“We’re celebrating our 45th year, and we thought it would be a good time,” said Le Yen’s dining-area supervisor Susan Woo, whose family has been running the restaurant since she was a child. “We’ve had a really good run.”
Moving into the space Le Yen has occupied at 4140 Atlantic Ave. will be a second location of Lola’s Mexican Cuisine, of which there is currently a location at 2030 E. 4th St.
Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, called Le Yen an “institution” but said having a Lola’s location in the business district is “extremely exciting” because it shows that people are interested in investing in the neighborhood.
Cohn described Lola’s owner Luis Navarro Jr. as a sophisticated restaurant operator who will bring a new “flavor” to Bixby Knolls.
“I think it’s going to be family-friendly and fit right into this neighborhood,” Cohn said, adding that Lola’s is expected to open some time in October.
Another business that has already begun operating a second location in Bixby Knolls is Deep Blue Swim School. After operating in Belmont Shore for decades under different owners and various names, the SCUBA and swim center opened its new location at 3640 Atlantic Ave. in early June, and Cohn said it is already booked up with swim lessons.
“Like Lola’s, they had so many clients coming from Bixby Knolls down to the Shore, they said, ‘Well, why don’t we open a Bixby location,’ and they have the pool in there, which is wonderful,” Cohn said. “And the owners now live in the Virginia neighborhood. So, that’s great— they work here and live here.”
Cohn referred to the upcoming transitions in Bixby Knolls as a “chessboard,” considering all the changes and relocations that will be taking place.
Trader Joe’s will move to the shopping center that for years had housed Ralph’s market at 4250 Long Beach Blvd., joining Crunch Fitness and Pet Food Express there. Red Mountain Retail Group, an Orange County-based real-estate asset-management and development firm, closed escrow on that property earlier this year and is looking for two more tenants to fill the space. Cohn added that the former Ralph’s property, which will be renamed The Knolls, will also get a makeover.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”200px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/BK-update-2.jpg” credit=”Courtesy BKBIA” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”A seating area right outside Long Beach Creamery on Long Beach Boulevard was completed this week.” captionposition=”right”] The Breakfast Club of Long Beach, 3900 Atlantic Ave., formerly Bixby CafeÌ, which is owned by Jack Skandalakis, will also be undergoing changes.
After 25 years in Bixby Knolls, Skandalakis is selling his business, but he told the Signal Tribune that the new owners, who will take over mid August, plan to keep his current employees but will change the restaurant’s name to The Breakfast and Dinner Club.
“They’re a really nice family with really good plans,” Skandalakis said. “They’re bringing the pizza back.”
After closing its location at 4580 Atlantic Ave. on Feb. 13, the United States Postal Service has selected the property at 4462-4470 Atlantic Ave. in the Bixby Knolls Shopping Center for its new post office. Cohn mentioned that being next to Marshalls department store is “a perfect location” for the new post office and that the old post-office location will be renovated for potential retailers in a way that is similar to that of Gelson’s market on Pacific Coast Highway and 2nd Street. Next door to the old postal location is CVS Pharmacy, which has shrunken its operation, and another retailer has signed on to move into that property, according to Cohn, who said he cannot disclose who that business will be.
The eastern portion of the Bixby Knolls Shopping Center, which is called California Plaza, is also currently undergoing renovations.
“They’re re-doing those façades so that it matches the other part of the shopping center,” Cohn said. “So, it’s just a little modernization because those things haven’t been touched in 40 years, if not longer.”
As for the now vacant retail space that Orchard Supply Hardware had once occupied, Cohn said property-management company Gaska, Inc. is seeking tenants but “nothing is in stone right now.”
The fate of the Hof’s Hut restaurant at 4251 Long Beach Blvd. is still unknown. The eatery, which had been in business since 1961,
closed indefinitely after two fires broke out in its kitchen ventilation system last January. Cohn said that having a Trader Joe’s and other businesses right across the street from it could be a boon to its business, but he’s not sure if the Hofman Hospitality Group, which owns Hof’s Hut restaurants, will reopen it.
Cohn also said that Steelcraft Containers will build a park that features six eateries on the corner of Bixby Road and Long Beach Boulevard. The restaurants will be built into shipping containers, and there will be seating and tables on the property.
“Right now, it’s past its site-plan review and now the plans for this have been officially submitted to the City to go through its process,”
Cohn said, adding that parking spaces will be worked in to supplement the parking available along Long Beach Boulevard and that there will be space to accommodate live music performances.
The executive director mentioned that the latest retailers to join the business district are Better Half Boutique, which is part of Coast Party Rentals, and Long Beach Creamery.
“We’re building an outdoor seating for that center,” Cohn said, referring to the shopping center where the creamery is located. “So, that way, whether you’re waiting for your nails to get done, or you’re going to have ice cream or bundts or a sandwich, now there’s some seating on the side there. Just like we did the pocket park (near 3850 Atlantic Ave.), now we’ve got a little public spot right there.”
The owners of the property where Oh Very Young kids clothing store has been located have sold the building.
“Oh Very Young didn’t renew their lease, but they are looking to maybe rent some space down where Clover boutique is and be a part of that,” Cohn said. “As far as anyone else leaving— not at the moment. I mean, we’ll rub our rabbit’s feet, keep our fingers crossed. We want everybody to stay put.”
