New Bookstore to Open on Voltaire
Some nice folks are working on opening a new bookstore on Voltaire Street. (They have to be nice, right? if they like books in this day and age.) It will be called Run for Cover and advertises as a “Bookstore & Cafe”. It will be wedged in between Lucy’s and a salon place next to the closed bead shop next to Hungry Lu’s.
It appears a local named Marianne Reiner has been planning this endeavor for a while; she has a website and recently obtained her license to officially serve coffee, tea and pastries when her bookstore-café opens.
I dropped by the other day to check on their progress; they were just locking up. The guy told me they’re painting later this week, the shelves are coming soon, and when pressed on an opening date, he said “a couple of months.”
This is great – especially in this digital age – where newspapers and bookstores are closing. Yet we wish them all the best. We’ve been bemoaning the fact this intellectual village has plenty of beerpubs but not one bookstore. OB hasn’t had a book store since … well, … uh, … OB did have a used bookstore on Cable that closed decades ago.
Interior of future bookstore. Painting soon and then the shelves … and then the books.
Is this possibly OB’s first real bookstore?
Vignettes Antiques Now 23
Almost a quarter of a century. 23 years. That’s a long time and that’s how long Vignettes have been on Newport Avenue.
They’re having a celebration – an Anniversary Soiree – on Saturday September 8, noon to 5.
Azucar Is Now 10
The only bakery on Newport is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Azucar. Owner Vivian Hernandez-Jackson opened the Cuban bakery a decade ago after “having blazed a bright trail in the pastry world, attending Le Cordon Bleu and making sweet things at hotels in both Europe and the United States before” settling in OB. (The OB Rag reviewed the bakery in 2009.)
It’s obvious Vivian has an artistic eye; she just recently changed the interior for the better: new wallpaper, new photos, new tables, and two prominent and large photos of her 2 grandmothers – both born in Cuba – on the wall.
I visited the spot the other day and spoke to manager Esty. She told me two of the most popular items were Divina and the Salted Toffee Oatmeal cookies.
The Salted Toffee Oatmeal cookies. One of the favorites.
Inside the mammoth building.
Nothing Happening at Former Antique Mall
Just that – there’s not much going on at the old Newport Antique mall.
Check Out the OB Shelf at the Library
Matt Beatty – head librarian at the OB branch – and his staff have organized the new “OB Shelf” in a very visible corner of the library. It holds books and materials on Ocean Beach plus books by local authors.
\There’s a book on OB Spaceman and there’s an account by local author Dianne Lane on her sailing adventures, as just two examples. Other local authors – current and former – have donated their works. The OB Rag donated decades of planning materials.
Many if not most of the books can be checked out; there are some reference only materials as well.
This uncompleted project already dominates this block of Santa Monica.
Visual Update on Santa Monica Project
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Yay for the bookstore-and a cute name!! Wishing the best for that new venture-
And congrats to Azucar- its a wonderful bakery! Their little meat pastries are absolutely delicious, and a perfect accompaniment to some black beans and yellow rice! And their Cuban sandwich is about the best I’ve had outside of Key West- its real Cubano on Cuban bread! :-)