LA Bureau of Street Services was hard at work this week trimming the enormous trees in front of the Mar Vista Post Office and all around the neighborhood.

Here’s their before: And after:

Looks great! Thanks, Floyd’s Barbershop, for sprucing up the place!

Here’s the artist, Jonas Never, working on it back in the summer.

Something’s going on in the storefront next to the Venice Grind, but what will it be? Rumors are flying, but nothing’s confirmed yet. Stay tuned.

You may have seen them as you drove by last week, volunteers in orange vests, working along Venice Blvd. and Grand View, and in the alley behind the Venice shops. They were there as part of a program run by Chrysalis, sweeping up trash and leaves, weeding along sidewalks, emptying and relining trash cans, removing small graffiti stickers and posters, and generally making the area shine.

Chrysalis is a non-profit agency dedicated to helping people out of homelessness and poverty to make changes in their lives through employment. Rick Stoff, Director of Business Partnerships for Chrysalis, initiated the clean-up effort with local business owners. “The clean-up jobs we provide not only keep our neighborhoods looking beautiful, they also allow the workers to gain valuable work experience and become self-sufficient,” said Stoff. I saw Michael Dotson and Edward Gonzales working near the post office. Byron Ellison, Joann Anderson and Bessie Lucas were working near the Yum Yum Donut shop. I’m so grateful to them for the work they did. It made a difference here and Mar Vista’s lucky they came.

What are you doing Saturday? Consider making time to help shape the look and feel of Mar Vista in the years to come. The LA Department of City Planning is hosting this workshop and walkabout, designed to give residents input into what kind of neighborhood Mar Vista ought to be. Want 8-story buildings lining Venice Blvd? Or NOT? Either way, you’ve got to be in the room to have your voice heard. Meet-Up starts this Saturday 10/17 at 1:00pm at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 11000 National Blvd, then we’ll actually walk the streets in question and circle back to workshop the ideas. They’re asking us to rsvp, so please contact Shana Bonstin and let her know you’re coming: Shana.Bonstin@lacity.org.

Progress! The cool building on the corner of Venice and Grand View is getting a new tenant: Floyd’s Barbershop. Super hip! I feel some big-time change coming to the neighborhood! More hipsters, ya think? For sure more people with nice hair!! 

 

This blog is now dedicated to All Things Mar Vista. There will be reviews, tips and tricks, and the ongoing Makeover status will be updated as it goes on. Thanks for hangin’ in there while I change it all over!

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Isn’t she lovely? All finished, except for painting on the lines. It’s so smooth to ride on, I invite you to come by and try it out for yourself! (Only if you’re going to be the neighborhood anyway, please: don’t increase your carbon footprint just for this…)

Progress is being made, people. Slowly but surely.

Big changes going on here in MV. Lots of fixing up, like this building on the corner of Grand View and Venice — new paint job and now awnings!

Rock’er, a surf shop and one of the pioneers of the changeover of the area, is closing its doors at the end of the month and going 100% virtual. So you can keep shopping online, but until the end of September you can stop by in person and get a fantastic bargain as they sell off some inventory. Don’t wait! Go soon!