Well, there's always the danger that all the changes to the Village will change Claremont in ways not anticipated by the people who've planned it. It's awful hard to not commit to the sort of expansion Claremont has without also committing to the sort of chain stores that are coming in. Just look at Pasadena's Old Town where fewer and fewer Mom-and-Pop type operations are surviving.

Claremont's population of 35,000 simply isn't enough to keep all of the new and old businesses going. Consequently, the town will have to look to attract visitors to spend money. The town, however, is still stuck between committing to that change and retaining the small town feel of the Village, even though it's a little late in the game to go back. The time for the town elders to consider all that was 15 years ago.

And then there was the letter last week to the Claremont Courier from reader Judy Wineberg, who didn't get a very warm welcome at the Village Expansion's Le Pain Quotidien.

Southard Sightings and Other News

WOULD YOU BUY A USED REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT FROM THIS MAN?

Several readers wrote in to report sightings of Claremont's former city manager, Glenn Southard, about town last Thursday. No doubt our esteemed friend was in the area to survey the wreckage he's wrought - for example, $17.5 million settlement to Palmer Canyon residents for fire damages resulting in part from the city's failure to properly maintain the Claremont Wilderness Park during Southard's administration.

Call it pride of authorship.

Or maybe he just wanted to check out the Village Expansion, where the exodus continues only a year after the opening of the Claremont Packing House.

One reader said:

Wonder what God's gift to Claremont could be stirring up now? Do you think he is here to take credit for the wonderful Village Expansion he gave us of which ersatz Claremont historian Judy Wright now says she is not so enamored ( according to John Pixley's column in Wednesday's Courier)? Only the Shadow knows!

The reader was referring to John Pixley's Observer column in Wednesday's Claremont Courier. Wright, who as mayor of Claremont was one of the persons most responsible for the imposition of Southardism on Claremont, spoke at the Claremont Museum of Art earlier this month and gave her thoughts on the Claremont Village Expansion, according to Pixley:

Regarding the Village Expansion, Ms. Wright is concerned that not enough thought was put into what its streets look like or the views they provide. She also said that the Indian Hill frontage remind her of Orange County. She urged that there be an outcry for public art. (What about the controversial fountain in the courtyard?)

I don’t know if I agree with Ms. Wright’s exact concern and solution, but I do agree that there is something to be concerned about in the Village Expansion. As impressive and exciting as it is, it appears that all is not well with the downtown addition. And it does have to do with views.

There has been noticeable rumbling in recent months, and the rumbling is coming from within. There have been accusations and finger pointing, talk of misleading and broken promises. Some artists have decided not to stay in the artist lofts in The Packing House, complaining that the rent is too high or that the lofts, which are upstairs on the second floor, don’t get enough foot traffic. Tally’s for Men is breaking its lease, with the owner saying that its Second Street location is a dead zone with almost no traffic.

These may well simply be the grumbling that comes with anything new. Almost by definition, there are always kinks to be worked out. But I am wondering if it isn’t something more that is happening.

Wright's concerns are touching, but disingenuous. Wright, her claims to the contrary notwithstanding, has been more than a mere observer or amateur historian with the Village Expansion and other projects in town. As usual, she and some of her fellow former councilpeople and city commissioners just do not want to take credit for their work when it goes bad.

Back in 2003, when the future was still bright, it was a different story. Even though Wright had been off the Claremont City Council for years when the Village Expansion ground-breaking occurred, this plaque was unveiled at the corner of Oberlin Ave. and First St.:


There you go. Dead center, right above Southard: "Judy Wright." In 2003, as ever, plaques represented the dominant form of public self-aggrandizement in the less-than-humble village of Claremont, CA.

Claremont's Planned Economy

SALON MAKEOVER

Will Bigham writes in the Daily Bulletin that the Claremont Planning Commission last week rejected the Chamber of Commerce-backed plan to place strict limits on new beauty salons in town. Bigham's article explains:

The salon law was proposed because officials from the city and Chamber of Commerce felt the Village was losing its "balance" between salons and other types of stores.

There are nearly 25 salons in the Village, and more have approached the city seeking to open in vacant storefronts.

The city's proposed ordinance would prohibit any more salons from opening in first-floor, street-level shops. Salons would be permitted to open in alleys and upstairs areas in the Village.

The Planning Commission rejected the proposed ban by a 4-2 vote. One Planning Commissioner was quoted in the Bulletin as thinking this sort of legislation might involve a little too much micro-management:

"I felt it was an unwarranted government intrusion into the local economy," said Commissioner Jeff Hammill, who opposed the ban. "I just felt that, while having a variety of businesses in the Village ... is important, to go about it in this manner I didn't feel was appropriate."

"I feel that history has shown us that centralized planning of the economy doesn't work," Hammill added. "And this felt a lot like that."

Apparently, Planning Commissioner Tom Lamb was correct back in January when he defended the commission as having a bit of an independent streak. Of course, the City Council may not approve of the commission's reasoning.

According to the Bulletin article, the ban can be revisited and the Planning Commission overruled if four of the five councilmembers are in favor of the ban. The article stated that Claremont Mayor Peter Yao and Councilmember Linda Elderkin have already expressed a willingness to impose the ban.

We wonder how that squares with Elderkin's love of process and the general concern about respecting the work of Claremont's commissions? Apparently that respect only comes into play when Elderkin and others want it to. It's just another example of the arbitrary nature of Claremont's way of governing.

Expect Mayor Yao to place the matter on the council's agenda for the March 25th meeting. If it's not then, Mayor-to-be Ellen Taylor will likely push it soon after that.

We're not necessarily fans of beauty salons, and we would much rather have the old Powell's Hardware in where the Urban Renewal Salon took over on Yale Ave. However, who can really dictate what mix of businesses will or won't make it? Isn't it really the consumer who decides?

(Except when it's the City Manager. How many remember Fedorico's, a great and popular eatery that occupied what is now the twee-decorated gap in the buildings on the west side of Yale, between First and Second Streets? Glenn Southard took a wrecking ball to it. The given reason was to provide access to parking. Sure solved the parking problem, didn't it?)

Today, it's beauty salons. What's it going be tomorrow? Wine shops? Bakeries? Ice cream parlors?

As long as we're being arbitrary, how about considering a ban on a few types of Claremont 400-inspired businesses:

• Tax attorneys' offices on Indian Hill Blvd.
  We already have one too many of these. Queen Ellen manages her husband's law office at Indian Hill and Second St.
  


• Photography studios on First St.
  One too many of these, also. Claremont Chamber of Commerce President Sonja Stump's photo business is at First between Harvard and Yale Aves.
  


• Family law attorneys on Yale Ave.
  Two too many of these. Former Claremont Mayors Sandra Baldonado and Paul Held have their practices across from one another on Yale.

Yes, ladies and gents, we think Claremont's economic picture would brighten considerably if the above blighted areas were removed and redeveloped into more constructive businesses, like pet grooming or skateboard shops. A 7-Eleven, even.

Remember, these are the same people who are spending $887,000 over three years to test run a faux trolley shuttle service to span six square blocks downtown at an estimated cost of over $10 per passenger.


A PROVEN TRACK RECORD

The Claremont 400 and their loyal city staffers, Claremont Housing and Redevelopment Manager Brian Desatnik and Community Development Director Tony Witt, certainly have a less-than-stellar record for finding the right mix of businesses and for designing a well-planned commercial environment.

We've written recently about the Claremont Village Expansion's growing pains. Now comes this news via one of our readers:

Subject: Red Line Store in Packing House

The Red Line Store, next door to the Maui Wowi coffee shop, has a "For Lease" sign in its window.

And this:

Buzz,

Looks like one of the Packing House businesses is closing. Redline has a For Lease sign up. I'm attaching a photo I snapped this morning.

Village Expansion - Growing Pains?

The Claremont Courier had an article in yesterday's edition reporting that a couple of the new Village Expansion shops not faring well because of the lack of foot traffic. The shops are on 2nd St. across from the Laemmle Theater and both are moving because of the lack of business.

The Courier article, by Tony Krickl,focuses on the owner of Talley's for Men, a men's clothing store:

Michael Talaee was so excited about the new Village Expansion project that he was the first business owner to sign a lease.

But ever since his high-end clothing shop, Tally for Men, opened in late November, Mr. Talaee has regretted that decision. Citing numerous complaints with the management, he has already called it quits on his 5-year lease and is planning to move out of the Village Expansion.

The problems began when he was asked to have his store open by September 2007. Excited to get started ahead of the holiday rush, Mr. Talaee set up his shop, purchased his merchandise and was ready to go on time.

Unfortunately, nothing around him was open yet. Tally for Men sits on Second Street, just west of Indian Hill Boulevard. Due to delays on landscaping and lighting by the city and the developer, Second Street did not open up until late November.

“I missed out on a lot of exposure,” Mr. Talaee said. “Christmas came and went, and we missed out.”

Mr. Talaee also believes he was misled about the structure of the project as stated in his lease. He accepted the location along Second Street under the impression that two restaurants would have entrances and windows facing his business, which he felt would draw in a steady stream of foot traffic.

A moving-sale sign hangs outside of Tally for Men on Second Street in the Village Expansion. After only five months at the location, owner Michael Talaee is looking to relocate his business.

One of those restaurants, Le Pain Quotient, only has a kitchen door facing Second Street, while the other is not yet open for business.
“With the way the project is built, this street is like a back alley,” Mr. Talaee said. “Nobody ever walks by. All you see is delivery trucks driving by.”

The article goes on to say that Talaee plans on suing the Village Expansion developer, The Tolkin Group. Krickl also indicates that Celley's, a women's clothing boutique, is relocating to a different site in the Expansion.

We've heard similar complaints about the lack of foot traffic, both in the Expansion and in the Packing House.

Downtown News

http://www.claremontpackinghouse.com/about.htm

The Claremont Packing House has been open one year now, and according to an article in Saturday's Claremont Courier, the tenant reviews are mixed.

Courier reporter Tony Krickl wrote:

After one year, 4 store front business owners have walked away from their second story lofts out of 11 listed on The Packing House’s website. Some did not have the success they were hoping for, while others left for personal reasons.

Kathleen Galipeau, who ran an art studio in her loft, decided to move out due to poor business sales. She had hoped for greater foot traffic throughout the building to support her business and believes she will have more success in her previous location in Upland.

“There have been some growing pains along the road there,” she said. “Live/work lofts are such a new idea. It’s a great place to be, but there are a few integral problems with how upstairs is laid out.”

Lynnette Barron, who ran a floral business, worked an agreement to cut out of her lease early. She complained of difficulties with the building’s management, structural problems in her loft and excessive noise.

A 3rd tenant not renewing his lease was Chas Seward, whose ad agency, Spitfire Studios, ran Claremont’s holiday marketing campaign. Mr. Seward said he left because the loft was too big for his company’s needs and has moved to a smaller location in the Village.

“As far as environment, it’s a great space,” Mr. Seward said. “It just wasn’t conducive to our business.”

Krickl's article went on to quote several other tenants who were doing just fine, though one of them was Jerry Tessier, the president of Arteco Partners, who was the developer for the Packing House project. Tessier told Krickl that there's no shortage of prospective tenants lined up to fill the vacant units.

Some of the businesses seem to be making it. Three Forks Chop House reportedly has a waiting list of several weeks, and Meg at the M-M-M-My Pomona blog wrote that the Hip Kitty Jazz Club was jumping when she visited a couple weeks ago.

On the other hand, the Maui Wowie smoothie place appears to have been up for sale, and some of the other Packing House businesses haven't seemed especially crowded with customers or window shoppers.