More Town & More Gown
Uptown and Whittier College have plenty to offer each other
by Sabrina Astengo & Caitlin Benge
Walking the side streets of Uptown Whittier offers a respite from the Holiday-season bustle. There are fewer honking cars and the air is filled with the muted sounds of music in the spirit of the holiday season. The closer you get to the main drag, though, the more the quiet is drowned out by the back up of cars jostling for parking spots and people chatting as they move from clothing shops to restaurants and back again.
In Uptown, people of all ages can be seen walking along storefronts or sitting in the booths of the many restaurants. But, how many of them are Whittier College students? Only minutes from the Poets’ campus, Uptown Whittier and Whittier College would seem have a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship. Uptown offers shopping, food, culture and diversion within easy walking distance. The college offers 1,700 student, all potential customers for Uptown busineses.
Like Melrose Vintage, located on Philadelphia Avenue just off Greenleaf. As you might guess, the boutique offers vintage clothing from the ’80s and ’90s at “moderate” prices according to shoppers. Recently, Melrose Vintage moved off the main thoroughfare to a side street location offering lower rent and more room. This enables the proprietors, Robert and Esther Ruiz, to keep prices reasoanble for young customers, including Whittier College students.
The Ruiz’s opened the store in 1992, when the couple were newlyweds with a mutual passion for vintage fashion. As for why they chose to locate in Uptown Whittier, Esther explained, “My husband grew up in Whittier, so it was important for us to give back to the community doing something we love, which is buying and selling vintage clothing.”
As a long-time small business owers in Uptown, they have experienced the shifting environment both in Uptown Whittier and in college students’ relationship to their store and other small businesses. She says she keeps students in mind when pricing items.
Students, though, say they apprecite the affordable fashion. Second-year Madison Wells says, “I go all the time looking to find something specific, like a Grateful Dead band shirt, and even if they don’t have it that time, I walk out with something else. Their selection is super cute and the prices are really good.”
So many students at Whittier College find themselves inside Melrose because the location forces them past their store front. Melrose’s one-of-a-kind pieces draw customers inside, while the friendly atmosphere and helpful employees keep them returning for more.
“Students are over Starbucks. It’s too popular and people want to go somewhere that feels personal to them.”
Just around the corner and down the street from Melrose, there is a new business that is forging close ties with Whittier College.
Lift Coffee Roasters, opened nine months ago, brings a fresh, youthful vibe to Uptown. Lift employee Keanu Banayat says the coffee shop chose Uptown for its close proximity to the college. Lift appeals to many students who prefer to get their classwork and studying done outside of the eerily quiet, stuffy library. The sound of soft music playing, the smell of coffee brewing and the people around make a wonderful blend of white noise that Banayat says draws students to Lift. The uniqueness of small coffee shops adds to Lift’s appeal, says Banayat. “Students are over Starbucks,” he says. “It’s too popular and people want to go somewhere that feels personal to them.”
In order to draw more students in and promote itself, Lift holds a wide variety of events, including an open mic night on Thursdays. The evening begins at 5:00 pm with a first-come-first serve sign up. Then, at 5:30 pm the acoustic music begins to play. By that time the shop is packed with people, especially students, letting the music take them to some place free of the stress of relentless papers and tests.
Banayat, a college student himself, especially appreciates the open-mic night because it serves as a meet and greet for all the people in the shop. He says that after events like these, people have a tendency to walk out of Lift knowing at least one new person. He explains that these events are successful because it’s a collaborative effort with the college (KPOET and QCTV have been involved) and students feel personally invited to participate. Whittier College, being a liberal arts school, is home to many creative students looking to share their talents.“Lift has the experience to do this really well,” adds Banayat. Keanu adds. Lift knows these events will have a good turnout due to
Another small business enthusiastic about collaborations with Whittier College and its students is Local Fixture. Local Fixture sells trinkets and apparel that don the college’s name. Gil Gonzalez, a Whittier College theatre professor and the Associate Dean of First Year Programs, has held events with Local Fixture and has had some success getting the small business and the students of Whittier College acquainted with each other.
Gonzalez shares has been teaching and directing theater at Whittier College for 13 years and throughout that time he has either lived on campus or within a few-minutes walk. He frequents Uptown, “every day, if not, several times a week” and has observed that some businesses are more willing to offer help than others.
Local Fixture is very community oriented, so they were quick to offer their help.
Local Fixture collaborated with Gonzalez in planning an event to promote a theatre production with his company, Enceladus. “Local Fixture is very community oriented, so they were quick to offer their help,” says Gonzalez. Together, the planned an hour-long cabaret night featuring members of his theatre company. The event sold out and was financially successful, but, more importantly, the night was a fun opportunity for students to showcase their talents and get more involved with the community.
Professor Gonzalez says the opportunities for collaboration between the college and Uptown are many due to the close proximiity and because small businesses tend to be more invested in their communities. In addition to the Enceladus Theatre Company, Whittier College’s own theatre department and many campus club advertise events by placing fliers in small businesses throughout Uptown. Local Fixture further cements its close ties to the college by employeed students.
Gonzalez has noticed more stores in Uptown offering discounts and special deals to those who have student IDs. Mimo’s cafe keeps its prices relatively low and welcomes student societies, clubs, and organizations to use the restaurant for fundraisers and events. Whittier Village Cinemas also has five-dollar movies on Tuesdays and Thursdays, drawing students to Uptown to catch a movie without breaking the bank.
A flurry of new business openings has also added to Uptown’s appeal, including Auntie’s, a café specializing in brunch on Greenleaf and Hadley. Auntie’s provides an aesthetically pleasing patio and outdoor seating complete with trendy music lightly playing to complete the scene. Keeping up with the fad of boba, Uno Tea House opened in April of 2015 and has maintained its popularity among young customers. Its low prices appeal to students, not to mention the totally Instagrammable look of their colorful drinks. With these new businesses and special events such as farmers’ market on Fridays and concerts in the park, perhaps students will see the appeal of nearby Uptown Whittier.
