Restaurateur Jimmy Eleopoulos, owner of Big E Pizza in Signal Hill, celebrated his eatery’s 25th anniversary on Wednesday afternoon with gifts for his customers: free T-shirts, pizza slices, soda and big pieces of birthday cake. During the festivities, Signal Hill Mayor Larry Forester dropped by to present Eleopoulos with an official proclamation recognizing him as a resident, business owner and “outstanding corporate citizen.” The restaurant, located at 3225 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., was opened in 1986, when Eleopoulos was only 19 years old. Pictured with Eleopoulos (right) is Maria Moyte, day manager, who has worked at Big E for 22 years.

Despite rumors that it will become a bikini bar, the SandBar, formerly the Puka Bar, will instead focus on low-cost drinks, local DJs, and being a venue for broadcasting sporting events.

By Stephanie Raygoza
Editorial Intern

The SandBar in Long Beach gained a reputation long before its doors opened on April 7. The rumors of the supposed bikini bar ran rampant throughout Long Beach in the months leading up to its unveiling, and now the only thing shockingly revealing about the bar is that it delivers even lower happy-hour pricing than its predecessor without stripping away from its dedication to serving the greater community.
The owners, four men with rich backgrounds in business management and entertainment expertise, are venturing into their first bar with great ambitions and open minds. Brothers Ted and Tom Nucum, their father, Lou, and general manager, Ed Pasalle, all teamed up to take over the establishment that was once Puka Bar and created a renovated sports bar where regulars can still feel welcome and youth can take in the nightly DJ mixes.
“What really attracted me to the Puka Bar was its actual location. I have a lot of friends that live in the area, and I’ve been in the bar business since 2001,” Pasalle said. “We just want to be that local watering hole, but then in an instant I’ve been having a lot of the old regulars coming in. Some of them probably came in only once a week or every other week, and now we’ve been seeing them every day or every other day.”

Lasalle, former head bartender for Mai Tai Bar, has seen many different demographics come into Mai Tai and through the years has developed a keen eye for what works and what doesn’t in the bar industry. As a result, SandBar offers lower drink prices and happy hour twice a day and shows all major sporting events.
In turn, residents have stopped by to show support for the Signal Hill residents and even expressed the fact that they feel safe and like what they’ve done with the place.
“We outsource our own security. We make them look tasteful– we make them wear suits. We want to have that professional outlook on our establishment,” Lasalle said. “Our main goal is to make sure that our patrons have a good time.”
While much of the décor within the location stayed the same to tie in with the bar’s namesake, the addition of three more TVs to cater to different sporting events and a focus on local and renowned DJs is what sets it apart from the Puka Bar days.

  With a catering to different demographics at the forefront of the business, SandBar still aims to keep the locals and regulars in mind venturing not too far from what gives the bar its homely feel and down-to-earth ambiance.
“I didn’t want to label us as just being catering to one demographic,” Lasalle said. “We want everyone to just come and enjoy.”
Opting for a soft opening, the owners are now taking the time to get to know the locals who live around the area and watching the kinds of people that go into the bar. Most of the sources of entertainment will be DJs, as Lasalle has grown up with them and knows that they can change a genre and cater to a crowd.
“One thing also, we’re in the Wrigs (Wrigley), right? So we’re not downtown, we’re not Hollywood, so why am I going to charge expensive prices on liquor? We’re in a residential area,” Lasalle said.
Stemming from this mindset is a happy-hour menu created by Lasalle that is expected to please the Regular Joe stopping by for a beer or the group of ladies coming in for some drinks on a Friday night. With $2 domestic pints, $3 well drinks and $4 specialty drinks from 4pm to 7 pm and 8pm to 11pm, SandBar’s happy-hour specials offer the traditional Mai Tai, specialty martinis such as their key lime pie, and specialty shots like their White Gummy Bear.
“We have a strawberry margarita that’s on our specialty drinks menu that is made out of vodka, simple syrup and freshly muddled strawberries,” Lasalle said.
“Every single drink is hand-muddled. A lot of the locals love our beer prices,” added Tom Nucum.
The newly minted bar owners also pride themselves in providing a safe and clean establishment for patrons by keeping the staff much later for clean-up and hiring a security company that specializes in how to defuse a situation and administer First-Aid care.
“It goes back to us implementing firm and strict rules as far as dress code, and it goes back to our security. No hoodies, no baseball caps after 9pm, no athletic apparel,” Nucum said. “Just to keep the community safe, the patrons safe and the staff. Patrons and staff are our number-one priority.”
As the team works through kinks and cements their status in the community, they hope to open up a kitchen offering appetizers and vegan options since many people are gravitating toward that lifestyle. Themed nights will also be underway, such as: Taco Tuesday nights, during which they would partner up with different taco trucks; music genre-themed nights such as ’80s, reggae and others; and sports nights such as the Lakers playoffs.
“We also want to give back to the community, and that’s just something that I think is really strong altogether. We want to get the community involved,” Nucum said. The team has already thrown a nonprofit fundraiser for cystic fibrosis and hopes to participate in other fundraisers for different causes aimed at promoting awareness.
SandBar is already gaining attention through its Facebook and Twitter profiles, but much of its success now lies in the hands of its community and patrons.
“We like to interact with our guests and sit down next to them. We’re very approachable,” Lasalle said. “We want to be welcomed into the community and be part of the community.”
SandBar may be open from 4pm to 2am daily, however Lasalle’s vision for the reputation of the bar pays homage to a more famous bar-based TV show.
“As long as we open our doors, we’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Lasalle said. “During the day we’re going to be like Cheers.”

Vince Attardo of Coastline Environment Solutions, Inc. is joined during the mixer by Cecile Walters of Pacific Gateway and Sara Frechette of Holmes and Associates, CPA.

In celebration of Coastline’s 25th anniversary, its owners, Vincent and Ana Attardo, hosted a celebration mixer last Thursday at their place of business, 2480 Brayton Ave. in Signal Hill. The event included a ribbon-cutting hosted by the Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce, gourmet refreshments, prizes and individual photographs of attendees. For more information about Coastline Environmental Solutions, Inc. call  (562) 981-2636 or visit coastlineclean.com.

Celebrating the grand opening of Fitness Mecca last Saturday, one of Signal Hill’s newest businesses, were: Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce President Shari Blackwell; TJ Kangas of Fitness Mecca; Denise Damrow, Chamber representative– holding a certificate of recognition from Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal; Jack Mapes of Fitness Mecca; and Signal Hill Mayor Larry Forester.
Located at 3289 Industry Dr., Fitness Mecca, whose motto is “Where fitness minds meet,” is owned by Mapes and Kangas. Fitness Mecca specializes in exercise testing, program design, program implementation, and reevaluation, as well as Zumba and other group classes. Call (562) 375-0425 for more information.

Kent and Gregg Munro

By CJ Dablo
Staff Writer

The Munro brothers looked comfortable enough in their furniture showroom last Monday evening to prop their feet on top of a coffee table. Seated at one of their living-room sets on display at their west store of the House to Home Furniture on Lakewood Boulevard and Stearns Avenue, Long Beach business owners Kent and Gregg Munro acknowledged there’s a lot of a history they’ve inherited– and a lot of history they’re about to put behind them.
“One of our problems I think we’re going to have is getting people to understand that we’re a different company,” said Gregg Munro. He acknowledged that his family used to operate their furniture stores from the same two locations on the east and west sides of Lakewood Boulevard. Wall Units Home Furnishings used to occupy what is now the east store of House to Home Furniture. Munro’s Furniture occupied the west store. When they operated Munro’s Furniture, the Munro Family also had other locations in Orange County with stores in Santa Ana and Costa Mesa and a warehouse in Huntington Beach.
After more than four decades of business, when the Munro family officially closed their stores towards the end of 2010, the brothers decided they weren’t through with selling furniture. Kent and Gregg Munro decided to form their own company. They reopened only the Long Beach stores this year under their exclusive leadership.
The Munro brothers grew up in their parents’ furniture business when the family started their company in 1965. From the time they were teenagers, Kent Munro, now 45, and his younger brother Gregg Munro, 42, took on just about every role in the family company. The boys delivered and eventually sold the furniture. It was a true family affair; another brother, their father, mother and grandfather also helped run the business.
Telling the story behind their family business can reveal so much about Long Beach history. The city of Long Beach used to be a furniture destination in the 1960s, according to their father. In a telephone interview, Doug Munro easily rattled off the names of competitors who closed their doors in Long Beach ages ago: Frank Bros., Lloyd’s of Long Beach, the Davis Brothers, Aaron Schultz.
Doug Munro said that out of these iconic home-furnishing stores, the Munro family business managed to survive even when times were tough for the furniture trade. The Munro men acknowledged they stayed in business because they could adapt to changing trends.
“I think it’s because we were very flexible and changed with the times. A lot of stores came and went,” Doug Munro said, “and they [the former furniture stores] just became archaic.”
While the Munro family started the business when wall units were popular, they also learned to offer higher-end furniture, including authentic Amish furniture. Later, oak became a best seller, and other styles have come and gone.
From the 1980s, Kent and Gregg Munro recalled one fad– an egg-shaped chair (the kind you might see on Mork & Mindy, a popular sitcom from 30 years ago). “The Egg Chair” not only exuded kitsch charm, but it also offered a radio with built-in speakers.
The business evolved over time. Through the years, the family expanded their store space as neighboring tenants moved out. They even expanded to a store across the street that had been the home of RB Furniture.
But while the Munro men remember well the styles that have influenced modern Southern California home décor, they recognize that times were hard before the painful decision was made to close down the family business.
“The past two years [have] been probably the toughest two years of our family’s existence, as far as I’m concerned,” said Gregg Munro.
By 2007, the family business had expanded into Orange County, but a recession took its toll on the furniture business.
“The furniture industry really started feeling the effects of the recession a lot sooner than a lot of other industries because we were much more tied into the housing market,” said Gregg Munro. His father simplified the situation.
“The simple fact of the furniture business: if you don’t sell housing, you don’t sell furniture,” said Doug Munro, who also pointed out that during a recession, customers will only replace furniture one piece at a time. “We all faced the reality,” he said.
Then Mrs. Munro became gravely ill, and by 2009, their father decided to retire to care for their mother full-time. The family held a retirement sale that summer. But the recession lasted even longer than they had anticipated.
“Finally we were looking at things, saying, ‘Hey we got to make some changes here. We got to do something. We can’t just sit here and keep doing the same thing and hope it gets better,’” said Gregg Munro.
By spring of 2010, they had planned to close two of their stores with future plans to reopen them under a different name, and, at the time, they announced a closing sale. But when the they began to see that the financial outlook had not improved, the family announced that they would go out of business altogether. A “going out of business” sale began in the fall of 2010, during which time they liquidated all of the stores.
The brothers said they understood that, to outside world, it may have looked as if they have been closing for two years.
“And it’s so hard to explain to every customer . . . You don’t have 30 minutes to explain to every customer about the full story, the sequence of events and how it happened and how it’s led to what we’re doing right now,” said Kent Munro.
After the family declared that they were going to close the business, the brothers realized that they needed to decide what to do with their own careers. They only knew furniture, and there weren’t many jobs in a shrinking market. After reviewing the financials for their Long Beach businesses, they determined that the stores on Lakewood Boulevard were profitable. The boys decided to strike out on their own, this time as partners.
Lounging on a leather sofa, the Munro men pointed out the changes they’ve made to their store. This time, the stores under their leadership were going to offer more products from Amish country than the family had offered before. Through a local contact, the brothers had already developed relationships with about 50 Amish families from Indiana and Ohio. They’ve parked a buggy made by Amish craftsmen from Indiana by a front window. They were eager to talk about the quality of the Amish work and the new bedroom and dining sets that were scheduled to arrive soon.
“And a lot of people recognize it right off,” Kent Munro said. “This is well built furniture. This is worth the money. And it’s affordable and it’s going to last.”
They also pointed out their new line of Ekornes Stressless recliners and sofas from Norway. The sleek recliners in their showroom were leather models with sweeping gentle curves. Their furniture won an endorsement from the American Chiropractic Association.
At House to Home Furniture, they have split up the inventory between the east store at 2198 Lakewood Blvd. and the west store across the street at 2189 Lakewood Blvd. At the east store, they will feature more moderately priced furniture, but they also offer customized Wallbeds. At the west store, they offer higher-quality furniture.
Both stores just opened within the last few weeks, but a special grand-opening date will be announced later this year.
Father Doug Munro said he’s proud and confident that his sons will carry on a great tradition of customer service. After all, the brothers said they’ve now sold furniture to three generations of customers: children and grandchildren of customers who were originally served by the Munro brothers’ father and their grandfather.
“Our family started in Long Beach, and we’ve always done well,” said Gregg Munro. “We’ve had a great customer following.”

By Vivian Malauulu
Contributing Writer

Anthony Wingfield, owner of the UPS Store at the Bixby Plaza, attributes the success of his business to good, old-fashioned customer service. On Monday, he celebrated the grand opening of his newest store, after operating from his former location for eight years. The significant growth of that first store, in spite of an unstable economy, prompted him to lease a larger space just two doors down.
The grand re-opening gala, held right in the center’s parking lot, ran from 3pm to 7pm and included performances by the Grace Christian School Advanced Band and local musician Michelle Mangione, who says she is a loyal customer of the UPS Store. Jerry Caligiuri, a representative from Seventh District James Johnson’s Office, conducted a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the UPS Store gave guests water bottles and other items bearing the store’s logo in show of their appreciation.

The Grace Christian School Advanced Band provides musical entertainment for the UPS Store’s re-opening event.

The new store’s larger space has allowed for an expansion of products and services such as more mailboxes and advanced copying and printing services. “We have been blessed with a very loyal customer base,” said Wingfield. “Many of our customers stop by just to say ‘hello,’ even if they don’t need anything, because they tell me it feels good in the new store and they feel welcome. I look forward to many more years of continuing to serve this great neighborhood and its wonderful residents.” Wingfield shared the secret to his business: greeting customers with a smile and calling them by name.

In spite of threats of rain, City Ventures, Signal Hill’s newest townhome community, located at 1850 Orizaba Ave., enjoyed a sunshine-filled atmosphere last Saturday morning for its official ribbon-cutting. Consisting of local dignitaries, members of the Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce, City staffers and representatives from City Ventures, the eclectic group gathered to kick off the grand opening of the sales office (sans model homes) which sports a pair of recycled and repurposed shipping containers that house a 3-D virtual tour of the new three-story residences. Attendees were treated to refreshments and, as promised, the chance to wear electronic 3-D glasses while sales manager Natasha Zabaneh guided them through virtual tours of the various floor plans.

Signal Hill officials, residents and City Ventures representatives participate in a ground-breaking last Saturday for the upcoming townhome community. (from left) Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce President Shari Blackwell, Councilmember Tina Hansen and Chamber Vice President Denise Damrow don 3-D glasses to experience City Ventures’ virtual tour inside the company’s repurposed shipping container that is being used in lieu of model homes.

According to marketing manager Natalie Eaglin, the absence of model homes is a winning proposition for the company and those wanting to buy new homes. “We are eliminating the need for model homes, the staging and [accompanying] utility bills, therefore passing on the savings to the [new] homeowners,” she said. Herb Gardner, president of Homebuilding Group, declared his sentiments when asked why City Ventures chose Signal Hill for their project. “It’s exactly what we had hoped; the decision makers are rooting for us,” he said. Gardner described the city’s building processes as “smooth” and added, “makes you want to look for the second project.”

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The continual burden of the economic downturn did not appear to affect the Bixby Knolls community last year, as evidenced in the opening or relocating of 60 businesses to the district– one of the many items addressed at the State of the District on Wednesday night.
The event, hosted by the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association (BKBIA), gathered community members, city officials and businesses to the Expo building on Atlantic Avenue for an evening filled with live music by the Sepulveda Jazz Project, catering from local eateries, a community happy hour and raffle giveaways.
Seventh District Councilmember James Johnson opened the event by praising the business-centered productivity of the district and what it has come to define.
“The state of Bixby Knolls district is strong,” Johnson said. “And that transformation and what you’re seeing is only the beginning of a decades-long transformation at Bixby Knolls.”
Led by Blair Cohn, executive director of the BKBIA, the address highlighted completed projects and renovations made to the Atlantic Avenue corridor and Long Beach Boulevard along with future projects and partnerships in the works.
“After a lot of community feedback, we created a to-do list, and from that to-do-list and funds we received from redevelopment agencies, we were marching hardcore,” Cohn said.
Included on the list were special projects: the association’s mini façade improvement program, tree planting, keeping the community clean and First Fridays.
First Fridays are monthly events aimed at promoting and supporting local artists and musicians by providing an outlet to showcase their work. According to the association, the events set out to encourage a dialogue between businesses, artists and the residential communities and what Cohn defines as “an economic driver for the district.”
BKBIA has provided a boost to the community by going door-to-door talking to several business and property owners and finding ways to promote business and foot traffic.
Other accomplishments for the district, according to Cohn, included helping Long Beach Police Department add business addresses where needed, establishing two of nine freeway signs to help direct people to the business district and, with the help of Boy Scout Troop 229, planting 34 trees from Bixby Road to 35th Street.
“As we’re driving, if we see a tree that is blocking a sign, we are going to trim it,” Cohn said. “If we see plants that are nothing but trash, we’re going to take them out, fix the parkway and replant it with something nicer.”
Challenges faced by the community were not dismissed, and a concern with the state’s cutting of redevelopment agencies (RDA), which have served as the primary sources of funding for the various projects, was discussed.
BKBIA recently signed a contract with three different redevelopment agencies to receive $200,000 each year for the next 10 years, but the decision made by the state to eliminate such agencies would effect the association’s contract agreements.
“I think Bixby Knolls is an example, and you can point at all the projects being done in this building,” said Cohn. “The events that we conduct are because of RDA funding. So it’s a serious deal and we have the whole city fighting for it.”
Medical marijuana dispensaries and how they have created issues for other businesses was another item discussed. Residents located near the dispensaries have complained of loud music late at night, trash in alleys and increased graffiti vandalism. According to Cohn, the district and City are doing their parts to work through the issues.
Bixby Knolls will continue to host its annual Dragster Expo & Car Shows, community events at the Petroleum Club and holiday parties at the Expo Building, a City of Long Beach RDA-owned building that the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association leases for use as a neighborhood arts and culture center.
“The Expo is a place for community meetings, art and drama camps, receptions. We want to make this the model for the city,” Cohn said. “Connecting business to the community to city.”
In addition to carrying out various projects, the community is venturing into clothing apparel and took the time to debut their collectible T-Shirts and sweaters. Blade signs, sidewalk logo stamping and feature banners, showing the assets of the district, are in the planning stages.
“I moved into the neighborhood 20 years ago, and it was nothing like this,” said Bixby Knolls resident Karen Busa.
For now, the district is focusing on drawing more businesses to start filling up the vacancies on Long Beach Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue.
“We cannot fight the economy. It’s bigger than us, but we can try to find ways to deal with how things are,” Cohn said. “We want everyone to understand that this is a great part of town.”

Roxanne’s Lounge, located in California Heights, was awash with well-wishes last Friday afternoon as three business organization’s representatives attended the Molina family’s grand-opening festivities. Ribbon-cutting participants included Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce and Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. Also in attendance were Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal and Seventh District Long Beach Councilmember James Johnson.
Located at 1115 Wardlow Rd., Roxanne’s features a full bar, restaurant, lounging area with fireplace, pool table, big-screen televisions and music. The establishment is named after owner Robert Molina’s young daughter– Roxanne. Call (562) 426-4777, email info@roxanneslounge.com or check out their website roxanneslounge.com.

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