When a car slammed into the storefront of Magnolia and Willow in the early hours of May 2, shattering the glass doors and destroying an entire section of merchandise, no one was less surprised than owner Emily Yep.
Since 2017, Yep has been asking the City of Long Beach to install safety measures in front of her shop. Despite the intersection being deemed as a “high-injury corridor,” according to a 2020 study (which has been removed from the City’s website), and three cars crashing into the shop in less than a year, little has been done.
The store has still not recovered from its last drive-thru incident in September 2023, or the July car accident before that. Two of the three storefronts are now boarded up with wood panels, and Yep said she, her family and employees do not feel safe inside the store.
Long Beach police recorded 55 car accidents at the intersection of Magnolia and Willow since 2018:
- 10 reported in 2018
- 8 reported in 2019
- 11 reported in 2020
- 5 reported in 2021
- 3 reported in 2022
- 18 reported in 2023
“It seems like they [the City of Long Beach] don’t care about the people,” Yep said in a video she posted on social media following the May 2 incident. “You want this to be a walking community, a great neighborhood, [but] it doesn’t sound like they care about anyone being safe walking [in] the neighborhood and around the city. It seems like they care more about what liability they have.”
Following the September incident, Mayor Rex Richardson’s office visited the shop, and she once again asked for concrete bollards to be installed to protect her shop and its employees and customers. The City installed water-filled K-Rails a month later, and told her that in early 2024, the intersection would be upgraded with a protected left-turn lane to prevent more accidents.
In an email to the Signal Tribune on May 15, Public Works Director Eric Lopez said the left-turn lane is now expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Yep said she fears her business, which has been a trademark and namesake of the intersection for 14 years, won’t last much longer.
“I hate to do this, but some people have asked and due to the fact that we’re struggling so much. We have started a GoFundMe, and I’m sorry, I feel like a beggar and I hate this feeling, but we are … it’s bad right now,” Yep said while holding back tears.
A Long and Winding Road to Road Safety
Long Beach Public Works has stated in emails to the Signal Tribune both in September and on May 15 that permanent, concrete bollards are not part of its plan for the intersection.
Lopez wrote that the accidents at the intersection are “unfortunate” and will be addressed through the Vision Zero plan, which “includes traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speeds and thereby reduce the severity of crashes.”
He also said that “rigid bollards are typically reserved for low-speed areas to protect equipment in the right of way such as parking lot arms or gas meters” and not recommended for higher-speed areas since it could “result in severe injury to a motorist.”
Magnolia and Willow received a speed limit reduction from 35 to 30 miles-per-hour last year, mirroring the speed limit around the Civic Center Plaza, which has numerous rigid bollards installed.
Lopez said that while certain areas in the city have rigid bollards, such as those at the Civic Center Plaza, those are not intended to protect the structure but are used to “prevent vehicles from entering pedestrian spaces.”
If the City receives the $1 million needed for its Vision Zero plan, some of these safety measures include “safety through engineering, enforcement and education.” One example of this is reducing speed limits in busy intersections.
Lopez said in an email to the Signal Tribune that the City is planning to add bulb-out curbs, traffic signal upgrades, new pavement and other pedestrian space improvements along Willow Street as part of the Elevate ‘28 Infrastructure Improvement Plan. Willow Street will also receive an A-Line station hub and a walkable, tree-lined street by the time the City hosts the 2028 Olympics.
Community Support Outshining City Response, So Far
Yep said some residents have asked her why she doesn’t move the antique shop’s location, which has been at the corner of Magnolia and Willow for 14 years.
“This is my neighborhood that I’ve grown to love deeply, and I care about a lot of the people in this neighborhood,” she said, adding that she doesn’t have enough money to repair the doors taken out by the crash, let alone rent a new building.
When Yep moved into the building on Magnolia and Willow, she spent $20,000 of her own money to renovate the shop. She hasn’t seen any insurance money from the September accident, as the City, property owner and insurance company go back and forth on details. Additionally, she believes she is unlikely to be reimbursed for the merchandise lost.
Yep said she hasn’t been able to speak to the mayor or her councilmember Roberto Uranga about this issue since September when the mayor visited her shop. The Signal Tribune reached out to Uranga’s office for a comment and received this email from Uranga through his staff:
“At my request, the city worked quickly to extend the existing concrete work, add additional water-filled k-rails, and employ a lighted speed indicator sign.
Public Works Director Eric Lopez and City Manager Tom Modica have assured me this location is a top priority. We will continue to work on measures to provide protections for our pedestrians, commuters and businesses.”
One of Yep’s neighboring businesses, the Long Beach Beer Lab, is hosting a fundraiser for Magnolia and Willow on Thursday, May 16, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Every pint sold will contribute $2 to Magnolia and Willow.
Yep still has not heard from Mayor Richardson, but on May 15 she received a call from his office that one of his representatives will attend the fundraiser. The Signal Tribune contacted the Mayor’s office via email and phone on May 15 and did not hear back by the time of publication.
Residents can contribute to Magnolia and Willow’s online fundraiser, which has raised $6,950 of its $20,000 goal as of May 16. The store remains open for business in person, online and through social media.
Magnolia and Willow is located at 490 W. Willow St. and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.