At Home in Pasadena
(Adapted from: Hometown Pasadena 2009-2010, Written by Colleen Dunn Bates, Jill Alison Ganon, Sandy Gillis, Mary Jane Horton & Melody Malmberg)
Location…
Pasadena is the hub of many remarkable communities. The newest such community is the Granite Park neighborhood, located directly adjacent to Pasadena’s South Lake shopping district and distinguished by Granite Park Place.
Granite Park Place, bordered by South Lake Ave., E. California Blvd. and San Pasqual St., is a premier luxury, full-service condominium within minutes of Pasadena’s best dining, shopping, entertainment and recreation.
Architecture…
People come from around the world to see the Pasadena buildings by Greene and Greene, Frank Lloyd Wright, Wallace Neff, Sylvanus Marston, Garrett van Pelt, Paul Williams, Roland Coate, Reginald Johnson, Buff and Hensman and not to mention the “ordinary” Craftsman bungalows, mid-century moderns and Spanish-style cottages. Add a preservationist mind-set and you end up with one of the world’s most cherished architectural gems.
Granite Park Place pays homage to Irving Gill and California architecture.
Horticulture…
From the famed grounds of the Huntington Library and Descanso Gardens to the secret gardens of Caltech, the San Gabriel Valley is a garden-lover’s paradise. Today, it is home to acclaimed public gardens, a vast urban forest, roses galore and some of the finest nurseries in the country.
Granite Park Place is Pasadena’s newest botanical oasis.
Arts & Culture…
World-Class museums, dynamic galleries, engaging classes… From its earliest days, the arts mattered to Pasadena. The Arroyo culture nurtured painters and craftspeople, the colleges fostered a salon society, and wealthy residents have gifted the city with world-class art and venues, including Henry Huntington’s famed library, galleries and gardens; Norton Simon’s eponymous museum, which houses one of the world’s finest art collections; Grace Nicholson’s lovely Pacific Asia Museum; and Arlene and Robert Oltman’s important new Pasadena Museum of California Art.
“Projections” at Shops on Lake Avenue is a public outdoor projection of artwork curated by David Bradshaw and produced by Granite Park Place. “Projections” is funded by Granite Park Place under the City’s 1% for Art Program. Granite Park Place celebrates the arts in Pasadena.
Entertainment…
In Pasadena, there’s theater, Pasadena Playhouse. And music, Pasadena Symphony and Pops. And dance. And movies. And festivals. And laughs.
By producing a seasonal experience, businesses can offer a one-stop shop for customers. Today there are lots of businesses who offer similar programs. Established businesses may use the pop-up concept as a way of testing a new small business direction or market prospect. Opening a bricks-and-mortar company is a leading financial and personal commitment. When you have a small craft organization, you may sell your goods wherever it's possible. Which is precisely why having a one-two punch approach is the point where the whole retail business is heading through an omultichannel presence. It's no longer enough to offer a static shopping experience consumers wish to be engaged and excited about what they're buying and how they're buying it.
Now if you're a little brand and you're trying to establish yourself in pop-up shops, definitely have a look at various organizations and groups which are looking for bigger designers. A pop-up shop might be an interesting alternative for a holiday specialist or internet business trying to break into retail with marketing campaigns and exclusive events. Opening a pop-up shop enables a separation from your principal business, enabling you to manage risk when moving into a new industry. Pop-up shops are employed in many small business sectors as a sort of non-traditional retail. They are a great way of moving into a new business area. Now they are a great way of being able to reach out to a new customer base, being able to test new products, and being able to provide something that's not only not so time-intensive but also financially intensive or a commitment.
The PopUp Shops only negative is the shops get so packed you can't even move. Seasonal shops are likewise a chance for retailers to collaborate with different businesses. The next TMS Popup Shop is going to be held in New York!
Granite Park Place is the perfect place to entertain.
Food & Wine…
A diverse, food-savvy population means Pasadena has everything from the best Chinese-food community in the U.S. to terrific wine bars, steakhouses, sushi restaurants and coffeehouses. And don’t forget the farmer’s markets, takeout places, gourmet stores, bakeries… a gourmand’s paradise.
Granite Park Place is next door to Pasadena’s best restaurants and markets.
Shopping…
The Rose Bowl flea market is legendary. The antiques stores are superb. The old-fashioned shopping districts are charming. In short, it’s a shopper’s dream.
Granite Park Place is at the heart of the South Lake district, one of Pasadena’s best shopping areas.
Outdoors…
From bike rides, neighborhood walks, San Gabriel Mountain hikes, Pasadenans get outside and move. And get outside they do, whether it’s to walk around the Rose Bowl or hike a Sierra Madre trail, or take a short drive to ski a Mt. Baldy powder run or cycle down a canyon single-track. Spectators have football at the Rose Bowl and horse racing at Santa Anita Racetrack. Participants have everything from swimming and tennis to archery and fly casting.
Granite Park Place is the ideal place for indoor/outdoor living.
Golf…
Annandale Golf Club, La Cañada Country Club, San Gabriel Country Club and public courses at Brookside Golf Course, Altadena Golf Course, Arcadia Golf Course, Eaton Canyon Golf Course.
Granite Park Place is close to Pasadena’s best clubs and courses.
Children…
People settle in Pasadena to raise their kids, so it’s no wonder there’s so much going on for children.
Granite Park Place is wonderful for families.
Education…
Caltech, JPL, Fuller Theological Seminary, Art Center, PCC, Idealab, Parsons Engineering. Art historians lecture at Occidental College, theologians ponder at Fuller, and designers contemplate vehicles we can’t even imagine at Art Center. This town where Einstein and Feynman wandered is every bit as brainy today.
Granite Park Place has smart neighbors.
Transportation…
Pasadena is a transportation hub. By train, hop on the Gold Line to downtown L.A. By plane, just a short car ride to Burbank Airport or LAX. By car, just twenty minutes from downtown Los Angeles, Disney, Warner Bros. Studios, Universal Studios and NBC.
Granite Park Place is convenient for commuters.