Little Tokyo Shopping Center (Los Angeles, California)

USA / California / Vernon / Los Angeles, California / South Alameda Street, 333
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This three-floor, 300,000-square-foot shopping center, with an anchor grocery store, has been a longtime fixture in the Little Tokyo neighborhood, built at the height of the 1980s Japanese economic boom. The mall was built by Japanese American developer Albert Taira in partnership with the U.S. real estate arm of Obayashi Fudosan of Japan. The supermarket was operated first by Japan-based Yaohan and then Mitsuwa Marketplace. At one time, the mall included a bowling alley, Japanese bookstore and movie theater.

Alas, after many years of operation, Mitsuwa closed in January 2009 and is scheduled to be immediately replaced by a grocery story that adds more Korean and Chinese items while preserving the Japanese theme. The change was credited to the changing demographics in the neighborhood. There remains two other Japanese supermarkets in Little Tokyo, in the Japanese Village Plaza and Weller Court, however this was the largest of them all.

The new store, to be called the Little Tokyo Galleria Market, will primarily feature Korean and Japanese products but also include Chinese, American and even Mexican items and reopen Feb. 15.

The rest of the mall will also be revamped: the 50,000-square-foot space on the mall's third floor will have the largest Korean-style spa outside of New York City. The new owners of the mall have planned to keep the Japanese theme and design, as well as the Japanese tenants. The building is to be renovated to look more pleasant and have more Japanese design elements.

Information above gleaned from this LA Times article:
www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mitsuwa24-2009jan24,0,...

There is a Beard Papa's Piping Hot Creampuffs in this mall.

In this building

  1. Little Tokyo Galleria Market (formerly Mitsuwa)
  2. Tom N Toms Coffee
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Coordinates:   34°2'41"N   118°14'19"W

Comments

  • Made a big update. The mall is now under new ownership and the grocery store is leaving, however it is going to be immediately replaced. While its bittersweet to tradition that the grocery is going to be less Japanese (as a result of changing neighborhood demographics), the overall mall will get a much-needed face-lift and still have a Japanese theme.
This article was last modified 9 years ago