Our coverage of the three-day design conference that is CA Boom wraps up with the prefab vendor section of the conference floor, and while the usual suspects aka Steve Glenn's LivingHomeswere present, where was prefab stalwart Marmol Radziner? One interesting new entrants was the the itty-bitty Modern Shed and its quaint homemade sale sign in the window: "$15,000 with deck. Free Local Delivery." The web site for the Seattle-based company notes prices range from $7,740 for a 48-square-foot shed to $18,200 for a 10 by 12 studio. Prefab marvel or glorified spider hole? You be the judge.
· Modern Shed [Official site]
· CA Boom: Prefab Zone [CA Boom]
· CA Boom House Tours: Santa Monica's House of Sand[Curbed LA]
This week's top dish from Eater LA, Curbed's restaurant, bar, and nightlife blog... [The valet at the new downtown Doheny club]
DOWNTOWN: More details on Cedd Moses' Doheny in the Petroleum building keep coming. First the house rules. Then the barman. And the valet. But where are those fingerprint scanners?
WESTWOOD: This was the Week of Freebies. First Chipotleopened in Westwood and gave away free burritos to poor UCLA students and worker-types. Then Pink's gave away dogs in Hollywood as part of some hackneyed FOX sitcom promotion. And over in West LA, Red Mango gave away free yogurt to celebrate the new store on Pico. DOWNTOWN: Downtown's Met Lofts will get Rivera, a new restaurant owned by Chef John Sedlar and Bill Chait. Expect "Latin-fusion cuisine but updated: More Spanish than Southwestern, Asian influences, smaller plates, bigger variety." WEST HOLLYWOOD: Boa Steakhouse at the Grafton Hotel is moving a bit farther west, joining the SoHo House in moving the Luckman Plaza at 9200 Sunset later this year.
WESTWOOD - A follow-up to our previous post on the Mann National in Westwood and the plans by Ron Simms to demolish it. A reader emails us with the proposed rendering (see above) for the new one-story structure that will replace the old theater at the corner of Lindbrook and Gayley. The new structure will be helpfully labeled "STORE, STORE, STORE" alerting people that there are items to buy on the inside. [CurbedWire Inbox]
DOWNTOWN - A reader report's that the Higgins Building at Second and Main has garnered landmark status. " The Higgins Building has been designated a Cultural-Historic Monument by the city of Los Angeles!... The building successfully meets the criteria for inclusion as a commercial building designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Arthur L. Haley and A.C. Martin and because of its role in the development of downtown Los Angeles. In the coming weeks, it will be assigned a Monument number... Mills act application comes next then hopefully a little tax relief... then Barry Shy gets hit by a bus." That lost part was uncalled for, bad reader. [CurbedWire Inbox]
LOS ANGELES - The money-makers at Fortune are jumping on the Pinkberry bandwagon, finally. The story identifies that yes, it is a fad, and yes, celebrities eat it, but misses out on the controversy about what exactly is in it. However, there are some juicy quotes in anticipation of the Red Mango arrival. "[Pinkberry co-founder Young Lee is] not concerned - "They're McDonald's, while we're a homemade burger" - but Dan Kim, Red Mango's U.S. president and a former investment banker, is already making waves, saying that his yogurt is "more authentic," a claim Lee vehemently denies." [Fortune]
WESTWOOD - The countdown is on for Red Mango. The non-Pinkberry, unquestionably-yogurt franchise from South Korea is ready to open its doors, quite possibly soon in Westwood. We heard May, now they're saying end of June. Our sister Eater LA reports that Craigslist help-wanted ads have been posted with the bold statement: "Red Mango did it first, and nobody does it better." Red Mango also has a MySpace page (Giant Robot is its friend.) where it warns visitors: "Our yogurt is NOT being served in "California Roll & Sushi"! They are serving their own yogurt and calling it Red Mango without our permission!"
LOS ANGELES - Nike is partnering with Foot Locker to open basketball-oriented "House of Hoops" stores across the US. The first store will be in NYC (bastards!) followed by stores in LA, Chicago, Houston and other places where people play basketball. Via FT.com: "The new stores represent a break from Nike's previous direct retail strategy of relying largely on its large "Niketown" stores to promote its brand." Coming to a suburban mall near you.
BEVERLY HILLS ADJ - UK high-end clothing retailer REISS opened up shop on May 10th, reports our googling. Oh look, pictures of Dominique Swain. WWD.com says REISS hopes to bank on celebrities to sell it's brand. WWD quotes the especially vapid sounding CEO, David Reiss: "We have never been one to do big advertising campaigns, but the whole world is celebrity-driven," said David Reiss, founder and chief executive officer. "If we are going to go to L.A. and open this flagship, and we are linked to celebrities, let the world know about it." Lame.
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From the studio lots to the downtown lofts. From the beachfront bungalows to the canyon views. From the south bay to the valley, from the westside to the eastside—Curbed LA covers our sense of place, and the neighborhoods we call home. Read more about Curbed LA...
