MUSEUMS

By John Welborne

Vote … with your ballots — and, for the Chronicle, with your checkbooks

Visible locally are additional signs of our communities getting back together, post-pandemic.

The Larchmont Family Fair returns after a two-year absence. Fundraising galas are bringing people together again. What about the November 8 election? Sadly, in my view, our election will have fewer people brought together at neighborhood polling places — because of the mailed ballots. Oh, well. Do be sure to mail your own ballot before November 8 (if you do not visit a polling place to vote in person).

As has been the case in recent years, newspapers continue to face tough times because of seriously rising costs. However, as you can see in this issue, the Larchmont Chronicle continues to get great advertiser support. Nevertheless, the rising newsprint, postage, printing and delivery costs take a toll. Just our printing cost is up more than 30 percent compared to January 2021.

Part of how we are able to continue our 60 years of community oriented publishing is because of generous, supportive readers.

Included in this issue is a reply envelope that asks readers to help offset the cost of producing and delivering your local paper. We hope you will respond by mailing us a check in that envelope.

Sun., Oct. 30 — Larchmont Family Fair, 2 to 7 p.m. Concert at 5:30 p.m.

Mon., Oct. 31 — Halloween.

Sun., Nov. 6 — Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m.

Tues., Nov. 8 — Election Day – don’t forget to vote!

Wed., Nov. 9 — Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Check greaterwilshire.org for details.

Fri., Nov. 11 — Veterans Day.

Thurs., Nov. 24 — Thanksgiving Day.

Thurs., Dec. 1 — Delivery

Miniature Tail O’ the Pup

Here is a photo of a maquette my husband, Al Alu, made of this famous hot dog stand. [“Restaurants that have come back from the dead,” Oct. 2022].

Tamara Blustein Wilshire Park

Student journalists rock!

I wanted to tell you how great the student journalist articles are! I love them! Carolyn Koppel Deerfield, IL

Medley movie reviews

It was apparently just the beginning when the Larchmont Chronicle’s Tony Medley injected his intolerant, grievance-based worldview into what a reader of a column titled “At the Movies” might reasonably expect would be a movie review, writing, “I believe that abortion is immoral for any reason other than to save the life of the

Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and. Dawne P. Goodwin.

Publisher and Editor

John H. Welborne

Managing Editor

Suzan Filipek

Contributing Editor

Jane Gilman

Staff Writers

Talia Abrahamson Casey Russell Helene Seifer

Advertising Director

Pam Rudy

Advertising Sales including Classifieds

Caroline Tracy

Art Director

Tom Hofer

Circulation Manager

Nona Sue Friedman

Accounting

Jill Miyamoto of the December issue of the Larchmont Chronicle.

Sat., Dec. 3 — Holiday Open House is celebrated on Larchmont Boulevard.

MAQUETTE of Tail O’ the Pup by Al Alu.

Photo by Tamara Blustein

mother.”

Not done, he continued in his ostensible review of Norman Lear’s Rita Moreno documentary “Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It,” that Ms. Moreno “gushes” and “brag[s]” about the abortion she underwent, “thrilled she could kill it without a trace of remorse.”

Medley’s latest diatribe is against “Catherine Called Birdy,” a film that dares to cast Black actors (one must surmise, though he prefers the odd, evasive, continent-centered term “Africans”): “[g] laring in its absurdity is pic(Please turn to page 38) Write us at letters@larchmontchronicle.com. Include your name, contact information and where you live. We reserve the right to edit for space and grammar.

CORRECTIONS

In last month’s issue . . .

Imagine LA president

The story about volunteer Logan Herr implied that current Imagine LA president Jill Govan Bauman is only the “recent” president. She has been, and remains, president of Imagine LA. o o o

Protecting and saving Beverly Fairfax

The paper erred in citing the organization “Save” Beverly Fairfax as being in support of revising the proposed Television City project. The story should have read: “Protect” Beverly Fairfax. Save Beverly (Please turn to page 7)

‘What are your plans for Thanksgiving?’

That’s the question inquiring photographer Casey Russell asked locals.

“I’m going to South Carolina with my girlfriend to spend time with her family.” Adam Hirsch with Smokey and Gus Windsor Square

“We are going to spend it with family in the South Bay. All the cousins are down there. And we are starting to look forward to Christmastime on the Boulevard.”

Dmitry, Gina and Zoë Levin Miracle Mile

“My family is going to visit from Arizona, and we will be giving them the full Larchmont Village experience. We’ll go to the Farmers’ Market, Great White, the magazine stand; we’ll get sandwiches from Larchmont Village Wine & Cheese and walk through the neighborhood.” Benito Lugo Larchmont Village

By Casey Russell

Two new leases have been signed for spaces in the Larchmont Mercantile complex, according to a source at Rare Public Relations.

Midland, which will carry women’s and kids’ clothing, accessories, apothecary items and some books, will be located at 138 N. Larchmont Blvd. Sichuan Kitchenette, a new grab-and-go café serving ready-to-eat Sichuan Chinese food, will reside at 144 N. Larchmont Blvd.

Inside at least three previously leased storefronts, tenant improvements are underway. There is construction at: Velvet by Graham and Spencer (146 N. Larchmont Blvd.); Boba the Great (142 N. Larchmont Blvd.); and a space next to Hidden Jeans, (130 N. Larchmont Blvd.). Hidden Jeans opened Oct. 22.

From a source at Commercial Asset Group, we heard that construction will begin across the street in January

SECTION ONE

THIRD STREET news. 31

COUNCIL REPORT 12 DINING GUIDE 13 Theater 14 On the Menu 16 Movies 28 SCHOOL NEWS 30 YOUTH SPORTS 35 TIPS ON PARENTING 37

SECTION TWO

VIEW:

Real Estate Libraries, Museums Home & Garden

SPOOKY HOMES. 6 MUSEUMS 2 HOME GROUND 4 REAL ESTATE SALES 4 ON PRESERVATION 5 LIBRARIES 12 POLICE BEAT 14 BEEZWAX 15 WORD CAFÉ 15 for clothier Feherty Brand (219 N. Larchmont Blvd., the last home of Pickett Fences, just south of Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese).

We also learned that — at the wine and cheese store — the search is narrowing for a new wine buyer to replace Simon Cocks. Village Pizzeria

As many in the neighborhood may know by now, Larchmont Boulevard’s topnotch and longtime pizza place, Village Pizzeria, is under new ownership. The founding owner, Steve Cohen, sold the pizza restaurant in July 2022. (He and wife Nancy still live in Larchmont Village.)

Last month, we sat down with new operator Scot Ruggles, one of the five new partners in the venture, to find out what the quintet has in mind for its new business and how things are going so far.

INTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS under construction for new Larchmont Mercantile tenant.

Ruggles, who has been a football coach, actor and producer for the past 15 years, said he and Ruby Javed joined as minority owners after the original deal was completed.

Amy Saxon, Frank Grillo and producer Jeff Bowler are the other owners, according to Saxon, with whom we texted and spoke by telephone.

Sold in July 2022

In the summer of 2021, former owner Cohen, exhausted by how the pandemic had affected the business, posted his interest in selling on Instagram. He and his wife Nancy opened Village Pizzeria 26 years ago. Jeff Bowler, said Cohen, responded several days after the post, expressing interest in buying the restaurant.

Cohen said his family agreed to proceed with a sale because the purchase price and contract limits and guidelines met their expectations. However, the transfer was far from smooth, according to Cohen. The escrow did not close until July 18, 2022.

Cohen also told us that, as of May 31, 2022, he no longer has been involved.

For the past several months, the new team had been “getting game plans together,” Ruggles told the Chronicle last month, and they now have their full team. “From this day on, I think you’ll really just see us go where we want to go. We’re excited to have the neighborhood and everybody be a part of it.” He added, “The previous owner… had done a great job, obviously. This place is well known.”

And what does the team plan to do? “I think we’re going to start expanding delivery,” Ruggles said. The group plans to expand the delivery radius and use delivery apps.

As far as recipes go, the new owners are sticking to the tried and true. “Everything’s the same… same pizza chef. I’m sure there’ll be a couple things tweaked and changed. But, for the most part, it’s served as is,” Ruggles stated. Memorabilia

And will the place continue to look familiar to longtime patrons? The Cohens had collected, over a lifetime, great photos and memorabilia, which cover the walls at Village Pizzeria. When asked if those items would be (Please turn to page 4)