BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer
Four Olives Café, which recently went out of business, may reopen under new management in the near future. A few blocks south of the café, on Atlantic Avenue, Mod-L-Mania is slated for permanent closure, but its owner hopes to continue working on special projects with schools and youth groups.
Any time the national economy slows down, Bixby Knolls business owners shudder. They know that when people have less money to spend, retail sales decline, and sometimes profits disappear. Several Bixby Knolls establishments have closed permanently in the last 12 months, and several more are weighing their options.
“It hurts to see businesses close,” said Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association (BKBIA). “It feels like a punch in the stomach, but we have new businesses coming in too, and the people who live in the surrounding neighborhoods are starting to support the local businesses more than they have in the past. There are still lots of reasons for optimism.”
Doug Orr, owner of Four Olives Café, agreed that the area is gradually changing for the better, but the changes didn’t come fast enough for his restaurant. “The economy impacted us,” he said. “Our volume of business slowed down quite a bit during the past year.”
Orr wanted to expand the restaurant into the adjacent vacant space (formerly occupied by Shore Books) to generate new business, but, in Orr’s opinion, the landlord was asking for too much money. “The negotiations dragged on too long, and when the economy took a downturn, our investors backed out and we no longer had the finances to expand,” Orr explained.
Cohn said the process that led to Four Olives’ closing troubled him. He explained that many property owners want to get the same rent per square foot that businesses in more prosperous parts of the city pay. “By doing that, they muscle out some of the mom-and-pops and lose more of the charm of this area,” he said. “Part of the problem is we need to reach out to property owners and brokers to get us all on the same page.”
In spite of Orr’s difficulties, Four Olives may be back in business soon. “I am working with a couple right now who would like to reopen the restaurant,” Orr said. “They have their own idea of what they would like it to become, but initially I think they will keep it exactly the same as it was.” He added that he was negotiating with the couple and would know in about a week whether they would buy the business from him.
“I am not going to open another restaurant,” Orr noted. “I have other businesses that are doing quite well, and I’m just going to focus on them.” He explained that he owns Orr Visual Communications (a home remodeling company), Anglehouse Garden Gates and DMS Landscaping.
Meanwhile, Chuck Wilkinson, owner of Mod-L-Mania and vice president of BKBIA for the past two years, announced recently that he will close his hobby store permanently by the end of July. The store has been in Bixby Knolls for a decade. “We had a good ten-year run, but the economy is what has really hurt us,” Wilkinson said. “There is very little discretionary income, and our store sales are based entirely on discretionary income.” He said that his business’ decline began 18 months ago but the past 6 months have been devastating.
Although Wilkinson is divesting himself of the hobby retail business, he will continue to help schools and nonprofit organizations obtain hobby supplies. “Over the years, I have done a lot of work with many youth groups and helped them with their science, physics and robotics projects,” he said. “I hope to work with all those groups and help them with their special projects.” He stressed that he will not be able to obtain hobby supplies for individuals any longer. “I have to narrow my focus,” he explained. Mod-L-Mania is the last remaining general hobby store in Long Beach. July 31 is the last day it will be open.
In regard to Bixby Knolls, Wilkinson said it saddened him that local residents did not support the businesses more. “Many people in this community don’t even realize the resources they have at their fingertips,” he said. “They drive to the Lakewood, Stonewood or South Coast Plaza malls when many of the stores here have products of better quality and even offer items the bigger stores do not carry. They have these great gems here and don’t even realize it.”
Cohn acknowledged that many residents in the surrounding neighborhoods do not patronize Bixby Knolls businesses, but he insisted that each passing month brings more locals into the shops and restaurants of the area.
“Just by the turnout we are getting at our events, whether it’s a mixer or First Fridays, it’s obvious that the residents are beginning to tune in to what is happening,” he said. “We need to continue the momentum of making this one big community where businesses and residents work side by side and everybody is supporting each other.”
