A 2-year-old legal battle between the city of Arcadia and Taboo Gentlemen's Club, a strip club, will most likely result in the club being closed or sold off by April, 2009. The federal court case started when the city revoked Taboo Gentlemen's Club's business license for breaking the city's adult business codes. The club's owners Bill Badi Gammoh and Chawkat Jajieh sued in response, claiming city and police had obstructed business and violated their civil rights. The city's adult business ordinance prohibits lap dances, sexual contact, private dance booths and direct tipping. It requires licensed dancers to perform on an elevated stage.
25-year-old entrepreneurs Dustin Nicolarsen and Michael Thomas co-own The Derby, the historic Arcadia steakhouse. The two give back to their community by hosting a fundraiser to benefit their high school.
A $30 million plan to provide standardized breathing equipment for every fire department in Los Angeles County has been suspended after a lawsuit alleged the contract process was mishandled and firefighters complained about the quality of the equipment. Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment is suing the city and county of Los Angeles, contending the contract process was improperly handled in a manner that ignored firefighter input and unfairly favored the winning bidder, L.N. Curtis and sons.
A 30-year old man was shot in an apparent robbery in the parking lot of 99 Ranch Market on Wednesday, April 13, 2005. He was pronounced dead at Huntington Memorial Hospital. The suspect got away.
56-year-old Arcadia resident Dragica Grabovac has opened a European-style restaurant that offers a touch of Croatia. It is called Cafe LuMar at 136 E. Colorado Boulevard in Monrovia.
69-year-old Arcadia resident David Tran is the owner of Huy Fong Foods, the maker of Sriracha hot sauce. Huy Fong Foods should be operational in a new $50 million, 650,000 s.f. factory in Irwindale, by September. The factory is moving from Rosemead.
626 Night Market, an Asia-inspired market event returns for its ninth season at Santa Anita Park Friday through Sunday, with a phased reopening and reduced capacity. Admission is $5 plus fees.
The 626 Night Market is the brainchild of 3 Taiwanese-Americans who were heavily inspired by their experiences at night markets in Taiwan. The 626 Night Market will continue at Santa Anita Park next summer.
626 Night Market spawns copycats. The concept of a Taiwanese style foodie bazaar that has been held at Santa Anita Park, has spread to Orange County, Koreatown in Los Angeles, Monterey Park, and Studio City.
The 2001 murder of grocer Adel Karas, a 48-year old Egyptian man from Arcadia, a few days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, was initially thought to have been a hate crime. He was shot at his store International Market at 1381 E. Last Tunas in San Gabriel. Now police suspect Adel Karas was the victim of extortion. The suspects are two Latinos in their mid-20s.
Adam Chu is an entrepreneur opening a seafood grill restaurant in Monrovia on April 17, at 123 East Colorado Boulevard. It will be called Big Shrimps Fish Grill. His goal is to keep menu items reasonably priced because he is also the supplier. he imports seafood under the company he founded called Five Star Seafoods. Chu moved the operations of Five Star from Arcadia to the second floor of the new building that will house his restaurant.
Affordability: looming issue for local housing market. Increase in interest rates and tapering prices make great incentives for buyers, for now. Arcadia Association of Realtors (AAR) says the housing market was strong this spring.
Albert Chu and Patricia Huang, the people behind 626 Night Market, now selling chef-made foodie boxes called ChefBox. It is a takeout establishment in South Pasadena that offers high quality meals that can be quickly heated up.
Amanda Mosher, a Pasadena area native and Arcadia business owner, recently won the 2005 Los Angeles Music Award for female singer/songwriter of the year. She is also the co-owner of Sugar Glider Studios in Arcadia.
An extensive survey by a Los Angeles based real estate consulting firm rated the cost of doing business in a number of California cities, including Arcadia.