Block by Block: Volume 6
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 6 - Granada to Nieto - south
Written by Lisa Ramelow
Panama Joes
Heather planned this day perfectly!
We set aside an entire afternoon so we could visit every single business, in a single day, on Block 6, the southside of 2nd St, between Granada and Nieto Avenues.
We love having people come along with us on our adventures, so we were happy to have Sander Wolf, Robb Smith, and Kathie Sitton join us. Sander brought Heather a cool signed and numbered water color drawing of the Shore done in 1980 that he'd found when he was cleaning out his mothers home.
On to our food: I devoured my simple nachos while the rest of the group ate these wild looking street tacos – they loved them. There was nothing left on any of our plates once we were finished.
We sat in the bar area and noticed the buffalo mounted on the wall, behind the bar.
One of the managers gave us the 4-1-1 and said it was definitely “not real” and that the buffalo’s name was Henry. I pointed to the mounted deer on the other side of the bar and asked, “what’s his name?” The poor deer apparently was never named, and no one knows why. So Henry is the real boss.
Heather asked who had some good Panama Joe’s stories. In her earlier years, she avoided the place because it was the “old people’s bar.” Now THAT was exactly why I DID go there!
But I will save those stories for the end of this article!
Panama Joes opened in the 70's!
Belmont Shore Barber Shop
Next up we wandered into the Barbershop, aptly named the “Belmont Shore Barber Shop,” established in 1932.
Much of it is exactly like it was when it first opened. The floor is worn out in many places, but that’s part of what gives it so much charm.
We learned so much from the barber on duty, Louie. He explained their 2-shift system in the shop, and emphasized the great diversity of all the barbers and stylists who work there.
They do take appointments, and have a 50/50 mix of regulars and walk-ins. They even cater to women clients who are seeking boy-cuts.
I asked Louie how long he had gone to Barber college – he answered the requirement was 1000 hours! That is a lot of practice! I asked him, “Didn’t a guy named Pepper used to own this shop?” I remembered an older gentleman who was always sitting on the bench out front, saying hello to people walking by.
Louie said yes, that was Pepper, and he would do magic tricks for the children who stopped to see him.
We moved onto our next business…. but later on, when we peaked back into the barber shop, every chair was filled – it is a popular place!
Love Stuff
This space was the home to a costume shop for many years, remember? And before that? Finley-Gracer Jewelry.
I was confused as to why Love Stuff was referred to as an “Adult Superstore,” because the word “Superstore,” to me, conotates something huge like Costco, and this is a small shop on the block.
But once we walked through, we realized why it probably could be called a superstore; it definitely had anything and everything to assist with this part of your life. Of course, there was beautiful jewelry and sexy shoes, “props,” blow-up things, lingerie and candles. And there was even a box that contained “Curvy Carla,” but you will have to visit yourself to see what that is all about.
The shopkeeper, Victoria, carefully checked the IDs of most everyone entering the store – you must be 18 or older to shop there.
I asked Victoria about the mannequin that used to be in the window. As I remember, she was not very popular with parents walking by with small children. But Victoria said she broke one day while they were changing her outfit, and they could not fix her. So she was retired from the window display. That may have been a blessing in disguise, because having her gone seems to have cut down on the controversy of the shop.
Rite-Aid
Most of us old-timers all remember Egyptian pharmacy being a staple there for years. It was definitely our “home town drugstore.”
It had anything and everything you could ever need. It was family owned and run, and provided jobs for local high school teens. They had the pharmacy up front, as well as a cosmetics counter. They even sold jewelry boxes.
I remember when Thrifty came to town, and people did want a chain to be located in that space. But the family was done running Egyptian Pharmacy after so many years, and the location was perfect for another pharmacy for Belmont Shore.
And with Thrifty, came their famous ice cream, always a big draw to everyone of all ages.
When my daughter was in high school, her friends frequently came to our home (a couple blocks away), and they always walked up to get ice cream, every single time they were over. Even now, when they are all grown-up women, they still talk about going up for ice cream when they come to my house.
We knew this block had so much history and so many connections.
I am very grateful to the “I Grew Up in Belmont Shore” Facebook group for the memories they shared with me. I posed some questions about this block, and many answered and provided me with photos and historical data. I had not known there was an A&P market in the middle of the block, taking up 2 storefront spaces, between Egyptian Pharmacy and the Barbershop, probably until the 60s. It then must have been divided into the 2 storefronts there today.
FUN FACT - Farrel’s Ice Cream parlor served thrifty ice cream as well as many other restaurants who had the ice cream delivered in unmarked gallons.
Small Town
By Heather Kern
While we were in Rite-Aid I mentioned that they do not sell any alcohol. The stock room door was open so we walked up to inquire, and to my surprise the Manager recognized me from working together at Alpha Beta back in 1989? Small town, running into old co-workers 30 something years later! It was so nice catching up with Glen and talking shop.
Before our next stop …
Next on our list was to go to the Tap House, but we were there a bit early before they opened.
While the group waited out front and chatted, I snuck back in to Love Stuff and asked Victoria if I could try on a pair of shoes.
“Of course!” she said. “What color?”
“Well, I may as well go with red, right?“
While Victoria was in the back looking for the shoes, I reflected back on the pole-dancing classes I taken for years at a studio in Los Angeles. It really was more of a yoga/exercise class that also taught you how to walk gracefully in 6-inch heels. And, well, we did also learn how to do quite a few pole tricks.
In a few minutes Victoria returned carrying a box in my size.
I sat down and slipped them on. It truly felt like I was putting on glass slippers. I walked slowly and deliberately around the store for several minutes. I loved that graceful feeling.
I sat down and took off the shoes and returned them to the box. I thanked Victoria for letting me feel like Cinderella for a few minutes, and bought some beautiful earrings. I put on my boring sneakers and headed next door.
Long Beach Tap House
The Tap House had opened and we all sat at the bar.
Our bartender was Nan, and she was fairly new to Long Beach. She did a great job supplying us with cocktails and many versions of French fries. But she probably didn’t know what to make of all the reminiscing that was suddenly happening in front of her.
I remembered when the original La Creperie opened there, followed by a Lebanese restaurant, I think called Sunin Café.
And then Tavern on 2 made a home there for a long time. I mentioned to Heather that my nephew Alex had been a server there, and Heather said her son, Shea, had been the head chef!
She also recalled that the restaurant had been on the popular show, “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” and that had really put it on the map.
Heather’s friends, Alicia Dee and Jenn Harding, joined us at Tap House.
Jenn lives in the shore and brings her dog for walks along 2nd Street, like so many in our community.
Talking to Alicia was so much fun! The reminiscing continued as Alicia shared her stories of working at Diane’s Bikinis and Allen’s Shoes across the street. She talked about running over to Howie’s Market for snacks on her break.
I asked Alicia what it was like to work in a bikini store, mainly I wondered what do you say to someone trying on a bathing suit, if they asked how they looked in a certain suit, and she didn’t think it looked quite right. Alicia said she had learned diplomacy and how to redirect, by saying, “I think the other one was more flattering on you.”
Financial advisor, Nailah Kahn, came by and joined us. Her office, “Edward Jones,” is located across the street at Argonne. And in another small town story, the bartender is a neighbor of Nailahs!
Nailah has really made herself a part of the community – I’ve seen her at every single business meeting, and at many local events.
We finished up at Tap House and stood out front reflecting back on the history of this block. So many memories, and so many crossed paths, over so many years.
Long Beach is always connected!
Now let’s get to those Panama Joe’s stories ….
Kathie, who was joining us for the 2nd time on our block exploration, joked that she should look through their cash register to see how many of her fake IDs were in there from 1989! Apparently she was quite the regular!
As for me, well, for years I went straight home after I closed my business, La Strada.
But by around 2007, one of my kids was off to college, and the other a senior in high school. I wasn’t really “needed” at home anymore.
One night I decided to go to Panama Joe’s after I closed up. There was a really good band playing all of my favorite music. I danced for hours.
I became addicted. I became a regular; I was there every Friday and Saturday night. I was thrilled it was an “old person’s place” and had all the music I loved.
And my favorite memory?
It was when someone came over to me and said, “You can’t dance like that in here.”
I must have thought I was at my pole-dancing class for a moment.
I hope you will all check out some of these great places we enjoyed on our special afternoon.
Next up, Block 7!
—-
PS - Panama Joe’s has a great karaoke night on Tuesdays. I speak from personal experience!
Belmont Shore is full of memories for many of us. It’s fun continuing to create new ones as well.
5100 Block of 2nd Street - South
•Panama Joes - 5100 E. 2nd Street - panamajoes.net/
•Belmont Shore Barber Shop - 5108 E. 2nd Street - belmontbarber.co/
•Long Beach Tap House - 5110 E. 2nd Street - longbeachtaphouse.com/
•Love Stuff - 5114 E. 2nd Street - suzies.com/
•Rite-Aid - 5128 E. 2nd Street - riteaid.com
In loving memory of Jason Martin. He was a friend and father who worked at Panama Joes for many years. - Heather