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.
Arcadia City Council approves $70,000 to help the Downtown Business Association set up a business-improvement district. The district would tax commercial property owners to revitalize the area.
Arcadia resident Maggie Campbell, 45, is featured as a business leader. She is President and CEO of the Old Pasadena Management District, working to keep Old Pasadena a vibrant town.
Arcadia wants to declare a section of Live oak Avenue and Las Tunas Drive in south Arcadia a redevelopment zone to qualify for county funding. The County says area is not blighted and does not meet qualifications for funding.
Battle heats up over odors coming from Huy Fong Foods' (maker of Sriracha chili sauce) Irwindale factory. The City of Irwindale demanded the company curb smells coming from the Azusa Canyon Road factory or cease operations. If production is halted due to a court order, the price of Sriracha will likely go up. Residents have complained of headaches and irritation to eyes and throats. Adam Holliday, Huy Fong's director of operations, is committed to solving the problem. The company's owner David Tran is an Arcadia resident.
British food giant Tesco is going to open Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Markets in West Covina and Arcadia on November 8, 2007. Fresh and Easy stores are relatively small and lean heavily on fresh food offerings, including prepared meals and sushi.
California's minimum wage increase is going to force some restaurants to hike food prices, cut back on employee hours and reduce advertising. McGrath's Fish House in Arcadia may be forced to reduce employee hours. The minimum wage is now $7.50 per hour. Another 50 cent increase goes into effect January 1, 2008.
Developer Rick Caruso's $400 million open-air mall at the Santa Anita Park race track may be stiff competition for retailers at Westfield Shoppingtown. City leaders hope the two malls can coexist.
Downtown Arcadia business owners establish a Community Benefit District, mandating they each pay an annual assessment on their property taxes to fund marketing programs and activities in hopes of bringing more people to the area. It is called a Property-Based Business Improvement Model. It is a private-sector initiative that bills local businesses by the same criteria used in Old Pasadena--according to their frontage, lot size and scope of any buildings on a given property. 60% of downtown Arcadia owners chose the plan, the result of a three year effort.
Gayle Brewer, a 26 year-old Arcadia resident, runs a Pasadena-based business called Celia Caseta Inc. She provides professional makeup services. She plans to open locations in Arcadia and Northridge.
Goldstein's Bagel Bakery will shut down on March 31 after nearly 16 years in Old Town Pasadena. Goldstein's has two other locations on Verdugo Road in La Canada Flintridge and Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia that will remain open.
H&M, the Swedish chain store, had its grand opening in Old Pasadena. Later in November, a 17,000 square foot H&M will open in Arcadia's Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita.
Hong Kong Supermarket, a New York-based company, will open a 25,000 square feet market at 935 W. Duarte Road, at the Mon-Arc Retail Shopping Center. It is the fifth Hong Kong Supermarket in the San Gabriel Valley, specializing in imported Asian groceries. It will serve customers from both Monrovia and Arcadia. Asians account for 10.9% of Monrovia's total population while Arcadia's Asian population is at 58.9%.
Irwindale officials said Huy Fong Foods (the maker of the popular Sriracha hot chili sauce) can continue operations at its plant as long as it doesn't smell. Huy Fong officials said if forced to shut down, 200,000 fewere bottles would be produced per day. David Tran, CEO and founder, is an Arcadia resident.
A new Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has opened in Arcadia. It is owned by Tesco, a British food giant. Tesco's labor practices have come under fire for relying on part-time workers, which may limit the ability of workers to earn a living wage.
Pasadena's Lighthouse Christian Store on Lake Avenue closed its business earlier this month, due to tough competition from bookstores like Amazon and big box stores like Costco, Sam's Club and Target. Lighthouse still has locations in Long Beach and Orange, but their stores in Glendale and Arcadia both closed in recent years.
Review by Merrill Shindler - Asian market is authentic. 99 Ranch Market chain has hundreds of good things at its multiple San Gabriel locations, including one in Arcadia. Its mission is to offer authentic Chinese ingredients to underserved Chinese-American communities across America.
Selfie Selfie Photo Studio has opened in Arcadia at 28 1/2 E. Huntington Drive. It offers private rooms where customers can snap quality and even costumed shots of themselves using a remote control. It is a venture of the popular 321 Photo Studio Franchise in China.