Tag Archives: Stores and Shopping
Color photo looking north up Highland Ave past a Pacific Electric Red Car heading south, Hollywood, 1952
Oh boy, those Pacific Electric Red Cars sure packed a wallop of color, didn’t they? Or maybe it’s the vibrancy of the Kodachrome process? Either way, I suspect it was easy to spot on coming a mile away—literally. This one … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Hollywood, Kodachrome, Restaurants, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars
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Color photo of LA Railway Yellow Car streetcar heads along Broadway from 7th St, downtown Los Angeles, 1956
The Pacific Electric Red Cars get most of the attention in vintage photos of the streets of LA in the first half of the 20th century. But the LA Railway’s Yellow Cars also did their bit moving Angelenos around the … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Downtown Los Angeles, Kodachrome, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars, Theaters
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Looking north up Laurel Canyon Blvd past the Big Donut Drive-in on the northwest corner of Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood, circa 1960s
If you’re going to open a donut store, you should probably build the biggest donut you can and plonk it onto your roof so that there is mistaking what you’re offering. In this photo we’re looking north up Laurel Canyon … Continue reading
Night shot of the Rexall pharmacy on the southeast corner of La Cienega and Beverly Blvds, Los Angeles, circa 1950s
I do love the atmosphere of this night shot of the Rexall pharmacy on the southeast corner of La Cienega and Beverly Blvds. Being so centrally located, this Rexall would have been busy morning, noon, and night, so I like … Continue reading
United States Court House on Main St looking south toward City Hall, downtown Los Angeles, 1939
The appeal of this photo, for me at least, is that it juxtaposes LA’s past alongside LA’s future. We’re looking south along Main St in downtown Los Angeles. In the earlier part of the 20th century, Victorian-era stores and offices … Continue reading
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Tagged Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Hall, Stores and Shopping
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United Cigar store on the southeast corner of Colorado Blvd and Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, California, 1929
Here we have a glorious example of how much care and thought went into commercial architecture in the 1920s. This is a United Cigar store (at the time, they were the largest chain of cigar stores in the US, though … Continue reading
Color photo of the Valley Plaza mall on Laurel Canyon Blvd, North Hollywood, California, circa late 1950s
Some vintage photos sure know how to pop, don’t they? In this one, we’re looking at the Valley Plaza shopping mall on Laurel Canyon Blvd in North Hollywood. Opening in 1951, it was one of the first in the San … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Kodachrome, San Fernando Valley, Stores and Shopping
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Color photo looking east along the north side of Hollywood Blvd from around Cherokee Ave, Hollywood, circa mid 1960s
There’s nothing like a vivid Kodachrome photo to bring yesteryear Hollywood to life. In this circa 1960s shot, we’re looking east along Hollywood Blvd. Around the center of the photo, we can see the blade sign for the Vogue Theatre … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Hollywood, Hollywood Blvd, Stores and Shopping, Theaters
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Looking west along 3rd and Spring St past Desmond’s toward Angels Flight and the 3rd St tunnel, downtown Los Angeles, 1903
In this 1903 photo, we’re looking west along 3rd St. in downtown Los Angeles. On the left, we can see a sign for Desmond’s. They later evolved into a one of the nicer men’s clothing stores, but they started out … Continue reading
Looking east along Wilshire Blvd from west of Fairfax Ave toward the May Co. department store under construction, Los Angeles, 1939
The May Co. department store opened its flagship building on the northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave in 1940. (If anyone knows the specific date, I’d love to have it. (**UPDATE** This store opened on September 7, 1939 … Continue reading