San Diego, CA
Business Roundup: La Jolla gets a string of new arrivals, from mattresses to bagels
November was a busy month for new business arrivals in La Jolla, with a couple of long-anticipated restaurants opening along with other establishments. Here’s a look.
Vispring
This new luxury mattress showroom is at 7464 Girard Ave., replacing Faded Awning, which opened in 2010 and closed in January this year.
Vispring officially ushered in the new business with a grand opening Nov. 4.
The location marks “a strategic expansion into one of Southern California’s most affluent markets,” according to the business’s website. It’s one of its many expansions this year, starting with Orange County in January and New York City and Dallas in June. Additional locations are set to open soon in Washington, D.C.
The company, which sells handmade European mattresses, is celebrating its 125th anniversary. To commemorate the La Jolla opening, Vispring is offering a free Heaven mattress topper with the purchase of a mattress until Thursday, Jan. 1.
Vispring is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Learn more at vispring.com.
Hummingbird Fine Jewelry & Piercing
After a year of planning and building, La Plaza La Jolla’s newest addition is here.
Hummingbird Fine Jewelry & Piercing, a sister location to Enigma Professional Piercing Studios, offers gold and implant-grade titanium jewelry for ear and body piercings. Its focus, co-owner Evan Spencer told the La Jolla Light, is offering “a safe, comfortable and high-end experience” with high-quality jewelry and aseptic technique.
Spencer is the lead piercer and store director, joined by co-owner Didier Suarez and piercer Jenna Bee.
Hummingbird opened Nov. 14 at 7863 Girard Ave. and is slated to host a grand-opening celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6.
“We are extremely enthusiastic about the quality of our products, the level of our service and experience and the safety and care that goes into every service we offer,” Spencer said.
Hummingbird is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day but Wednesdays. Find out more at hummingbirdpiercing.com.
PopUp Bagels
Breakfast is back at 637 Pearl St., with New York chain PopUp Bagels making its local debut Nov. 21.
PopUp Bagels offers fresh-baked bagels and a rotating lineup of schmears ranging from plain cream cheese to spicy buffalo butter. Rather than offering traditional bagels cut in half with cream cheese in the middle, PopUp encourages customers to grip the bagel, rip off a piece and dip it in a cup of schmear.
PopUp Bagels replaces Breakfast Republic, which left the Pearl Street address in March as part of what a representative called a lease buyout from the property owner.
This is PopUp’s first brick-and-mortar location on the West Coast. Its expansion to San Diego was facilitated by San Diego State University graduates Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman, who secured a franchise deal with the corporate team in New York and are now planning 10 PopUp Bagels locations in San Diego County over the next five years.
PopUp Bagels is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Find out more at popupbagels.com.
Dora Ristorante
This new southern Italian coastal cuisine restaurant opened Nov. 20 at 9165 S. Scholars Drive in the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood at the southwest corner of UC San Diego’s campus, across the street from La Jolla Playhouse.
Dora Ristorante comes from chef Accursio Lota and his wife, Corinne Goria, of La Jolla, the owners of North Park’s popular Cori Trattoria Pastificio.
As part of the couple’s partnership with La Jolla Playhouse, the Dora team will design prix-fixe menus and cocktails themed to each playhouse production.
Hours are 4-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Reservations are available at doralajolla.com.
— San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Pam Kragen contributed to this report.
La Jolla Business Roundup is published monthly by the La Jolla Light. Send your business news to staff writer Noah Lyons at noah.lyons@lajollalight.com. ♦
San Diego, CA
$50K Reward Offered In Unsolved Murder Of San Diego Barber
SAN DIEGO, CA — A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in a 2018 killing of a man in San Diego, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Monday.
Arthur Jordan, 28, was fatally shot July 19, 2018, by an unknown assailant while sitting in a car in the 3000 block of Martin Avenue. At the time of his death, Jordan was a barber working in his family’s barber shop.
San Diego Police Department investigators have interviewed witnesses and potential suspects, but have exhausted all leads.
“We are very thankful for the governor’s support in our efforts to find justice for Jordan and his family,” said SDPD detective Chris Murray.
Under California law, law enforcement agencies may ask the governor to issue rewards in specific unsolved cases where they have exhausted all investigative leads, to encourage individuals with information about the crimes to come forward. Public assistance is vital to law enforcement, and rewards may encourage public cooperation needed to apprehend those who have committed serious offenses.
SDPD has requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this murder, urging them to contact Sgt. Joel Tien at 619-531- 2323. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888- 580-8477.
San Diego, CA
Christmas Eve storm could hit San Diego County with 4 inches of rain and 40 mph winds
The souped-up Pacific storm that will hit San Diego County on Christmas Eve could drop 3 to 4 inches of rain over a short period, making travel dicey and raising the risk of flooding, the National Weather Service said.
San Diego averages less than 2 inches of rain in December and hasn’t had a drop this month.
The region will catch the tail of a storm that tapped into copious amounts of subtropical moisture, causing it to grow and become more explosive. The Pineapple Express, as some call it, will affect the entire state. The first big urban hit comes Monday when the system is expected to slam the San Francisco Bay Area. It’ll then sink toward Southern California.
The storm, which also is packing strong winds, could slow or disrupt traffic on Interstate 5 and U.S. Highway 101, prime routes between San Diego and San Francisco.
Forecasters say the system will push into Orange and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire late Tuesday night and unleash heavy rain, and possibly lightning, on Wednesday. The wind could gust as high as 40 mph in spots from San Diego to Julian, forecasters said.
The most intense rain is expected to fall from mid-morning until late-afternoon Wednesday, when last-minute Christmas shoppers will be crowding freeways. Downpours could close some parking areas at the Fashion Valley Mall in Mission Valley, which often floods in heavy rain. Showers will last into Thursday, Christmas Day, and forecasters say a second storm could hit over the weekend.
A flash flood watch will be in effect countywide from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 1 a.m. Thursday.
The forecast has turned worrisome over the past couple of days.
The weather service earlier thought the storm could produce about 1.5 inches of rain in San Diego, and roughly twice as much across inland valleys and mountains.
On Sunday, they said San Diego could get 2.5 to 4 inches of precipitation. And there was deeper confidence that some areas east of Interstate 15 would be seeing 3 to 4 inches of rain.
Snow isn’t expected, though. The storm is comparatively warm due to its connections with the subtropics.
San Diego, CA
Longtime San Diego bike shop hit again by thieves ahead of holidays
A longtime San Diego bike shop is struggling to recover after its latest burglary — a break-in the owner says cost thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise and damages just days before the holiday shopping rush. The shop, “San Diego Bike Shop,” is located at 619 C Street.
The shop’s owner Moe Karimi says this is not the first time thieves have targeted his business, despite repeated efforts to improve security.
The small business has installed surveillance cameras, reinforced doors and even upgraded to shatter-resistant windows. Still, the owner says it hasn’t been enough to stop criminals from breaking in.
“It’s a very upsetting thing that you wake up at four o’clock in the morning and come up here and face the broken door and window,” said Karimi. “You walk in and see half the store is empty.”
Karimi says repeated burglaries have taken a growing toll on his business over the years.
“It has always progressively gotten worse and worse,” he said.
Surveillance footage from the most recent break-in shows multiple suspects inside the shop. Karimi says dozens of bikes were stolen — many of them high-end models with hefty price tags.
“It’s not just the money that was lost — the physical money,” Karimi explained. “I lost a lot of money because of not selling.”
The timing, he says, couldn’t be worse.
“During the holiday season, when there’s so much product taken out of your store, your sales drop because you don’t have the products,” he said. “And it takes time to replace that.”
Karimi opened the bike shop in 1999 and says he’s made it a priority to stay proactive when it comes to security.
“Every year I add some kind of security feature. I reinforce the doors and gates,” he said. “But still, if they want to get in, nothing stops them.”
Now, the repeated break-ins have left him feeling uncertain about the future.
“I feel very insecure in my business — that every day something can happen,” Karimi said. “It seems to me that nobody cares at the street level what happens in San Diego. It’s terrible.”
The San Diego Police Department says it is still investigating the burglary.
In a statement, police said in part:
“Shortly after 4:00 a.m., multiple suspects forcibly entered the business and stole property before fleeing the area. No injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made at this time.
The business owner reported an estimated loss of approximately $15,000 in stolen property. The exact inventory and total loss remain under review.
Detectives are actively reviewing surveillance footage and working with partner agencies as part of the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information related to this incident is urged to contact San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Detectives are actively reviewing surveillance footage and working with partner agencies as part of the ongoing investigation.”
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