Holly Street Clock and the Shops on Holly signage

A stately vintage-style corner clock has taken its proud perch at the corner of Holly Street and Fair Oaks Avenue to anchor what property owner, Jim Plotkin, has christened “The Shops on Holly”. Jim conceived of this project about a year ago and has been working diligently with historians, design experts, and city officials to design, manufacture and install an authentically styled clock to crown the unique independent mix of stores and restaurants that line Holly Street.

Neon and metal - manufacture of the new clock

The clock was designed by Hunt Design, a prestigious Pasadena firm specializing in signage and exhibit design. Synced to the official atomic clock, it will always show the exact time.  Constructed of aluminum and including neon and LED lighting, it is regally mounted on the Holly Building corner and looks east down Holly toward our City Hall, crowning Lula Mae, one of the delightful independent retailers that has seven years success at that location.

Brackets installed on the corner of the Holly Building

James Macpherson, editor of Pasadena Now, recently wrote a wonderful piece titled “A New Icon Is Born”.   Click here to read it.

Two cranes hoisted the clock into place

As Jim would like to hear everyone to say, “See you under the clock…”

Neon and LED lighting glows in the night

Times are hard, and doing business anywhere is a challenge, but as far as Old Pasadena is concerned, the rumors of the economy getting better seem to be true.  Like anywhere else, to take full advantage of that, you not only have to work harder, you have to work smarter and in Old Pas, we also work together.  Cooperation is what gave Old Pasadena its start in the late ’80s, and it’s what is keeping us ahead of the curve today.

This was a very good holiday season for our 21-block district.  Even though we don’t have all the figures in from all the stores, we can see that our garages were consistently at full capacity, unique visitors to our web site nearly doubled from last year, and merchants have come to us with thanks and stories.

Lula Mae on Fair Oaks Avenue

Marci Christensen, proprietor of Lula Mae, an award-winning Old Pasadena gift boutique saw a dramatic increase in profits over last year.  She is not only a smart merchant but also an active marketer.  Since OPMD research had predicted that virtually all our customers would be spending less, she changed her product line to take full advantage the situation.  To attract more customers, she participated in all our holiday events beginning with the Halloween Trick-or-Treat weekend.  To maximize her visibility with limited ad funds, she developed a website and blog as fun and quirky as her store.  She linked it to the OPMD site, offered on-line coupons from both sites, then gave the coupon discount to all her customers, whether they knew about them or not.  “I see the look in their eyes when they get the added discount.  I know they’ll visit my site now, and they’ll come back to the store.”

Crowned Studio on Green Street

Andrea Auman, owner of the Crowned Studio Salon not only experienced a 35% increase in business, she did it overcoming an additional challenge.  In the middle of the worst recession in anyone’s memory, she decided to move and start up her business all over again.  “It was the best possible timing as far as I was concerned,” she remarks.  “I knew my best customers would follow me, and with Pasadena rents at an all time low, I knew I could find a great place in a great city.”  Andrea not only took full advantage of the OPMD web connections and events to bring in customers, she started up networking and cross-promotional events of her own.  To maximize her electronic presence Andrea links to her partners and fellow merchants from her home page and maintains FacebookTwitter accounts and a blog.

As diverse, and sometimes eccentric, as the merchants of Old Pasadena are, all of our success stories share this aspect of working harder, working smarter and working together.  No magic potions (that we know of), no lucky Leprechauns, and no behind-the-scenes buyouts or bailouts have been employed to give us the upper hand.  Just good research, good marketing and good business.  The Old Pasadena Management District is proud to be the hub of this activity, and is working hard to keep giving our merchants and business owners ahead of the game.

As part of our Holiday Celebration which kicked off the holiday shopping season on Friday, November 27, we initiated our $1,000 Shopping Spree Sweepstakes for shoppers spending $50 or more in Old Pasadena. We received hundreds of entrees from local and visiting shoppers. An entry was awarded to every $50 spent over that weekend; so many people had several opportunities to win.

The opportunity drawing was held in our offices on Tuesday, December 1st and the winner of the $1,000 shopping spree giveaway was Lynn of Pasadena. When she received the news, Lynn explained that she and her husband ended up in Old Pasadena “on a fluke” Sunday afternoon to make a return at Crate & Barrel. They couldn’t resist making a few purchases and while shopping in Scarpa d’Oro were informed of the sweepstakes. Lynn said that she never won anything before so she was thrilled to win $1,000. She chose to spend her winnings at Scarpa d’Oro (in appreciation of their role in her sweepstakes participation), Lula Mae, Crate & Barrel, and Abercrombie & Fitch. Our warmest congratulations to Lynn!

Interesting Headline

From the Pasadena Star-News: Jennifer Jones Simon, Academy Award-winning actress who transformed the Norton Simon Museum, dies.

Until my boss Steve Mulheim pointed this out, I was unaware (as some of you may be) that Jennifer Jones was married to Norton Simon.  She is credited with bringing Frank Gehry on for the completion of the $3 million renovation of the Norton Simon Museum and with instituting a lending program to local arts institutions, including the Armory Center.  You can read her entire obituary here.

The Shops on Holly

Old Pasadena’s Holly Street, known for its unique independent boutiques and restaurants has been officially donned “The Shops on Holly.”  Signage has been installed on the brick building above where the delightful Lula Mae store is located.  I am told by property owner Jim Plotkin that soon to follow is a retro-styled clock installed at the corner of Holly Street and Fair Oaks Avenue.  We will follow up with a picture and more details when it is installed sometime within the next few weeks. To quote Pasadena Now: The street is perfect for shoppers seeking something different, a great foil to the chain stores on Colorado Blvd.

Holiday Spirit

I took a few photos of some holiday décor that caught my eye recently.  While checking on the new signage on Holly Street, I took a picture of the vintage Santa Claus and decorations in the always charming windows of Lula Mae at 100 N. Fair Oaks Avenue.  Along Colorado Blvd., I also found the ubiquitous blue boxes in front of Tiffany’s gorgeous art deco doors to be very stylish decked out with matching live Christmas trees (posted above).  Of course, these are only two examples of the wonderful holiday spirit that abounds in Old Pasadena.

Jim Plotkin - Old Pasadena stakeholder

Jim Plotkin has made a significant investment in Old Pasadena and is as committed as anyone to keeping the District vital and competitive, particularly in this tough economy.  Jim started out in retail in 1964 as the owner of the Pasadena Vacuum and Sewing Company located in the Stanton Building at 80 East Colorado Blvd.  He purchased the building and then refurbished the property in 1972.  The Stanton Building is now the home of the Sprint store.

T-Mobile architectural detail

This would be the first of many properties Jim would acquire and restore in Old Pasadena through the years.  In addition to the Stanton Building, Jim now has investments in several other Old Pasadena landmarks.  He owns the Web & Seward Building located at 124 East Colorado Blvd.  The Web & Seward Building once housed the original drug store in Old Pasadena, and is currently the home of Pasha Grill.  Jim also owns the Holly Building, located at 2 East Holly Street, which was formerly the old Holly Hotel.  Re-furbished in 1991, it now includes such businesses as Lula Mae and Mignon Chocolate.

T-Mobile façade - freshly painted

Finally, there is the T-Mobile Building.  With its Art Deco design, this building dates back pre-1900 and was originally a pawn shop.  In order to preserve the historic integrity of the building, Jim commissioned Paul Rogers, with Drawger, who researched the historic art deco color schemes to be used in the preservation of the buildings façade. Working with the City of Pasadena Design & Historic Preservation office, Jim and Paul made the final color selection.  “I am so pleased with the way the restored façade came out.  It has re-branded the original art deco vibe from the early 1900s.”

As a founding member of the Pasadena Business Improvement District (PBID), Jim was instrumental in the re-development project which raised funds for the Schoolhouse and De Lacey Parking Facilities.  As a board member and active investor in Old Pasadena, Jim’s passion for a better Old Pasadena is much needed and greatly appreciated by us all.

Posted by:  Anna Addis, VP of Operations

Photos by: Janet Swartz