Block by Block: Volume 8
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 8 - Corona to Covina (south). – Written by Lisa Ramelow
Intro by Heather: After a long, hot fall and a holiday season full of festivities and distractions, we're back with a fresh edition of Block by Block! Dive in as we explore more of Belmont Shore, one block at a time.
Legend’s Sportsbar
Heather and I picked the right week to review Block #8, which is anchored by the inimitable legend of 2nd St, “Legends.” That’s right, we were invited to spend the afternoon there for Game 1 of the World Series, The Dodgers vs. The Yankees!
We arrived early, and the excitement was palpable as we watched a steady stream of Dodgers fans come in to see the game. There were more screens in the place than I had remembered; I forgot to ask just how many there were in total, but my guess would be way over a hundred. We were lucky to watch the game from the 2nd level which was just an amazing experience!
I later scheduled a time to interview the one and only, John Morris, who started the restaurant/sports bar in 1979. More on that later …
Fun Fact: Legends is packed with hundreds of pieces of sports memorabilia, including the 1984 Olympic torch that was carried down 2nd Street, countless signed jerseys, an entire Grand Prix Formula One race car mounted on the wall, and among the many autographed baseballs… a few from Babe Ruth!
Vans
Before the game, Heather and I met up at Van’s where the manager filled us in about the store and the brand. The company had been started by Paul Van Doren, his brother James, and their friend Gordon Lee at a small location in Anaheim, CA. They manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. They sold twelve pairs of shoes on the first day; their customers loved them.
Eventually James Van Doren’s son, Mark, designed the original Vans skateboard logo when he was just 13. The logo was made into a stencil and could be spray-painted onto his skateboards. Then the design was included onto the heel tab of one of their styles and it became very well known. Soon after, Vans began using the motto, “Off the Wall,” a slang phrase used by skateboarders while doing tricks in empty pools. They were forever known as the Skateboarder’s shoe after that.
I have to admit, this was my first time ever into a Vans store! I am not a skateboarder or a Vans-shoe kind of person, but I found it very interesting. I had no idea they had so many cute clothing items, and they even had red sparkly shoes, although they only came in little girl sizes. (darn!)
Viaje
Next stop … Viaje. We sat at the bar and were well taken care of by Jason, the bar manager. We were joined by food influencer, James Tir, and Heather ordered a round of colorful drinks for all of us.
The owner Julio came over and we chatted about his business. He has been around awhile in this space that used to be occupied by Sweet Jill’s, Saga, and Fingers and Toes Nail Parlor. There was some controversy way back then about putting a restaurant into some retail spaces, so he did change his concept a few times, before settling on Viaje. He explained the name means “journey,” and Julio describes the food as Contemporary Mexican.
I asked Julio what was his secret to staying in business? His answer was “I do not cut corners.” It shows.
I was glad Heather had invited James of LB Food Coma (@lbfoodcoma). He has a fascinating story of how he got to be such a big influencer in the Long Beach area. He told me he has so many local followers that he has to be careful before highlighting a business on instagram – he needs to let the restaurant owner know in advance because they will be slammed with a lot of business after his followers see his post.
James is Cambodian, and grew up working in his parents’ donut shop; he didn’t like it very much, so he went into real estate when he grew up. He learned quickly that the most important part of any business is networking. He vowed to meet five new people every day, and that is exactly what he did, adding them along as followers on his social media.
He began reviewing restaurants because he thought it was fun, and he knew how important it was for a business to get the word out about their offerings. He never got paid for reviews, but eventually businesses began to reach out to him asking for him to come review them as well. James loves what he does, and he is true and authentic in his reviews, and his followers know that and trust him.
It’s important to James that he is not seen as a critic, but instead as someone who uplifts people and businesses. He calls himself an “enthusiastic.”
(Fun fact: his favorite donut growing up in the donut shop, was the buttermilk old-fashioned.)
Rakkan Ramen - by Heather Kern
It was one of those blustery fall days that practically demanded a steaming bowl of ramen, so I found myself at Rakkan Ramen. And I went alone.
Some places just feel right for solo dining, and ramen spots are one of them. You’ve seen the photos—people lined up along counters, quietly slurping their noodles, lost in the moment.
Rakkan has a cozy vibe that makes you want to take a deep breath, and let the aroma of rich umami broth work its magic. And the best part? Every single broth here is vegetarian. I don't know about you but we have a divided house with—one omnivore, one vegetarian—I always take note of places that cater effortlessly to both.
But Rakkan isn’t just about ramen - they have salads, sushi, buns, AND FRIES!! Plus all of the ramen is customizable. With a selection of beer and wine, open daily from 11:00 AM – 12:30 AM, making it the perfect late night spot ... even when your date doesn't work out and you find yourself alone :-).
More about Legend’s …
A couple days later I met up with the legendary John Morris to ask about the beginnings of Legends; John calls it the “first Sports bar on the planet.” That’s right, not in the country, but on the planet. He said the business brought notoriety to Belmont Shore, and essentially put it on the map as a place to visit.
John had been a young whippersnapper living on the peninsula in Long Beach. He worked in many restaurants in almost every position, and was also involved in other businesses – he sold ladies dresses at the local shop, Leilani. He was a born entrepreneur.
In 1979, John got to know his pal who lived down the street, Dennis Harrah, who played for the Rams. They put their heads together and wondered how they could create a special place where sports fans could come watch the games on big screen TVs, and cheer on their favorite teams together with other patrons.
They found the two-unit space on 2nd street between Covina and Corona and snapped it up. It did need a lot of work to combine into one big restaurant space, but they got going on it immediately.
John did lots of research and found he could get the TVs he wanted from Mitsubishi, so he started with four 6-foot screens, and had giant satellite dishes installed on the roof. They would be opening two weeks before the Super Bowl.
He told me many stories about Legends, but his favorite was the one that happened one evening before they had officially opened. He got a call around 6PM from his friend Dennis, who was with the rest of his entire Rams team, and they were flying back to LAX after winning a playoff game. Dennis told John to expect all of the players, the managers, and everyone connected to the team, to arrive around 2:30 AM for a celebration of their playoff win; they didn’t care how late it was.
John got moving. He shut all the blinds in front, and when the busload of Rams players arrived, he ushered it around into the back alley, so they could all come in through the back door. Player after player, manager after manager, and all the other folks on the bus were excited to be there and were ready to party - John said it went on all night!
Legends did indeed become an anchor on 2nd St., and helped revitalize the business corridor at a time when it had been lagging. And John Morris continues to be a super star for Long Beach!
