Allison Lavelle
Staff Writer
In an apparent upturn of the economy, Old Town La Verne is finding its businesses thriving and full of customers.
After a period of time where there were several empty stores, the area around the University will be getting more businesses to fill the once vacant spots.
According to Eric Scherer, the city of La Verne’s principal planner, there will be two brand new businesses that will open in the area very soon.
One of the new businesses is Third Street Wine Shop, which will not only be a retail store that sells wine but will also offer wine tasting and wine accessories.
“This business is unique because it is the first establishment in La Verne that can sell alcohol without serving food,” Scherer said.
Previously, if a business in La Verne wanted to have an alcohol license it had to also sell food. When the proposal for Third Street Wine Shop was presented, the law was changed because the city believed it would be a good addition to the area.
Third Street Wine Shop will be located on Third Street, east of D Street next to Chase’s Wine Bar and Beer.
The other new business to the area will be House of Wings.
Located next to Café Cabo on D Street in what used to be Ellsworth’s Stationers, House of Wings will be a restaurant and sports bar.
With the addition of Third Street Wine Shop and House of Wings, the stores of Old Town La Verne will almost be back to 100 percent occupancy.
Other new businesses to the area have been experiencing success in their locations in Old Town.
Eric Lem, manager of Granny’s Yogurt, said that their business has been doing well, but he will not really know how well the frozen yogurt shop will do until the end of the cold weather.
“We will really find out after the winter, but business has been OK,” Lem said. “We’ve been doing a lot of fundraisers to try and get more people in here and also help the community.”
Café Cabo has been open for almost a year and co-owner Judy Moore says her restaurant has been doing well, but is unsure if it is a direct result of economic improvement.
“There is definitely an upturn in business but whether it is the economy or just the business gaining popularity, we’re not sure,” Moore said.
However, Moore does think that the opening of new businesses is a sign that the economy is getting better.
He is excited for the competitive opportunities that they will provide.
Both Lem and Moore agreed that Old Town La Verne is a great place to start a business because of the friendly residents and the help they have gotten from the city.
“The students have been very kind and we like the family atmosphere,” said Lem. “The city has been really good to us.”
“I love it here,” Moore said. “There is always something different and we have a variety of customers.”
Scherer noted that this positive economic boost is taking place all over the city and not just in the Old Town area.
“We’ve seen this not just in Old Town, but we’ve seen a lot of construction come in to all of La Verne,” Scherer said.
The city is also pleased with the different businesses in the area for sticking together through the tough economic climate.
“It’s a unique market and everyone really supports each other,” said Scherer. “We’re proud of the businesses in Old Town.”
Allison Lavelle can be reached at allison.lavelle@laverne.edu.
