South Lake Avenue's Biggest Storefront Is Empty. Its Smallest Ones Are Filling.

At the corner of California Boulevard and Lake Avenue, the largest retail space in the district has been dark since late summer. The Pavilions at 845 E. California Blvd. had been open since 1990. Albertsons set its closing date for September 5, but by mid-August the shelves were nearly bare and the shutdown seemed to be happening early.

Within a few blocks of that empty store, the South Lake Avenue District has spent the same months listing new tenants in its monthly newsletters. They include a coffee bar known for cream tops, a designer resale shop, a chai cafe, two medspas, an aura photography studio and a birria restaurant. Nearly every one of them fits in a single storefront. On Pasadena's east side this fall, small spaces have been finding tenants quickly and the one big space has not.

A 20,000-square-foot question at Lake and California

Before the store even closed, commercial listings were offering nearly 20,000 square feet at 845 E. California Blvd. for grocery or specialty-grocery use, Pasadena Now reported on August 18. No tenant has been announced.

District 7 Councilmember Jason Lyon told Pasadena Now in early August that he had asked Albertsons to reconsider and was told why the answer was no:

"I contacted parent company Albertson's right away to make the pitch for a rethinking the decision, but they tell me their business model is focused on maintaining larger locations, like the Vons at California Blvd. and Pasadena Ave."

Lyon then met with the property owner's representatives and the city's Economic Development Department. According to Lyon, "a market is still the best use for this property." He also gave a realistic timeline. "It may take the management firm a year to 18 months (or longer) to identify a new tenant, negotiate a lease, and complete any needed site changes," he wrote, and said the City would make sure the site keeps regular security in the meantime.

Lyon's estimate covers the whole sequence of finding a tenant, signing a lease and doing site work, and he left room for it to run longer. Albertsons' explanation matters too. The company chose to keep its larger stores, and the South Lake building now sits on the market as the biggest single space in the district.

Where the grocery run goes now

Local coverage of the closure named these stores as the nearest alternatives:

1. Vons, 155 California Blvd. This is the larger California Boulevard store Lyon mentioned, on the far side of central Pasadena near Pasadena Avenue.
2. Vons, 2355 E. Colorado Blvd. This one is east, toward the Hastings Ranch side of town.
3. Pavilions, 1213 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena. The closest store with the same banner.
4. Trader Joe's at The Shops on Lake Avenue. The Pasadena Star-News listed it as the option still inside the district.

Only one of the four is on Lake Avenue itself. For a full-size supermarket, South Lake now depends on stores outside the district.

What has opened in the small spaces

The South Lake Avenue Business Association runs a "New on the Block" feature in its newsletter. From July through October, almost every addition has been specialized and small-format:

Two of these businesses share the building at 380 S. Lake. The Loop Resale is a second location of a shop that started in Sierra Madre, according to the association's October newsletter. In August, Pasadena Now's roundup of new food and drink businesses called Mehfil the city's newest chai shop.

On the same blocks as the vacant 20,000-square-foot store, single storefronts and second-floor suites are filling month after month, and the one big-box space is on a timeline measured in years.

The same pattern, a few blocks north in Playhouse Village

The Playhouse Village Association's list of recent arrivals on Colorado Boulevard follows the same pattern. Most are restaurants, and most are tightly focused concepts in ordinary-sized storefronts:

• The Daily Catch, 927 E. Colorado Blvd. A family-owned seafood restaurant that sources fish from Boston and serves clam chowder and linguine with clams. Pasadena Now reported its ribbon cutting on July 16.
• Eye Speak Vintage, also at 927 E. Colorado Blvd. The association featured it in early September.
• Lunasia Signature, 865 E. Colorado Blvd. Dim sum and Cantonese specialties built around yum cha.
• KazuNori, 635 E. Colorado Blvd. The hand-roll bar from the team behind Sugarfish.
• HiHo Pasadena and Cheesesteaks by Matū, both at 625 E. Colorado Blvd. Both build their menus on grass-fed Wagyu, as burgers at HiHo and Philly-style cheesesteaks at Matū.
• Caffe Italia, 766 E. Colorado Blvd., Ste. 103. Pastas, pizzas, tiramisù and gelato.
• Osa Rooftop Restaurant & Bar, 540 E. Colorado Blvd. It sits on top of the new AC Hotel Marriott, and the association calls it Pasadena's only rooftop restaurant.

The association's August roundup grouped these as recent openings over roughly the past year. In Playhouse Village, as on South Lake, new tenants have been arriving one storefront at a time.

Del Mar Boulevard gets the newest arrival and months of utility work

The most recent opening sits at the district's southern edge. Mike's Red Tacos opened officially on October 16 at 899 E. Del Mar Blvd. Restaurant Business reported that it is the brand's first corporate location. The company's announcement described a 3,400-square-foot dining room with a patio. The menu is built on birria tacos with consomé and also includes birria ramen, quesadillas, loaded nachos and a self-serve salsa bar.

Getting there may take a small detour on some days. Pasadena Water and Power began its five-mile Path 2 underground cable replacement on October 19. The work covers portions of East Del Mar Boulevard, South Fair Oaks Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue and East Walnut Street. According to Pasadena Now, the City says each location will generally be affected for one to two days and the whole project should finish before summer 2027.

Dates for the east-side calendar

With no grocery anchor drawing daily traffic, the district's own events matter more for bringing people to these new storefronts. Here are the dates coming up from this week through early December:

• Friday, October 30: Pasadena's Día de los Muertos runs 5 to 8 p.m. at Villa Parke, 363 E. Villa St., with dance, crafts, ofrendas and food for purchase.
• November 4 to 29: Passing Strange plays the Pasadena Playhouse, the anchor of Playhouse Village.
• Thursday, November 26: The ninth annual Rose Bowl Turkey Trot starts its 5K at 8:30 a.m. from Lot K at the stadium.
• Saturday, December 5: Holidayfest! Shop, Dine & Win takes over the South Lake Avenue District starting at noon.

Holidayfest's rules fit the new mix on South Lake. Any in-person purchase made between noon and 6 p.m. that day at any business or restaurant in the district earns a raffle entry. You submit a photo of the receipt, and online orders don't count. Live drawings happen at 2, 4 and 6 p.m. in the Macy's Courtyard at 345 S. Lake Ave., and you must be present to win. Admission is free, the event runs rain or shine, and there is both free and paid parking. A coffee at Re: Coffee, a find at The Loop Resale and lunch on Lake would add up to three separate receipts. Each separate purchase can be entered on its own.

If you own a home near South Lake or Playhouse Village and want to talk through how a long vacancy at Lake and California fits into plans to sell or stay, Angela Waters is glad to go over your block with you. Schedule a Free Consultation.