Keep the Farmers' Market Local!

The Farmers' Market in South Pasadena is "up for bid" right now. A number of would-be operators have submitted proposals to Assistant City Manager Sergio Gonzalez - including your own Chamber of Commerce, er, that means US, dear reader! The Farmers' Market was started and run by the Mission West Association for over a decade. With the dissolution of that nonprofit in October 2009 the City temporarily handed over control to an operator that runs many such markets in LA County. Meanwhile, the City is seeking a long-term operator that will be the right fit for the community. The Chamber Board thinks we're the right fit, since we promise the inclusion of local business and nonprofits, a connection with the South Pasadena Unified School District, sustainability outreach and more. Oh, what about expertise?  . . . we have a proposed Market Manager who is among the best in the State of California - Beverly Hills Farmers' Market Manager Greta Dunlap. (She started with South Pasadena FM years ago, and has since gone on to greener pastures. We're ready to bring her back!) If you have comments or questions on our proposal, email me. We'd love to have as much community support as possible. We're very optimistic about returning the Market to its local roots.

Explore India

Just $2,090, all-inclusive! Nine days in India. Taj Mahal. New Delhi. The works. It's the Chamber's annual Trip Abroad. Check out the details online at our website - www.SouthPasChamber.com. Reservations accepted until January 31. Trip departs April 14 and returns April 23, 2010.

Meet the Mayor of South Pasadena Tomorrow Night

Dr. Richard Schneider will be on hand, in person for a Chamber of Commerce Book Launch and Meet n' Greet. Wednesday, January 27th at 7pm come one, come all to the Community Room in South Pasadena at 7pm. There will be wine and cheese, mingling and a brief presentation by the Mayor. Our own little "State of the City" impromptu report, of sorts. And we'll launch SouthPas Connections, our 2010 Business Directory and Community Guide.

Can You Take the Internet to the Corner Store?

Google Local is pestering me. They want to be a local connector for small businesses with AdSense, AdWords and the Local Business Center. "Hyper-local Marketing," it might be called. I'm thinkin' about it. Are you? I signed up the Chamber for a Local Business Listing. That was  easy. Now the hard part . . . is this a dream or a nightmare? Could it be a boon for local business, or a bust that gets in line after the Department Store, The Shopping Mall and Online Stores as the next assault on the neighborhood shop species of retailer? Let me know how you're doing with it. Are you listing? Are you getting customer referrals? Are you Yelping and Yahooing or cocooning and praying?

BzzzZZZzzt! Connections Have Been Made

The 2010 edition of SouthPas Connections has been printed and delivered to every home and business in South Pasadena. It's online, too, at our website www.southpaschamber.com. You can also thumb through an interactive PDF or search local businesses by name on the map wt www.KnowThisPlace.com, under California, then South Pasadena. Here's the direct link. Go Local! (Even if you take the Internet to get there . . .)

Motion and Progress

Once a wise Production Manager in my employ told me "Don't confuse motion with progress". I thought of her this morning when I was at the Chamber's Network Koffee at Stanislawski CPA's, housed in the original Baranger Motions Factory. Barangers, HQ South Pasadena 1922 - 1950ish, was bringing in millions in today's dollars by creating animated display window dioramas and shipping them all over the United States, pre Great Depression Era. Jewellers would order up the displays for a month and then ship them back. Apparently, enough of them did so to create a substantial business for Barrangers. That business is long gone - victim of "progress", as shopping has moved from downtown to malls and eye candy is found on computer screens instead of in main street windows. Sigh.

PS - Thanks to Chuck Stanislawski for buying and preserving this storied building, and for hosting us this morning.

Hello Joel!

It has been a while since I was sent to the Superintendents office . . . many decades, in fact. Now here I am on my way there, and inviting you to come along! Meet Joel Shapiro, new Superintendent of South Pasadena Unified School District on Tuesday, January 19th at 7pm in the Community Room, 1115 El Centro Street, South Pasadena CA 91030. Munchies, water and wine. No detentions. Promise!

Welcome Great Harvest

The long awaited grand opening of Great Harvest Bread is tomorrow morning. Come cheer as Mayor Richard Schneider and Chamber Chairman Tom Field snip the ribbon. And then let the wafting of pleasant aromas drifting through town begin! . . . Fresh bread . . . Peet's coffee. Yum. Yay! The Great Harvest Bread Co. is at the corner of Diamond and Mission in South Pasadena. See you there at 8:30 sharp Friday, January 15, 2010.

Rialto Enters Self-Destruct Mode

Okay. Now we're getting serious. Today the Rialto sidewalk was blocked and traffic cones were deployed all to create a "safety zone" around the Rialto - a piece of which had fallen off, endangering passers by. This, I must admit, was not one of the outcomes forseen in the Chamber's Vision Rialto report. So, dear blog readers (and I admit, I write this with relative impunity, since I see from the stats that no one is yet reading this blog) will somebody out there please buy the thing, and have a vision for revitalizing it, and proceed post haste with it all, before the building literally tears itself down? For a look at the Vision Rialto report, go to SouthPasChamber.com and download it. For a look at The Rialto, well, don't look up. You might get falling plaster in your eye!

Think Trees

Saturday January 9th we'll really branch out at SoPas Gallery with the opening of a show by the fabulous local artist Amanda Knight. Arborizations. It's all about incredibly graphic and colorful paintings of trees. One pre-viewer suggested the presence of Ursula Le Guin. Another said elephants, close-up. You decide! Come see the show Saturday at 6pm. 1121 Mission Street.

Meet the Super New Super

On January 19th - which is a Tuesday - you are welcome to come meet the new school Superintendent, Joel Shapiro. The Chamber is hosting an informal mixer, and he'll take a few questions and answer them all, I'm sure. But mostly, this is a great way we can all welcome him to South Pasadena and show him how much this community, especially the business community, supports our schools.  So come on by, from 7pm to 9pm at the Community Room, 1115 El Centro Street in South Pasadena.

Do it Again in 2010!

Tomorrow Chamber members meet at Mike & Anne's for a million dollar breakfast that only costs ten bucks*. Featured speaker: Kelly Flint, regional rep for Constant Contact, the email marketing tool. And so, we start the new year with great food, and food for thought. Hope to see yo there! Details at www.southpaschamber.com.
*Thanks to our sponsor, Thomas R. Field American Antiques!