This blog is a journal of Southern California, through the lens of Jeff Gritchen. It's updated frequently with pictures, photo tips and musings from the various assignments he covers as a staff photographer for the Press-Telegram and Torrance Daily Breeze.
Gritchen has been documenting the diverse city of Long Beach since 1998. He covers everything from the Cambodian community to prep sports to gang ridden neighborhoods to the annual running of the Long Beach Grand Prix. He covered destruction Hurricane Katrina brought to Long Beach, Mississippi and traveled to Southeast Asia to document a rural Cambodian girl's as she traveled to the U.S. for life-altering heart surgery. He has won numerous state and national awards, including an international NPPA Best of Photojournalism award in 2003 and Best News Photo from the Los Angeles Press Club in 2010. In 2011, the photo staffs of the Long Beach Press-Telegram and Torrance Daily Breeze merged. Now he covers all of Southern Los Angeles County. He can be contacted at
jeff.gritchen@presstelegram.com
This is a sad commentary on the current state of main street type retail drags. I'm not a big government interventionist, but the City really needs to take a role revitalizing in the form of economic development, a signage program, or street improvements or maybe all of the above. What a depressing sight, no business owner in their right mind would want to try and relocate her when the whole block is dead like this.
It actually looked a lot better then , than it does now.
The City of Downey sign ordinance in the mid 80's banning all rooftop signs did nothing to improve this block at all that's forsure.
I loved growing up in Downey. It still looks the same as it did then a little sad.
I agree about the banning of rooftop signs comment. I've lived in Downey my whole life and the streets are so bare with plain stores that have styles stuck in the early 1960s'. We may have large and modern homes coming up daily at increasing paces, but economically we could be doing better with updated renovations to stores and streets.
Instead of wanting to remain local and hang out at this location, lots of Downey residents around my age (20) go to 2nd street in Long Beach or Downtown Pasadena.