Block by Block: Volume 5

I've come up with a plan, to visit every business in the shore and share my experiences. To put my plan in action I needed company and a writer, so I called my good friend Lisa Ramelow and said ...  Let's Meet on 2nd Street!! Join Lisa and I as we explore Belmont Shore Block by Block! 
- Heather Kern, Executive Director BSBA

Block By Block: Volume 5 - Argonne to Granada- south

Written by Lisa Ramelow

We made it to Block 5! This time we were joined this time by local realtor, BSBA Associate Member, and friend Kathie Sitton.

Our first stop was to what is probably the most well known business on this block - Billings.

We learned that Billings originally opened in 1951 at another location down the street (where Tilly’s is now located). Owner Doug Billings was not in on the day we visited - he was attending a twice-yearly Ace Hardware convention in Las Vegas to pick out the merchandise he believes will work in his store. But we were provided a thorough tour by his right-hand guy, Valentino.

Valentino challenged us to name any possible item in the store and he would be able to give us its exact location.

We started shouting things out:

“Light bulbs!”, “Gardening stuff!”, “Rat traps!”

Since Kathie and I are frequent shoppers we also played along as Heather tested us on knowing where things were located. We all passed with flying colors.

It is really amazing that you can find almost everything in there from lumber and plumbing parts, to Tupperware and craft supplies. They even have hundreds of unique ornaments at Christmas time.

SIDE NOTE - by Heather Kern

Valentino mentioned that Billings gets a ton of online orders from folks outside of Long Beach. Like, the other day, someone drove all the way from Temecula just to snag a pink YETI cooler! Billings has a huge and varied inventory, and since they put everything online, people flock to them for all sorts of stuff.

Lisa was totally unaware of the whole STANLEY craze. She was blown away by the massive selection of YETI products at Billings!

O’ My Sole

From there we wandered down to “O’ my Sole” which has been in this block for 15 years. We enjoyed speaking to manager, Wally, and she answered all of our questions. Most of the shoes they carry are from Spain.Heather asked her usual question of what was the best seller in the shop, and I was rather surprised when she pointed at a plain beige flat shoe, that looked like half of a clog. It was a closed toe Birkenstock that apparently sells out within a week when they get them in.

I didn’t care for “the favorite,” but I did find some red lace-up booties I just loved. And Kathie looked adorable in her bright new red rain boots (Kathie has since reported that her red boots are “man magnets” - she is fighting them off, left and right!)

House of Intuition

I admit I had never been in this store before, as shops with incense do not appeal to me and usually give me a headache. We learned so much from Jonathan, who has worked there for two years, about how they help people in so many ways. He explained that it is a family-run business, and the first location was in Echo Park in 2010.

The Belmont Shore location opened in 2018. He told us they are a “destination store” which is defined as a place which “shoppers purposely plan to visit.” And their clientele is mostly young people who are interested in spirituality. The store has a strong social media presence.

Jonathan also explained a major difference between House of Intuition and other places carrying incense and candles: all of their products are curated and created directly by the owners.

I was intrigued by these Romance candles and decided to buy them. Jonathan explained how to use them effectively by beginning with an intention.

I haven’t tried them yet, but if they don’t work at bringing me romance, I can copy Kathie’s red rain boots since they seem to be working for her in that department!

The flagship store is a house perched 21 steep steps uphill from Sunset Boulevard. It’s a bright, airy suite of rooms painted white with black trim,

Nick the Greek

Lunch at Nick the Greek on the corner. A fast casual restaurant with pita sandwiches, kabobs, salads, bowls burger. It is a franchise, part of a chain that has been around 5 years and is just exploding. The owners are known for being super friendly and love being part of the community. Heather had a bowl, I opted for a pita sandwich. We tried their frozen yogurt and I absolutely loved that and definitely plan on coming back for more!

Block by Block continued …

Onix Fitness

This block has 3 places to eat so we couldn’t do it all in one day.

On our next venture out - we all arrived in our bathing suits! Why?

Well, it was time for the “Cold Plunge” at Onix. We definitely needed moral support for this, so we brought along friends Adrienne Hunter, Sage Mind Marketing and Jeff LeBeau, Peacock & LeBeau..

I was scared to death, but Heather stepped up and went first. She entered the water slowly and deliberately, not uttering a word or changing her facial expression. It looked like she was entering a warm, soothing bath. She didn’t even shiver or shudder, and calmly kept her arms on the sides of the tub. She mentioned after one minute that it wasn’t so bad. I watched her, slightly dumbfounded at her relaxed appearance as she stayed in a full 5 minutes.

Maybe I was overreacting and overthinking it? Maybe it wouldn’t really be that cold?

My turn came and I took a deep breath and put one foot in. Yowza!!!

Holy crap it was cold. How was I going to do this?

I proceeded with my next foot and then lowered my entire body into the tub. But I was cursing and cringing all the way. Heather took a video of me, and I am hollering so much it sounds like I am in childbirth.

OK, I admit my reaction was really over-the-top, I guess I am just not such a hardy soul after all. Heather was correct in that it wasn’t so bad after one minute. I stayed in two.

The rest of our group of 5 each took a turn, with our only guy Jeff, submersing his head as well as his body. He did have lots of prior experience as he mentioned he jumps in his unheated pool at home quite frequently.

Jake was an excellent tour guide of the gym and explained that they have group classes and a recovery center. We spent all of our time in the recovery center. They had an infared sauna, hot sauna, the cold plunge, compression therapy and a machine that evaluates your body giving you a print out. I’m not sure I agree with it’s conclusions!

Poke Pola - By Heather Kern

There's always a line at Poke Pola. And now I know why.

It’s amazing to watch their loyal customers come in and craft their perfect bowls.

Since I’m new to the whole poke thing, I invited Adrienne to join me and show me the ropes. She went for a bowl with tuna and salmon, while I opted for a savory beef and chicken combo. It was DEELISH!! with so much packed into a large bowl! A great value.

But it's not just the food that's impressive. The owners are the absolute sweetest and hardworking couple. They used to run a large scale bakery, but now they're pouring their hearts into this smaller operation, and you'll find them behind the counter day in and day out.

The Post Office

The Belmont Shore post office is located front and center on the central corner at Granada on 2nd St., but it wasn’t always there. It used to be located in the block between Covina and Corona.

This corner at Granada was the home for many years to Quigley’s department store. As kids living in the Shore in the 70’s, we loved Quigley’s - they had everything you could think of - we even used to buy our Mother’s Day gifts there.

But back to the post office … the two clerks we encountered, Michael and Michelle, said they love working there. The clientele from the surrounding community are so very nice and friendly. It makes their jobs easier. And yes, there are people that come in every day for something whether it be stamps, checking their PO Box or shipping.

——- Fun Fact - We asked them what the strangest thing they’ve seen shipped, the answer was live animals. Who knew?

Sushi Nikkei

Our last supper ... for block 5 anyhow.

We were joined by Robb Smith of Alleycat Deliveries, Kathie, and Carissa for dinner at Sushi Nikkei. They serve “Peruvian sushi” which is a fusion of Peruvian ingredients and Japanese style sushi. They have another location in Bixby Knolls which is Michelin rated.

I am not a sushi-person, but I was able to order the kid’s bowl which had rice and some fried fish.

Everyone else ordered many things including the special 8-piece dinner, and they seemed to love absolutely everything, as plate after plate of colorful dishes arrived.

There were many “oohs” and “ahhs” from the group. Heather could not stop gushing over a fried shrimp roll.

5000 Block of 2nd Street - South
Nick the Greek - 5000 E. 2nd Street
Billings Hardware - 5004 E. 2nd Street
Onix - 5010 E. 2nd Street
O' My Sole - 5016 E. 2nd Street
House of Intuition - 5018 E. 2nd Street
Sushi Nikkei - 5020 E. 2nd Street
Poke Pola - 5040 E. 2nd Street
US Post Office - 5050 E. 2nd Street

But wait, there's MORE!!!

You may not notice it, but there are several 2 story buildings along 2nd street with offices above and behind the shops. The corner of 2nd and Granada features a 2 story brick building housing several offices - access is on Granada. We didn't visit any of the offices, and perhaps we'll do an entire edition featuring the professional offices - by appointment of course.