Whipped Cream Difficulties

There’s an interesting article in today’s LAT about the King Eddy Saloon. The King Eddy opened in 1933 and was a favorite bar for folks like John Fante,  James M. Cain, and Charles Bukowski. When it first opened, it was in a commercial district that has since evolved into Skid Row.

The bar itself, shaped in a square, commands the center of the room, with cracked vinyl banquettes lining the perimeter. A glassed-in smoking space is set off to the side. Behind the bar is a tiny fluorescent-lighted kitchen where prepackaged burgers, pizza and sandwiches are heated in a microwave. A beer and burrito would set a person back only $4.

($4 beer and burritos? On a busy night, this place must smell like a mustard gas attack.)

The property that the King Eddy sits on has changed ownership. The new owners (the “Acme Bar Group”) plan to remodel the bar. The current “regulars” are convinced that the remodel is going to push them out – no more $4 beer and burritos – in favor of a more “yuppie” crowd.

Which may very well be true. I don’t live in LA, so I’m not sure I can comment with authority. It’s worth noting that the King Eddy is located in a residential hotel, that there are more residential hotels in the area, and that “a moratorium prohibits the conversion of residential hotels in the area to upscale housing until 2063”. So it isn’t like this area is going to become gentrified any time in the near future. It does seem to me that a “yuppie” bar on Skid Row is going to be a hard sell.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 14th, 2012 at 9:40 am and is filed under Clippings, Mixology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.