lc real estate 05 2020

MEMORIAL

HOME PROJECTS

GARDENING

Remembering the fallen at Memorial Library. In On Books and Places.

Quarantine inspires spring cleaning, and residents tackle at-home projects.

Page 2

“Victory” gardens are flourishing during the pandemic.

Page 3

Real Estate Design for Living, Home & Garden

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VIEW

Section 2

LARCHMONT CHRONICLE

MAY 2020

HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • GREATER WILSHIRE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT

444 S. Sycamore Ave.| Hancock Park | $2,150,000 1928 Art Deco delight. 3Bd + 3Ba + pool. 3rd St Elementary. 444Sycamore.com Loveland Carr Group 323.460.7606 CalRE #01467820, #0888374

623 N. Lucerne Blvd. | Hancock Park | $1,500,000 3 Bd + 2 Ba. 1920's California Bungalow, renovated June Ahn 323.855.5558 CalRE #01188513

2017 S. Orange Dr.| Mid City | $749,000 Great opportunity to remodel. R2. One block from La Brea Ave. and W. Washington Blvd.

Barbara Allen 323.610.1781 CalRE # 01487763

109 S Kilkea Dr | Miracle Mile | $1,900,000 SOLD. Represented Seller. Charming courtyard Spanish w/ 3 bed, 2 baths Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

408 S. Highland Ave | Hancock Park | $1,325,000 Great opportunity in Hancock Park! 2+den -story looking for TLC. 408Highland.com Loveland Carr Group 323.460.7606 CalRE #01467820, #0888374

251 S. Citrus Ave. | Hancock Park | $8,000/MO Charming 1920's Spanish home 3 Beds, 3 Baths & Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

825 S. Muirfield Rd | Hancock Park in nearly 50 years. 3Bed/2Bath, pool & spa.

Sandy Boeck 323.860.4240 CalRE #01005153

531 N Rossmore PH B | Hancock Park | $1,739,000 Contemporary penthouse near Larchmont Village.

Loveland Carr Group 323.460.7606 CalRE #01467820, #0888374

606 N. Lucerne Blvd. | Hancock Park | $1,300,000 SOLD. Represented Seller. Contemporary open floorplan 4 Bed + 3.5 Bath June Ahn 323.855.5558 CalRE# 01188513

633 N. Cahuenga Blvd. | Hancock Park | $1,250,000 COMING SOON. Charming fixer next to LA Tennis Club. 2bed+tandem/1.5 baths. HP Proper!

Lisa Hutchins 323.216.6938 CalRE# 01018644

449 N Highland Ave| Hancock Park | $7,995/MO

5717 W. 2nd St | Hancock Park | $5,500/MO + balcony, new

bedrooms, 4 baths, gourmet kitchen & pool.

Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

Kathy Gless & Rick Llanos 323.460.7622, 323.810.0828 CalRE# 00626174, CalRE# 01123101

the Service, and it may include Although the inforis believed to be th Coldwell Banker Realty are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2020 Coldwell Banker Realty. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Realty fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. CalDRE #: 00616212

2

SECTION TWO

MAY 2020

Quarantine inspires spring cleaning

By Sondi Toll Sepenuk Looking for something productive to do during quarantine? Why not tackle all of those items on your at-home todo list? Spring cleaning is an annual tradition that people simultaneously dread and relish. It’s easy to dread the thought of attacking a huge mess, but it’s exhilarating once that mess is cleaned up, organized, and vanquished from sight!

Jane Stuecken, a mid-city resident, decided to get the ball rolling with her freezer first.

“The freezer was just a huge cluttered mess of half-eaten tubs of ice cream and expired Trader Joe’s frozen foods,” realized Stuecken. “I decided to organize it in a way that made sense.”

After throwing out the old and expired food, Stuecken organized the shelves from top to bottom.

“The top shelf is now reserved for frozen and pre-made meals,” she explains. “The second shelf is vegetables and meats, the third shelf is frozen breads and bagels, the fourth shelf is fruits for smoothies, and the door holds the ice creams and sorbets.”

To Stuecken, the restructuring doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but she does admit one thing: “To look inside and see it so organized is exhilarating!” she laughs.

Inspired by the success of the freezer purge, Stuecken moved on to the refrigerator and the pantry.

“I cleaned out the vegetable drawers and ‘suds’ them all down, so now

IT WAS FREEZER FIRST for Jane Stuecken.

there’s no more melting vegetables and herbs hiding in there anymore!”

The pantry sorting was so successful that it motivated her two marooned teenage daughters to take a whack at an unfamiliar recipe with “new-found” ingredients.

“I tossed some ancient stuff from the pantry so now we can finally see everything,” declares Stuecken. “We found some almond flour, and the girls were suddenly inspired to make macaroons!”

Wildflowers in Wilshire Park Over in Wilshire Park, Goldie D’Annunzio is quarantined at home with her family of six. She also works from home and has found that quarantine hasn’t slowed her down as much as she predicted. Always looking for a (Please turn to page 8)

Larchmont Chronicle

Sequestered neighbors turn to housework

By Helene Seifer There’s a joke going around the internet attesting that, by the end of COVID-19 isolation, we shall all emerge as either gourmet cooks or have a drinking problem. A third option might be the most relevant: we’ll all become COVID-cleaners. Not just the required sanitizing of every surface, every roll of toilet paper, every can of chicken broth we bring into our homes, but the creative attack of the organizer within us to help fill our suddenly empty days.

Some residents focus on a single project, such as redoing a grown child’s former bedroom, as Joyce Davidson is attempting now that she’s in her Hancock Park home 24/7. “I’m retaking my daughter’s room!” she declares.

Armed with a staple remover, Davidson is slowly, painstakingly detaching each poster, ad, postcard, musical group publicity photo and magazine page that Melena had affixed to every available surface, including the ceiling.

Can things ever be the same without that poster of the swimming goggleswearing, super-hero costume-clad band, the Aquabats?

Cleaning Others take a completely different approach to spring cleaning in the coronavirus age. Robin Jameson, who lives with her husband and 98 year-old mother, did most of her cleaning before COVID hit. Now, she’s using puppy power to finish the job. Her young Doberman pokes his nose into out-of-theway places where lost socks and forgotten clothes tend to hide. Whenever he

KAY BALUE uses her time in isolation to wash every window, inside and out.

unearths something, Jameson assesses it. When he pulled out shoes the other day, she realized that “I haven’t worn these in a long time.” So they went into the give-away pile.

Kay Balue also had finished her yearly cleaning, and she’s been searching for other home projects to keep her busy.

“I washed all the windows inside and out and then it rained. I’ll have to do it again.” There’s one task she continues to put off. “I haven’t done the cobweb(Please turn to page 9)

Larchmont Chronicle

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

3

Remembering 20 students and soldiers of WWI at Memorial Library

In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, war has been routinely invoked as a metaphor. We’re in a “war economy” or we’re “at war with an unseen enemy.”

The month of May, though, is one that demands that we think of war in a more straightforward sense: as a conflict among nations that leads to death of many. More specifically, Memorial Day prompts us to remember and honor the individual men and women who constitute those “many.”

If we allow abstract thoughts of justice or right to intrude, memorializing becomes complicated. Our current state of perpetual war, for example, began in 2003 with colossal mistakes and misrepresentations. People, American soldiers among them, have died for — or because of — those essential wrongs. Such reflection may leave us trying on Memorial Day to disentangle politics from the dead we wish to honor.

War and words The problem isn’t a new one.

Paul Fussell’s “The Great War and Modern Memory” (still compelling nearly 50 years after its publication) argues that the English language changed as a result of the prolonged horrors of trench warfare that marked the First World War. How could one who has seen

On Books and Places by

Bruce Beiderwell so many dead on a battlefield write or speak of the “fallen?”

Or refer to young men killed as “lads” who “fell,” “perished,” or “met their fates?” Fussell, who was himself severely wounded in WWII, shows how major post-WWI novelists, poets, and memoirists chose to resist lofty abstractions in favor of plain words and stark images.

The writers Fussell surveys certainly make his point, but writers don’t constitute the whole culture. After WWI, traditional images, words, and gestures would often be invoked to deal with the enormity of public grief. The Memorial Branch Library on Olympic Boulevard serves as an example.

Stained glass Opened April 29, 1930, the library building itself is in an English revival style that complemented the original design of Los Angeles High School just across the street. Its most striking feature is the beautifully set stained-glass windows made to commemorate

those from Los Angeles High who “fell” in WWI. Students and alumni of Los Angeles High commissioned the work. Designed and built by the Judson Art Studio (still operating 123 years after its founding), the panels display conventional symbols of military honor and strength, national as well as state government, and religious faith.

Also woven into the design are conventional emblems of learning in the arts and sciences. These dead were, after all, students for more years than they were soldiers.

All things together — the symbols, the stained glass, the scale and the idyllic Englishness — frame the central lower panels. Those panels are devoted to name and graduation dates of the 20 who died.

Lester D. Havens and John Hamilton Erwin (both class of 1918) had only months, not years, of life beyond high school. Walter A. Ellis (class of 1899) did have some time, although he must have expected far more than he got.

Not all the deaths were in distant battles. J. Clyde Collison died of the flu at Camp Kearney in San Diego. Harry I. Schwannecke suffered through miserable conditions stateside at Camp Meade, Maryland, and

WINDOW in Memorial Branch Library on Olympic Boulevard.

Photo by Deborah Matthews

succumbed to spinal meningitis. John Wigmore died at 20 very shortly after the war in a plane crash. The Memorial Library’s stained-glass panels make no distinctions. The leveling forces are two: all 20 served; all 20 died.

Power from names The gracefulness of the design disregards modern trends that Fussell finds ascendant in most war remembrances after WWI. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall represents that newer, starker strain. But different as they are, both memorials draw power from names. Whether we think of those listed as the “fallen” or “the dead,” their names conjure the sense of lives led and lost — of stories cut short. As I write this column, the Memorial Library is closed and will likely remain so for some time. I hope you’ll

visit in the future, when the opportunity is again available.

For now, pause to read the 20 names you’ll find there and the very many more they have come to represent: Robert J. Bokenkrager Greayer Clover J. Clyde Collison Robert L. Curl Walter A. Ellis John Hamilton Erwin Leon S. Francis Lester D. Havens Joseph L. Kauffman J. Noel Kerr Harry M. Lockwood Harold F. Maxson Elwyn C. McKinnon Edward G. North Cecil H. Phillips Harry I. Schwannecke Charles H. Setchel Harvey L. Thorpe Harry C. Turner John Wigmore

4

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

Be Vigilant! Join virtual meetings and submit comments

While the coronavirus restrictions remain in place as we enter the month of May, I want to remind our readers that City Planning committees, the Cultural Heritage Commission, Neighborhood Council Land Use Committees and Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) boards are currently unable to hold public meetings to review pending project applications,

ask questions of developers, and hear stakeholder input.

The City Planning Department, however, throughout the Stay-At-Home order, has continued to process applications and move forward with project entitlements. Although assurances have been given that Planning and Office of Historic Resources staff will be thoroughly reviewing and signing off on projects, vigi-

On Preservation by

Brian Curran

lance is still required for the protection of our HPOZs and historic resources.

It behooves concerned res-

Multiple sales so far in 2020 and still ready to help you sell your property now.

125 South Hobart Blvd.

7 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths, 95% Renovated. $1,295,000

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Use Committee at: landuse@greaterwilshire.org.

The Land Use Committee also maintains an online document folder with the most recent case filing and appeal reports, which is available on request.

Good news A little good news to help brighten this gloomy time is that the City of West Hollywood has signed a lease-to-purchase agreement with the City of Beverly Hills to acquire the threatened Log Cabin, which was reported on in the Chronicle’s February and March issues. Formerly the home of the West Hollywood Lion’s Club, the Log Cabin became a revered center for 12-Step Recovery meetings on Robertson Blvd. With the City of West Hollywood taking over the lease, the Log Cabin will now be managed by the West Hollywood Recovery Center based across the street, to allow the building to continue as a gathering place for those seeking recovery and fellowship.

Bad news Speaking of vigilance, during one of my city approved walks around the neighbor(Please turn to page 6)

©LC0520

Bob Day 323-821-4820

idents and homeowners to ensure that all projects affecting our neighborhoods are properly vetted and that stakeholder input is heard. A recent City Planning development has been the introduction of teleconferencing with public participation. The first of such planning meetings was for the Cultural Heritage Commission on April 16, followed by the City Planning Commission on April 23. Reports were that the meetings were a success and easy to access. Interested parties can find dial-in instructions on the City Planning website or posted at the top of every meeting agenda.

Sign up for notices I would strongly encourage all concerned residents in the neighborhoods comprising the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council to sign up for the bi-weekly case filings from City Planning and to join the virtual meetings, including submitting comments on cases affecting our area. You may wish to copy your emailed comments to our councilmember, David Ryu, at cd4.issues@lacity.org as well as to the GWNC Land

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1930 MEDITERRANEAN on Hudson Ave. in Hancock Park, before remodeling.

Photo by Michael J. Locke

Larchmont Chronicle

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

Good against melancholy: the Countess of Kent’s spice cake

Astonishing that a book of cookery and medicinal recipes would stay in print for threequarters of a century. Fashions in food change; medicine is subject to ongoing research; yet an English book first pub-

lished in 1653 and attributed to Elizabeth Grey, Countess of Kent, has been passionately consumed by readers through 22 editions, the last in 1726.

The Countess of Kent and her husband served the new

Real Estate Sales

SOLD: This home at 606 N. Lucerne Blvd., in the Larchmont Village neighborhood, was sold in March for $1,300,000.

Single-family homes

325 N. Las Palmas Ave. 439 S. Orange Dr. 631 N. Martel Ave. 631 N. Curson Ave. 337 N. Alta Vista 348 N. Citrus Ave. 327 N. Beachwood Dr. 4016 Wilshire Blvd.

136 S. Martel Ave. 570 Lillian Way 830 S. Burnside Ave. 4711 Wilshire Blvd.

624 N. Highland Ave. 955 Keniston Ave. 234 N. Ridgewood Pl. 4719 Wilshire Blvd.

132 S. Arden Blvd.

743 S. Citrus Ave. 425 N. Gower St. 355 N. Wilton Pl. 950 S. Highland Ave. 4529 W. 8th St. 338 N. Irving Blvd.

606 N. Lucerne Blvd.

512 N. Arden Blvd.

Condominiums

308 N. Sycamore Ave., #306 4460 Wilshire Blvd., #708 114 1/2 N. Sycamore Ave. 4661 Wilshire Blvd., #1010 861 S. Windsor Blvd., #304 109 N. Sycamore Ave., #505 624 Wilcox Ave., #28 421 S. Van Ness Ave., #49 871 Crenshaw Blvd., #406 616 S. Wilton Pl., #203 811 S. Lucerne Blvd., #201 326 Westminster Ave., #402 5037 Rosewood Ave., #114 620 S. Gramercy Pl., #433 358 S. Gramercy Pl., #210 532 N. Rossmore Ave., #203 532 N. Rossmore Ave., #206 4255 W. 5th St., #309 5025 Maplewood Ave., #15

$4,850,000 3,566,000 3,250,000 3,025,000 2,700,000 2,350,000 2,249,000 2,200,000 2,120,000 1,999,000 1,891,000 1,700,000 1,675,000 1,660,000 1,642,000 1,623,000 1,605,000 1,575,000 1,463,000 1,438,900 1,435,000 1,420,000 1,310,000 1,300,000 1,300,000 $1,995,000 1,400,000 1,226,000 1,010,000 880,000 875,000 869,000 849,000 831,000 825,000 785,000 747,000 610,000 551,000 525,000 466,500 435,000 386,000 375,000

Correction: In last month’s single-family homes sales listings, the address for the home sold off-market on South Hudson Avenue in January for $19 million was transposed. The correct address is 356 S. Hudson Ave.

King James I upon the death of Queen Elizabeth. “Few moments in history,” writes the historian Adam Nicholson, “have been more hungry for the future, its mercurial possibilities and its hope of richness, than the spring of 1603.” A new king meant a new world.

But what was also brewing among these possibilities was the bubonic plague. By the end of the king’s first year, 30,000 Londoners died. (In 1625, the number lost was 35,000; in 1636, ten thousand succumbed.)

Elizabeth Grey was known for her erudition, generosity, elegance and hospitality. She fed the poor from her house at Whitefriars, and she tended the sick. She watched, and no doubt feared, these terrible scourges of her time.

“A Choice Manual, or Rare and Select Secrets in Physick and Chirurgery,” the medicinal section of her book, was likely composed during these plague years.

Powder against pestilence Her most famous and popular medicinal “receipt,” as recipes were called, is known as “The Countess of Kent’s Powder: good against all malignant and Pestilent diseases, French pox, Small Pox, Measles, Plague, Pestilence, malignant or Scarlet Fevers, [and] good against Melancholy.” It was published and republished in other medicinal tomes for a good century.

The “Powder” contained from seven to 15 ingredients,

Home Ground by

Paula Panich

depending on the version, and because most were expensive and exotic, was consumed no doubt exclusively by the

aristocracy. Here are a few: “crab’s eyes,” according to one researcher, actually small pulverized limestones found in the stomach of crayfish and used as an antacid; powdered pearls, thought to strengthen the heart; white coral for the “bloody fluxes,” hartshorne, the horn of a red male deer, to repel poison; saffron “to defend against frenzies and (Please turn to page 6)

SOLD!

825 S Muirfield Rd | List Price $1,825,000 converted garage w/full plumbing for ADU conversion/private entry/enclosed parking. Original plaster detailing/leaded bay window in living rm. French doors to balcony off dining rm. Eat-in kitchen w/ample cabinets, stainless appliances, hard surface counters. Master bdrm w/en suite & walk-in throughout, including garage.

5

Sandy Boeck 323.687.6552 CalDRE: 01005153

251 N. Larchmont Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90004

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MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

Need a good quarantine read? Chevalier’s Books has your back

By Rachel Olivier While you might think access to books is essential, bookstores are not on those lists of essential businesses that are allowed to be open during the Safer at Home directive that is in place until (at this time) Fri., May 15. But if

LIBRARIES FAIRFAX 161 S. Gardner St. JOHN C. FREMONT 6121 Melrose Ave.

Home Ground

MEMORIAL 4625 W. Olympic Blvd.

(Continued from page 5)

WILSHIRE 149 N. Saint Andrews Pl. HOURS All branches are temporarily closed.

ASK A LIBRARIAN 213-228-7272 infonow@lapl.org

you’re looking for something to read during your quarantine, Chevalier’s Books, 126 N. Larchmont Blvd., still has you covered. And there are a variety of ways to support Los Angeles’ oldest independent bookstore while it is temporarily closed.

Free delivery For locals who live in the 90004, 90020 and 90038 ZIP Codes, you can get same-day or next-day free deliveries if you order a book in stock at the store.

You can ask about the book online, but you need to call the store to purchase the item and

weakness of sight;” and, among other things, ambergris for strengthening, as was believed then, the nerves and brain. (A little hard to procure, ambergris is expelled from sperm whales only when they suffer indigestion. But don’t turn up your nose — it is used in some perfume manufacture, including, traditionally, Chanel No. 5.)

FLAUNT your love for your favorite local bookstore with a Tshirt from Chevalier’s.

arrange for delivery. Temporary hours for calling the store at 323465-1334 are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

So, would one take the Powder against the plague — as a preventative — or to cure the plague upon, God forbid, infection?

Atavistic?

But here we are, 367 years later in our own plague, that of COVID-19, and I don’t know about you, but I am exhibiting some atavistic behaviors.

I knew I shouldn’t have grabbed the little bottle, but I did, on the shelf where the zinc throat lozenges (just in

Jill Galloway

323.842.1980 | jill@jillgalloway.com | jillgalloway.com | DRE 01357870

Estates Director, Sunset Strip

At the end of quarantine, if you decide you can’t stand the people you live with, remember, I’m your Realtor® Until then, stay home and breath

If you would like to order a book that Chevalier’s currently doesn’t have in stock, or if you live outside the delivery area, there’s a $6 shipping fee for USPS ground, and it will take two to five days.

In addition, Chevalier’s is now using Bookshop.org to sell books. Standard shipping is six to 11 days and costs $3.50, but a portion of the proceeds helps raise money to support local bookstores, such as Chevalier’s.

Visit bookshop.org/shop/chevaliersbooks to use this option.

If you don’t need any books

right now, consider getting a gift card or joining the membership program, which offers a 10 percent discount on future purchases for the next 12 months, which begin when the store is able to reopen its doors. You also get a free tote with this option.

Customers of Chevalier’s Books also can tell the world they support the store by purchasing a T-shirt, sweatshirt or hoodie!

Visit chevaliersbooks.com or email chevaliersbooks@gmail. com for more information.

case) should have been, but weren’t. It was an expensive bottle, too — of black elderberry syrup. “IMMUNE SUPPORT,” the label attests.

Why did I buy that syrup?

In the deep background of my mind, absorbed from the elders, is a quilt of nonsense, seemingly indestructible. I never think of it, but it seems to think of me. My mother was convinced that a raw potato, freshly cut in half and applied to the arm, was a cure for headache. My beloved grandmothers refused to let me sew on Sundays, convinced I would be forced to remove each stitch with my teeth in hell. This admonition, as you can imagine, caught the attention of an eight-year-old girl.

I never learned to sew, but these grandmothers taught me to bake with love and generosity, a useful skill here in lockdown. As soon as I type the last word here, I will make the

Countess of Kent’s spice cake.

Some pepper, no ambergris.

Baking: good against melancholy.

On Preservation

Milalya Properties LLC, the house has been over the past year “modernized” and thoroughly debased.

On the façade, several of the character defining features of the home, delicate ironwork, wrought iron grills, original balustrades and grand entry lanterns have been removed and replaced. On the inside, original fireplace mantels have been removed, historic murals painted over, pristine deco bathrooms torn out, and all paneling either painted over or removed.

HPOZ rules may be silent about interiors, but the rules are quite clear about what changes to exteriors are allowed, particularly to the exterior elevations that can be seen from the street.

These rules clearly were ignored with regard to the changes that were made.

It is however heartening to see that other properties are being treated with respect such as the Elmer Grey-designed 355 S. Muirfield Road that is being returned to its original Italianate splendor.

As for 184 S. Hudson Avenue, in the words of Catherine Aird, “If you can’t serve as a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.”

(Continued from page 4)

hood, I happened to pass by and see the nearly complete renovations at 184 S. Hudson Ave. Designed by architect John P. Pedersen in 1930 for heiress Louise P. Hill, the villa was an exuberant and sophisticated example of Mediterranean revival. Purchased in September 2018 by Kaya

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ELEVENTH EDITION of a book first published in 1653 that offers recipes for potions against pestilence, and more.

Design for Living

Larchmont Chronicle

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

Time for ‘spring clearing’? Call a pro Create rooms you love with Eyewondrous

By Suzan Filipek The first clue you might need help is that you have a junk drawer. It might be in the kitchen, or maybe it’s in the laundry room.

“Everyone who calls has a junk drawer, maybe two or three,” says Regina Lark, a de-clutter expert and professional organizer and speaker — she spoke on “Spring Clearing” at the Ebell of Los Angeles last month via Zoom.

She is also an author —“Psychic Debris: Crowded Closets: The Relationship Between the Stuff in Your Head and What’s Under Your Bed” is in its third edition — and she is a productivity coach.

She was helping a client move when COVID-19 stopped us all in our tracks in mid-March.

While moving is an “essential business,” and her business specializes in residential, estate and corporate moves, the virtual organizing side of her business has risen exponentially.

Prefrontal cortex Clients are often busy professionals or stay-at-home types, but regard-

Regina Lark

less of their lifestyle they all seem to share common characteristics. These center on a critical part of the brain that deals with clutter and time and emotional management.

It’s the prefrontal cortex, Lark explains.

“If your brain isn’t wired to do these functions, it isn’t impossible [to do them], but they might create another frustration.”

Then there are clients who have been organized for years until they are challenged after a divorce or death or other life crisis or health issue that throws them off balance.

(Please turn to page 11)

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By Suzan Filipek Suzanne Smith has been helping friends pick a paint color or an upholstery fabric or suggest how best to arrange artwork, well, “forever.”

In 2017, she turned her keen eye and passion into a business. She is “chief organizational officer” at Eyewondrous.

It was a natural transformation from design to decor, as the same COLOR, proportion and style are key elelements apply — color, propor- ements in decor, says Suzanne Smith. tion and style.

“I walk in with the hope that in some significant or small way I can make somebody’s life happier… I just want to add a little joy and a little beauty,” says the Manhattan Place resident.

Of course these days she visits clients’ spaces mostly via FaceTime.

In her former life, the San Francisco native was a buyer and worked in product and fabric development at companies such as Levi Strauss and Co., The Limited and Urban Outfitters; her work in the fashion industry took her on many trips to China, and she lived in Hong Kong.

While hers is a clean and modern style, she can adapt to any format, as the same rules apply to ORGANIZING closets can (Please turn to page 8) be soothing.

7

8

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

DESIGN FOR LIVING

Spring Cleaning (Continued from page 2)

new project, D’Annunzio decided to tackle the great outdoors.

“I’m about to plant parsley and ‘save the bee’ flowers,” says D’Annunzio. “I bought five different wildflowers and I’m just waiting for them to start sprouting so that I can replant them.”

D’Annunzio has other areas she’d like to take on as well.

“I want to organize the bathroom drawers, because there’s loads of junk in there that we just don’t need, and clean underneath the kitchen sink.”

Longwood Highlands resident Daphne Brogdon is facing down the quarantine by cleaning her house and broadening her mind.

“This week I am signing up for extension classes and webinars involving social media marketing, sales, profession-

al development and I’m even hoping to come out of this thing semi-fluent in Spanish,” she laughs.

Though her two children, who are now homeschooling, are keeping her fully engaged, Brogdon has still found time to de-clutter her home office, clean out the pantry, power wash the patio, and compost the soil in her garden.

“I’m planting a variety of lettuces, carrots, tomatoes, parsley and broccoli,” she reveals.

“And lots of arugula for pesto.”

Longwood’s Got Talent Brogdon is also the vice president of the Longwood Highlands Area Neighborhood Association. During the quarantine, she has helped create the “Longwood’s Got Talent Virtual Talent Show.”

“We’ve asked neighbors to do 90-second performances.

People can sing, dance, read poetry, do magic tricks, dog

tricks — anything they want,” Brogdon explains. “We do it live on Zoom, and the judges have avatars so no one knows who they are.”

For the first contest, which took place April 11, two grand prizes were awarded, a youth prize and an adult prize. Eleven-year-old Nicholas Day won for his soccer skills (bouncing the ball on one leg) to AC/ DC’s “Back in Black,” while Angelique Anderson won for her karaoke Motown song.

“We’re hoping to see the talent show grow. We’d love to challenge Sycamore Square, Brookside and others nearby!” enthuses Brogdon.

The quarantine has definitely brought out the creative and “neat freak” sides of many local Angelenos. So whether you’re planning to attack that chaotic closet, re-stain an old chair, plant a garden or coordinate a virtual neighborhood talent

RESIDENTS of Longwood Highlands compete in first-ever online “virtual” neighborhood talent show.

show, de-cluttering your home and your mind can help you achieve these isolation goals.

“Life is still so busy but

in a different way,” concludes D’Annunzio. “It’s the simple things that make us happy now, right?”

Eyewondrous

never used it.

“I would say it’s okay to have treasures but not every treasure has to be out.”

Cleaning out a client’s closet often results in a new wardrobe and a shopping spree. Sadly, that part of her job description is on hold pending the termination of this pandemic.

She finds solace in simple tasks.

“My file cabinet is a work of art,” she says, having recently changed all the folders to one color. “Everyone should own a label maker,” she adds.

Her closet is museum quality, she says with satisfaction.

“For the price of new hangers, you can transform your closet… and by putting all the pants and tops together,” she adds.

Being borderline OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) doesn’t hurt in her line of work, she notes.

Seasonal work Seasonal work, decorating trees and wrapping gifts during the holidays, is also part of her expertise. And, year round, she sets party tables, and will do so again — once the parties resume!

But for now, she is meeting with clients on Face Time to rethink living rooms, consider (Please turn to page 15)

(Continued from page 7) modern and Old World alike.

You wouldn’t place a teeny tiny chair next to an oversized settee, for instance, she advises. And most people hang art way too high, whether it’s a Rembrandt or a Pollock.

Then there’s the mismatched look, which sometimes works and sometimes not so much.

“Sometimes people just buy what they like, and they’re all different styles, so much so that their house will look like a furniture warehouse…

“Antique crystal or an old chair can warm up a space, but when it doesn’t fit together, then it becomes a problem. I would take the essentials and get rid of the rest… no matter how much you love it, put it in storage…”

Organizing closets She finds organizing closets “peaceful and soothing…

It brings me great joy to have everything as tidy as possible.

For others, it makes them very agitated,” especially when it involves letting go of possessions.

Sentimental stuff can be cared for in treasure boxes.

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Larchmont Chronicle

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

9

DESIGN FOR LIVING Housework

(Continued from page 2)

GERALDINE HURLEY’S closet organization includes labeling shoe boxes with photos of her footwear inside.

JOYCE DAVIDSON on a mission to remove posters papering her daughter’s old room.

SUZANNE WILTON, resplendent in turquoise, with matching jewelry and pottery.

when I need you?’”

But she presses on. “I just reorganized my blouses and skirts. When you’re working — and I was working part time — you organize the closet differently from when you aren’t working.” Since she only buys clothes in a particular color scheme so that everything matches everything else, Hurley doesn’t arrange her clothes by color. “I do them in fabric order. Cottons together. Silk blouses together. What I consider dressy blouses together. I divide my tennis clothes from my yoga clothes.” She’s ruthless when assessing her clothing, tossing anything she hasn’t worn in a year — except shoes. “I am a real shoe horse,” she admits.

Hurley keeps footwear dustfree by storing them in their boxes, then she takes a photo of each and affixes it to the appropriate shoe box for ease of identification.

Polishing Things are gleaming over in Kathleen Losey’s house. “I’ve just polished a bunch of silver!” she exclaims. “Some silver trays. A lot of silver picture

frames.” The Windsor Square resident also decided to take stock of her two-dozen cashmere sweaters. “I took them all out. I mended them — lots of moth holes. I washed them all by hand, and steamed them.” Losey turned to eBay to help clean out extraneous items from her closet. “I sold a really great 1940s dress.”

Disposing eBay is also helping in the Miracle Mile, where Melynda Bissmeyer is cataloguing things she no longer wants and putting them up on different online sales forums. “I collected a bunch of seat belt purses over the years and I’ve sold a ton of them. I sold an octopus candelabra for $60!”

Bissmeyer thinks people are seeking activities and things that bring them comfort. After

KATHLEEN LOSEY polished silver and repaired cashmere while practicing Safe at Home.

all, she reminds us, “In WWII, lipstick sales went through the roof.” Her mom recently settled in Mid-Wilshire, having left a huge home in Kentucky, and Bissmeyer is helping sort through storage boxes in her garage. “She [her mom] has 60 boxes of Christmas decorations, most for outside,” Bissmeyer recounts. “And I’m not sure she’s even allowed to put things up outside where she lives now.” For both of them, she follows the rule of three, dividing possessions into “Definitely Keep,” “Sell” and “Toss.” Bissmeyer summarizes

MELYNDA BISSMEYER surrounded by boxes and boxes of her mother’s Christmas decorations.

the zeitgeist of the times, “A trend I’ve noticed amongst people is we’re taking stock of what we truly need and what we don’t. There are a few things that really bring us joy. … During this time you need those little things in life that help you de-stress. Quick things that spark joy.”

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bing and sweeping of the basement,” she admits. “Eventually, when I get desperate for something to do, I will.”

Organizing Other COVID-captives take a more rigorous approach.

Windsor Blvd. resident Suzanne Wilton is an avid jewelry lover. She organized her turquoise pieces in fishing tackle boxes and then tackled her home’s period-perfect pottery collections. Wilton explains that her 1915 Craftsman “was moved from Wilshire Blvd. to its current location in the 1920s when Bullocks Wilshire was built on its former site.”

She continues, “Being an architect, I was very interested in having furniture and decorations appropriate to the era of our home.” She organized her Frankoma Pottery, a stunning celadon- and turquoisetinted collection from Oklahoma ceramicist John Frank.

Wilton also arranged her anthropomorphic pottery, noting, “This was fun to put together because there are so many cheerful faces gathered together. … I think that my grandkids will enjoy it when they are able to come and visit again.”

The ever-together Geraldine Hurley has raised the bar on organization during this time.

“I reorganized all my closets, all my dresser drawers. I even changed all the batteries in my clocks and fire alarms.”

She stocks up on batteries all year long and stores them in her freezer, so she’s always ready to keep things ticking.

It’s daunting to face isolation and household tasks all alone, as Hurley explains, “My husband’s been dead for five years and I think, ‘Where are you

10

Larchmont Chronicle

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

DESIGN FOR LIVING

Whether for comfort or sustenance, ‘victory gardens’ are flourishing

By Helene Seifer In both World Wars I and II, Americans were encouraged to plant gardens as an act of patriotism. These “war gardens” or “victory gardens” were meant to supplement the food supply and leave more for the soldiers valiantly fighting abroad.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture estimates that more than 20 million victory gardens were planted in WWII, providing one third of all vegetables produced in the U.S. during the war years. Now that we are at war with COVID-19, victory gardens have made a comeback.

“Business is exploding.

It’s the return of the victory garden,” explains Two Dog Organic Nursery co-owner Jo Anne Trigo. “People are anxious for some horticultural therapy. Some people are bored; some are fearful.” The Miracle Mile edibles nursery wants to assuage fears about the spreading virus, so they eliminated in-person browsing and initiated a drive-up protocol. Emailed orders are brought curbside by masked and gloved nursery staff.

Laurie Shechter purchased herbs from Two Dogs as part of her expanding garden effort.

Shechter is sheltering in place with her husband Dr. Patrick Lydon and her 89-year-old mother.

Planting a garden helps her stay closer to home. “I planted a little window herb garden,” Shechter explains. “I have a bay window in the kitchen that’s deep and hard to reach. I never knew what to do with it.” She also planted vegetables from Rolling Greens in two raised planters in her backyard.

Rolling Greens on Beverly Blvd. temporarily shuttered when social distancing was first mandated to decrease corona-

JULIEN, JULIE, Astrid, Leo and Winston Stromberg with their flourishing lettuce, kale and Swiss chard

virus exposure risk. The newly opened space is airier, with windows and doors thrown open.

Gardeners are free to enter or opt for curbside pickup.

“People are grateful to us for having the opportunity to roam around surrounded by plants, because they feel so confined,” explains co-owner Greg Salmeri. “People had fantasies about what they’d do if they had time, and it turns out gardening was one of them. It gives them pleasure at a time when there aren’t many pleasures.”

Edibles on the menu And what are they buying?

“Edibles are way up. That trend has been growing for years, but this year it skyrocketed. Especially organic edibles,” says Salmeri.

Windsor Village is particularly fertile ground for avid gardeners. Julie and Winston Stromberg’s garden is a fullfamily affair, with 7-year-old Julien and 4-year-old Leo raking, watering and helping with the planting while 9-monthold Astrid watches. Stromberg notes, “They like to get dirty, so we have them help with the garden beds and the soil.” They plant what they like to eat, such as cherry tomatoes and watermelon. Stromberg laughs, “Leo loves watermelon!”

When the pandemic arrived, Stromberg started a Whats-

CHRIS CORDONE and son Julien with egg carton tamarind seeds.

App for the Windsor Village community so everyone could help each other get what they needed, including garden supplies. One post about a run to Sunset Blvd. Nursery resulted in four neighbors’ receiving plants without having to leave their homes.

Sunset Blvd. Nursery lists available fruits and vegetables on their website and takes phone orders for curbside pickup. Manager Greg Kuga said that, this year, there’s more demand than ever for vegetables, especially fast-growing crops. “Lettuces and kales are popular,” Kuga states. “They grow really fast; they can be harvested sooner.

People don’t want to go to the store anymore.”

Filmmaker Chris Cordone and his 5-year-old son, Julien, take care of the family’s food crop while mom Elizabeth is busy making our lives sweeter at her dessert shop, Cake Monkey. In addition to the lemon, fig and kumquat trees in their Windsor Village home’s yard, Cordone and his son filled their garden with such things as bean sprouts and herbs. He and Julien scooped out squash seeds to plant and started tamarind seeds in an egg carton. Unfortunately, their blueberry bush didn’t thrive. “That was heartbreaking for Julien,” Cordone reveals. “He loves blueberries.”

Cordone believes there’s a huge

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JIM HARRIS tends his Hancock Park backyard garden.

educational benefit to gardening with a child. “It teaches him about the cycle of life.”

Jim and Janna Harris are a gardening team: he sows, they both reap, and she cooks. The Hancock Park residents have been growers for years, but this year is different, as Jim Harris explains, “I started more things early this year. Usually you stagger them to have them come up at different times. I have just been planting as much as I possibly can to have as much food as I possibly can.” He shops at Anawalt Lumber because their garden center is outside and not crowded.

Kale chips His crop includes a variety of greens, as Harris attests, “I’m growing a lot of kale because Janna likes to make kale chips.” She shared her recipe: steam the kale, dry it, toss with olive oil and salt, spread the leaves apart on a cookie sheet and place in a 400-degree oven.

Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn; the kale should be crispy

in around 10 minutes.

Greens are flying off the shelves, confirms Sandy, a longtime garden expert at Anawalt Lumber. “People are buying up plants faster than we can ready them.” The demand for vegetables is so high that they are selling younger and smaller specimens than they normally would.

In order to limit grocery runs, many home gardeners emphasize eliminating as much food waste as possible. Cookbook author Sherri Brooks Vinton supports this philosophy. “My focus has always been cooking sustainably, using up everything.

Green tops from carrots. The stems of Swiss chard.”

Pickled and canned Pickling salvages older vegetables, she shares. “When you have vegetables that are starting to wilt, I like to chop these up, load them into any jar and quick pickle them.” Then all one needs to do, she advises, is (Please turn to page 11)

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Larchmont Chronicle

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

11

DESIGN FOR LIVING

Victory Gardens (Continued from page 10)

mix some salt and sugar into a solution of 50/50 water and vinegar and pour over your veggies. Vinton adds, “It keeps for three weeks in the refrigerator.”

The Brookside resident concentrates on growing herbs and is amazed how much she can grow in a 2-foot by 4-foot space.

A state-certified Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver, Susan Nickels recommends canning foods to extend the life of one’s homegrown or purchased fruits and vegetables. She maintains an herb garden in the Crenshaw community garden, but she wanted to be more prepared for possible food shortages this year. For ready protein, Nickels cooked dried beans and legumes and canned them, and she turned her attention to vegetables. “Now, because of COVID, I want to have my own source of vegetables.” In case the virus protocols start limiting our movements even more, she wanted a garden closer to her home.

Her Windsor Village property is too shaded for successful growing, but her neighbor’s yard is sunny. They joined forc-

SUSAN NICKELS in her kitchen.

SHERRI BROOKS VINTON harvests lemons from her backyard garden.

es for mutual benefit. Nickels relates, “I did a day of panic buying. I went to Anawalt to get some seedlings. I got three of four types of spinach, chard, kale, summer squash, sweet peppers.” Her goal is to grow plenty of food for both of them and have extra for anyone else in the neighborhood who might run out during this time of uncertainty.

Beauty and solace too Although many gardeners are developing their plots to rely less on markets, many also remember that gardens provide beauty and solace at a time that desperately needs some.

Hancock Park Garden Club member Ivna Guzman and her husband, Bruce Beiderwell (Chronicle “Books and Places”

columnist), moved to Windsor Village a few years ago, and their backyard was completely dead. Beiderwell does the heavy lifting, but Guzman is the main gardener, and she

Call a pro

(Continued from page 7) In all, Lark counts hundreds she has guided to clean out closets, throw out stuff and create a better life for themselves the past 11 years.

Simple suggestions She starts by offering simple suggestions to her clients: “Put everything away once you’re done using it” at the end of the day, be it a work or crafts project or cooking a meal. If there’s no room in the cupboard or drawer, “do the best you can,” Lark said over the phone last month.

De-cluttering came naturally to the former adjunct college professor of history and

proudly states, “We revived the garden and planted roses and lavender and camellias. It’s becoming quite beautiful.”

Lately she’s turned to vegetables, too. “I’m growing lettuces and beets and carrots and peas.

I have been having fun eating out of the garden, especially now that we’re confined.”

Guzman reflects, “I’m very grateful every day for the environment we have, because so many people around the world do not have the luxury of having a home and a garden. It

becomes our refuge.”

Resources: Two Dog Organic Nursery 323-422-3835 Twodognursery.com; Rolling Greens 323-934-4500 rghomeandgarden.com; Sunset Blvd. Nursery 323-6621642 sunsetblvdnursery.com; Anawalt Lumber 323-4641600 anawaltlumber.com.

Food preserving and canning information: National Center for Home Food Preservation nchfp.uga.edu; or email Susan Nickels at susan_nickels@hotmail.com.

women’s studies before working in administrative management at UCLA and director of programs at UCLA Extension.

She has a Ph.D. in women’s history from USC. The 2008 recession changed her course, and today with a team of 12 — she calls ninjas — she helps everyone from the chronically disorganized and those with hoarding disorders (some clients are referred through the courts) to retirees and do-it-yourselfers.

When working with a client, Lark often starts with something benign and unemotional, which is where the junk drawer comes in.

Other matters tug at the heartstrings. One woman

who stored her grandmother’s never-used dishes would, after some encouragement, clear out her mismatched, not-sonice ones, and now she dines on the beautiful set inherited from her grandmother.

“I don’t believe in lazy.”

“Often when people can’t start, can’t continue or can’t finish a project, they think they’re lazy.

“I don’t believe in lazy,” says Lark, who instructs new clients to throw out their Marie Kondo-type books, which she says are written for people who are already on their time-management game.

Often Lark takes the client on a “deep dive” to investigate, (Please turn to page 15)

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12

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

DESIGN FOR LIVING

Trees still need care during stay-at-home

LVBID trims Larchmont trees quickly this year

By John Welborne The association of Larchmont Village landlords, the Larchmont Village Business Improvement District (LVBID) took advantage of the near-empty streets to conduct its annual trimming of the Larchmont ficus trees. The work, between First St. and Beverly Blvd., commenced April 15 and was completed in two days.

Commenting on the COVID-19 closures, local resident Heather Duffy Boylston, who also is the LVBID’s co-executive director and its director of public relations and marketing, told us: “We are all very concerned about our Larchmont businesses. This is a bit of a nightmare.”

She indicated that the LVBID had written to the merchants, in advance of the tree trimming, to update them on that and also to

offer them marketing support through the LVBID’s website (larchmontvillagebid.com) and social media. Boylston reminded merchants that the “Larchmont Buzz” (larchmontbuzz.com) is offering free online advertising during the Stay-at-Home period.

The merchants’ group, the Larchmont Boulevard Association, also has its website that promotes member merchants (larchmont.com).

In her letter to merchants, Boylston reported: “We are working with our street services company to make sure trash cans are wiped down, and we have also noticed more trash that has been thrown on the ground — we are making sure that it is handled as well.”

She added: “When this is over, we will plan and publicize a big day of shopping and dining to celebrate our return to the Village!”

While trees are not susceptible to the same diseases humans are, they still have issues with insects, age, neglect, root systems that attack leaky pipes, branches that grow through power lines, and some of the diseases that attack plant life.

In all these instances, specialists, or arborists, are needed to determine the proper care for a tree and/or to carry out that care safely.

Arborists can range from an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arbor-

ist who knows how to properly prune a tree, to a specialist in urban growth, to someone who knows how to work with trees that grow around power lines, to a Registered Consulting Arborist (RCA) with the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) who can let you know if a tree is sick or how it is impacting its environment and what the next steps should be.

Following is a list, albeit not exhaustive, of arborists available to care for your trees.

Arborist companies

Glendale, CA 91208 818-426-2432 mckinleyarborists.com PTS Tree Service Kelly Lewis ASCA, RCA #669 ISA Certified Arborist Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 818-512-5625 ptstreeservice.com Tree Care LA Nick Araya: Owner, ASCA member, ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, ISA TRAQ* and six other certified arborists on staff Inglewood, CA 90302 323-327-1611 treecarela.com The Urban Lumberjack, LLC Steve Marshall: Owner, ISA Certified Arborist, ISA TRAQ*

Los Angeles, CA 90042 323-664-9473 theurbanlumberjack.com

Bartlett Tree Experts Pasadena ISA Certified Arborists on staff: Bryan Locke, Rod Mann, Richard McLeod, Dan Thacker San Gabriel, CA 91778 626-286-2716 Santa Monica Andrew Schiavone Los Angeles, CA 90034 310-454-2033 bartlett.com Carlberg Associates Cy Carlberg, Principal, ASCA, RCA#405, ISA Certified Arborist, ISA TRAQ*, Certified Urban Forester (#013) and five other certified arborists on staff Santa Monica, CA 90403 310-451-4804 cycarlberg.com Evergreen Arborist Consultants Michael Green, RCA #602 Ruben Green, RCA #559 ASCA, ISA Certified Arborists 213-293-2444 • 310-913-5203 greenarborists.com McKinley and Associates William McKinley ASCA member, ISA Certified Arborist * Tree Risk Assessment Qualification

Family-Run

Certified arborists

(in addition to those above) Ryan Allen ISA Certified Arborist, ISA TRAQ* Los Angeles, CA 90020 626-658-0070 dudek.com Dave Aviram Thrifty Tree Service ISA Certified Arborist Tarzana, CA 91335 818-996-4577 thriftytreeservice.com Brian Baldauf ISA Certified Arborist, ISA TRAQ* (Please turn to page 13)

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CHERRY PICKERS lift tree trimmers to the tops of Larchmont Village ficus trees for their annual trimming in mid-April.

By Rachel Olivier Recently, I read an article where the Icelandic Forestry Service was encouraging people to “hug a tree” while in quarantine as a way to get that connection with another living thing.

Considering how much we are currently limiting human contact, it behooves us to care for any living things with which we can safely be in physical contact.

Trees, like other living things, require water, sunshine, oxygen, food (good soil), and enough physical space to grow.

Larchmont Chronicle

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

13

DESIGN FOR LIVING Arborists

(Continued from page 12) Los Angeles, CA 90065 brian.baldauf@mrca.ca.gov 323-221-9944 Henry Bravo Forest Green Tree Service ISA Certified Arborist Culver City, CA 90230 henry@forestgreentreeservice.com 310-717-5423 Arsen Margossian Bardez Landscape Services ASCA member, ISA Certified Arborist, ISA TRAQ*, State of California Pest Control Adviser and Applicator Glendale, CA 91208 818-957-7175 bardezlandscape.com Patricia Smith ISA Certified Arborist, ISA TRAQ* Los Angeles, CA 90027 323-665-1940 patlsmith.com

Consulting arborists

Greg Ainsworth Senior Arborist, ISA Certified Arborist, ISA TRAQ* Ventura, CA 93003 gainsworth@esassoc.com 818-564-5544 Cris Falco Tree Path, LLC ASCA, RCA #557, ISA Board

Certified Master Arborist, ISA TRAQ* West Covina, CA 91709 619-313-3939 treepath.com Kay Greeley Seven Elk Ranch Design, Inc. ASCA member, ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, ISA TRAQ* Woodland Hills, CA 91364 805-577-8432 sevenelkranchdesign.com Carl Mellinger Mellinger Tree and Landscape Service, LLC ASCA, RCA # 620, ISA Certified Arborist Santa Monica, CA 90402 ginkgoone@aol.com 310-454-2033 Greg Monfette Tree Case Management ASCA, RCA #481, ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Certified Arborist Utility Specialist, ISA TRAQ* Culver City, CA 90230 310-902-6581 treecasemanagement.com Kerry Norman Arbor Essence ASCA, RCA #471, ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, ISA TRAQ* Glendale, CA 91203 310-592-1104 arboressence.net Mark Porter Marks Tree Service and

Consulting ASCA member, ISA Certified Arborist Riverside, CA 92505 markstree@charter.net 951-354-8733 Jan C. Scow Allison Lancaster Jan C. Scow Consulting Arborists, LLC ASCA, RCA #382, ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, ISA TRAQ* Santa Monica, CA 90404 Ojai, CA 93023 818-789-9127 janscow.com Jerome Smith Jerome Smith Arboriculture, LLC ASCA, RCA #644, ISA Certified Arborist Culver City, CA 90231 jsmith67@mac.com 310-877-0227 Lisa Smith The Tree Resource ASCA, RCA #464 ISA Certified Arborist Los Angeles, CA 90049 310-663-2290 thetreeresource.com Frank Spina Salco Landscaping Services, Inc. ASCA member Lakewood, CA 90713 franks@salcolsg.com 562-925-0266

LIPSON PLUMBING is as busy as before the pandemic.

Essential services available in the neighborhood still

By Suzan Filipek Some local businesses (repairs, construction, newspapers, among others) are on government lists of essential enterprises that need to keep operating while most businesses, including retail, are prohibited from being open for dropin customers. Some companies with manufacturing capacity are finding ways to help during the pandemic while keeping some workers employed.

Lipson Plumbing, for one, is as busy as before the pandemic.

“We haven’t stopped at all,” said company owner Bob Vacca.

“We protect the health of the nation, through all of the proper connections and delivering potable water; it’s an ongoing thing since the 1920s,” he adds.

The company actually opened on Larchmont Blvd. in 1931. Vacca bought the business in 1976, and it’s been at its present location 44 years but will move by the end of the year.

(Please turn to page 14)

MAY 2020

SECTION TWO

Essential

(Continued from page 13) Vacca is looking to open a new home on Larchmont for his 10-member team.

“It’s done well for us all these years,” he said of his spot in the heart of Larchmont. But new owners are bringing changes to the brick

and mortar site. (The plumbing firm is in two of 14 spaces in what’s known as the Lipson Building, after the late Charlotte LaBonte Lipson, the daughter of one of the original developers of Larchmont Village, Julius LaBonte.)

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equipment (PPE). “We’re all gowned up with boots and gloves and masks and eyeglasses. Everything.”

He’s hopeful about his quest to find new digs in the neighborhood. “I think we’re going to land on Larchmont [again] soon.”

Lipson Plumbing, 323-4692395.

Crews of plumbers leave from the Red Lilly Plumbing headquarters rain or shine, coronavirus threat or not.

“They know [the pandemic] is a serious thing, but if they follow the protocols, they know they’ll be safe,” says manager Alexandra Torreschico at Red Lilly Plumbing, Rooter, Sewer & Drain Service.

They also know their customers will be safe.

Good hygiene and safety procedures come with the job, only more so now. Tools are cleaned and disinfected before and after each use.

“We have a dirty job anyways, but during this time, we’re making sure,” said Torreschico.

Calls are fewer than before the COVID-19 crisis, with mostly emergencies called in. And when the phone rings, the company’s plumbers are prepared.

“We have all the equipment, masks and special covers; it’s required they wear them all the time, and mostly when in front of customers,” Torreschico said.

Serving Los Angeles since 1924, redlillyplumbing.com.

Brian Brady has been busy keeping in touch with many of his clients who have become friends over the years, helping with groceries and just checking in on them.

His gutter-cleaning business and handyman services took a back seat last month after many residents postponed jobs.

“Everyone’s scared,” he noted.

He’s never seen anything like it in his 35 years working on homes, inside and out, in Hancock Park and the surrounding area.

“People don’t want people around their house unless it’s something really critical….

“This is just unprecedented.”

When the calls come, however, he is prepared with masks,

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14

A RECENT REMODEL by Home Front Build created this window nook / reading area with built-ins.

gloves and hand sanitizer wipes.

Gutter cleaning and repair, Brian Brady, 213-910-0980.

“This is our 95th anniversary,” Supreme Roofing Co. controller Carylyn Clifford tells us.

“During this global pandemic we are still keeping customers’ roofs serviced and are scheduling free estimates while using proper PPE and keeping a safe distance.”

Company President Doug

Larchmont Chronicle Ratliff is the fourth owner of the company, and he also hails from a family of four generations in the roofing business. He oversees 10 employees and is the estimator and job supervisor.

He is proud of his company earning the respect of homeowners and businesses in the Larchmont area and beyond.

Supreme Roofing is still based at the company’s original location.

Supreme Roofing, 1051 N. Gower St., 323-469-2981, supremeroofing.net.

“As a construction business we are essential, so we are up and running,” said Greg Roth, an interior designer at Home Front Build.

About half a dozen projects are in the works out in the field, while design and planning continues in the office, and client calls continue via Zoom and other virtual means.

Every office and every work site is fully protected with protective gear, he noted.

Another 12 or so projects — about six are in the Larch(Please turn to page 15)

Masks from Buck Mason for you, frontline workers

By Billy Taylor The Larchmont-based menswear brand Buck Mason has launched a new initiative to help both residents who need to find a face mask and essential personnel on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.

Masks for America is a onefor-one initiative to create and distribute free masks to the brave medical and essential personnel. For every one of the brand’s non-medicalgrade masks purchased, a second mask will be donated to those who need them most.

The program started with the goal to donate 100,000 masks, but after an overwhelming customer response, Buck Mason has now upped its goal to 1,000,000.

“Our goal in launching Masks for America is threefold,” said Buck Mason co-founder Sasha Koehn. “First, by producing non-medical-grade masks, we can help preserve the supply of medical-grade masks for healthcare workers. Second,

OLYMPIA MEDICAL Center receives 1,000 protective masks from Buck Mason.

Photo by Jeffrey Adams

along with donating our masks to medical facilities, we’ll also be giving them to the many essential workers out there that are keeping this country going.

And third, the more masks we produce, the more factories we can put back to work.”

The machine-washable masks, which are being made by both Buck Mason’s domestic and international manufacturing partners, are made from heavyweight cotton jersey and feature an antimicrobial layer.

Recipients of the donated masks thus far include Olym(Please turn to page 15)

Larchmont Chronicle

MAY 2020

Essential

(Continued from page 14) mont area — are on pause because of the pandemic.

“It’s hard, obviously, and a little disconcerting, to work in a city that’s shut down,” Roth said. “But we’re very grateful to be continuing the work and getting people into their homes that need to be safe and sound.”

Visit homefrontbuild.com.

Liz Gordon of Liz’s Antique Hardware is answering calls and emails and shipping and offering curbside pick-up of her vast stock of vintage and new hardware and lighting fixtures.

Peruse the website and send photos and descriptions, and she’ll match items from her inventory of doorknobs, hooks

Call a pro

(Continued from page 11) say, a Crock-Pot that you “may need some day.” It’s true, but when? And, is it part of the overall goal?

“Most people have a goal to get to a physical point in their physical environment.”

It sounds like a better alternative than adding to the ubiquitous world of storage units around the country, which she calls, “The land of indecision.”

A free consultation includes a walk through (or these days more likely includes video and photos) of areas you want to tackle. Visit aclearpath.net, and, for moving and packing, visit, silktouchmoves.com, or call 310-710-3379.

and lighting from 1860 to the present. Once the pandemic subsides, her staff of 12 will rejoin her. In the meantime, she’s managing the business.

“We’re not open for foot traffic, but we’re open for business,” she said.

In a show of gratitude to her valuable customers, she’s offering a 20 percent discount on all vintage items.

Visit lahardware.com Garret and Garage Interior Design co-principals, who hail from Madrid and the plains of the Midwest, enjoy mixing different cultures and a love of fashion, history and film in their design.

“We prefer authentic homes that speak to the character of the homeowner… A home provides an antidote to the noise of the outside world, as well as a bridge to the outside world,” says co-principal Beatrice Novoa.

In lieu of person-to-person meetings and house calls, these days the two-person design team is providing video tours.

“As we shelter in place, we have a deeper understanding and appreciation of our home.

“We would love to hear from you during these quarantine times,” Novoa said. Email them at info@garretandgarage.com.

Garretandgarage.com.

Diamond Foam & Fabric has gone into the mask-making business.

The company’s renowned fabrics from Europe’s original artisan mills are still sought by designers and homeowners alike during the pandemic. But a large percentage of the store’s

SECTION TWO

workload, these COVID-19 days, includes donating fabrics for masks for first responders.

“We’ve donated 200 yards of fabric to three organizations,” store manager Gabrielle Moser told us.

One yard can make up to 15 to 30 masks, depending on the size of the mask. The fabric has been shipped to costume designers at Set Decorators of America, among others, who are sewing face coverings for doctors and nurses at UCLA, USC and Kaiser among other first-responder hot spots.

The design and the cotton blend fabrics follow Center for Disease Control guidelines, though “quite frankly I think they’ll take whatever they can get right now,” Moser said.

The store has also made some test masks which may be available to the public at a later date. “Masks will be part of our everyday accessory. People will probably want a variety,” notes Moser. For now, they are not selling to the market, but that could change. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, from the heavily sanitized work production space, the crew is sporting gloves and keeping social distancing by working six feet apart to send samples of fabrics and shipping orders of its large inventory of linens (one of the world’s original fabrics), velvets and bouclé for upholstery orders.

“A lot of people are working to get projects done or getting them ready to start,” Moser said.

Diamond Foam & Fabric, info@diamondfoamandfabric. com, 323-931-8148.

15

This Greek word translates into a pitfall for an enemy Why is something disgraceful that happens often referred to as a “scandal”? ponders Tom Dibblee.

Scandal is from the Greek skandalon, which is literally a pitfall or snare laid out for an enemy. Down the centuries it has morphed into a description of moral aspersion.

• • • How come the bump at the front of our throat is called the “Adam’s apple”? asks Joseph Benedetto.

This protuberance is so named because legend has it that a piece of the forbidden fruit stuck in Adam’s throat.

• • • Why is a conspiracy also known as a “cabal”? queries Tom Stratton.

Cabal derives from the Medieval Latin cabala, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew qabbalah and refers to any closely guarded secret or belief.

The evolution from secret tradition to secret groups or plotters was a natural.

• • • What’s the origin of the “Mansard” roof? wonders

Buck Mason

(Continued from page 14) pia Medical Center, Philippine Nurses Association, Scripps Health, Sutter Hospital, UCI Health and UCLA Health.

“The customer response so far has been incredible,” said Buck Mason’s other co-

ProfessorKnowIt-All Bill Bentley

Toby March.

Originally called a curb roof, it was named after the French architect Francois Mansart (1598-1666), although used in the design of the Louvre a half century before. Instead of the rafters forming an inverted V, they are broken and the lower slope is almost perpendicular, the upper more nearly flat. It was in use in America during the old colonial days, and there, the term denotes a double-pitched roof, sloping up from the four sides of a building. Where it ends in two gables, it then is called a gambrel roof.

Professor Know-It-All is the nom de plume of Bill Bentley, who invites readers to try and stump him. Send your questions to willbent@prodigy.net founder, Erik Allen Ford. “It’s inspiring to see so many people stepping up to help those risking their lives to help us.

And it’s also great to see our factories get back to it.”

The company offers a pack of five non-medical, reusable cotton face masks for $20.

Visit buckmason.com.

Eyewondrous (Continued from page 8)

kitchen spaces and more.

“They bring me to their wall of artwork and ask what I would do differently. I’ve been doing a lot of that.”

She’s busy online shopping for clients, curating to find the right accessories. Some stores, she admits, including a few at The Grove, bring her to a “state of nirvana.”

Village Heights and Landis are favorites among favorites on Larchmont.

For a free consultation or more information, visit eyewondrous.com.

DeaDline For the June 2020 iSSue iS fri., May 22, 2020.

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SECTION TWO

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