By Brooklynn Ackerman

La Mirada~This morning was the grand opening of the new Grocery Outlet Bargain Market located at Imperial Highway and Santa Gertrudes Avenue.

Yesterday, the store hosted a sneak preview event and invited some members of the community to roam the aisles before the doors were opened today.

The store is filled with GREAT deals, lots of organic options and helpful staff members.

I had a chance to speak with Pam Brown, one of the co-owners and operators. Pam has lived in Whittier for about 18 years and is looking forward to fostering great relationships and giving back to the community.

She expressed her gratitude to neighboring businesses and members of the community who have given her and her team such a warm welcome. When I asked if she was prepared for the grand opening she stated, “I’m nervous because it’s such a big day, but I am very excited. My team has been awesome and we are ready”.

The fastest growing extreme-value grocer in the U.S., Grocery Outlet now has over 290 locations covering six states.

In honor of the grand opening, Grocery Outlet will be donating the amount of customer savings from the first hour of operation to Love La Mirada. Also this morning, mystery coupons were handed out to the first 200 guests and every shopper received a reusable bag.

From April 5th through May 3rd, shoppers can enter to win free groceries for one year! There is much to be excited about, so stop by the Grocery Outlet and check out the amazing deals!

La Mirada~IMPACT Properties, a premier real estate agency with more than $128 million in transactions, recently announced its expansion into Los Angeles County with the opening of a new office in La Mirada to meet market demand.

In addition to the agency’s headquarters in Orange County, the new space doubles IMPACT’s footprint in Southern California.

Don Jacks, a real estate veteran with more than 20 years of experience, was tapped by IMPACT Properties’ founder and CEO Aaron Zapata to lead the new office which offers residential listings, foreclosures and property management services.

Seasoned Real Estate Professional Takes Helm of New Office

With more than two decades of experience selling homes in communities throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, Don Jacks will lead the new La Mirada office, effective immediately. Jacks is ranked in the top three percent of REALTORS® nationwide, and is a real estate coach for one of the leading real estate coaching and training companies in the world and brings his coaching experience to help his agents succeed.

A proud father of four, Jacks has coached youth soccer since 2000 and is a founding member and president of the La Mirada Soccer Association, serving the soccer needs of more than 1,000 children in the community.

“As a local resident, I am invested in this community and look forward to leading the L.A. office,” said Jacks. “IMPACT’s approach to achieving results for our clients with unparalleled customer service and innovative marketing tools drew me to the agency. I look forward to working with the team of agents and the community to support their real estate needs.”

IMPACT Properties’ new office is located at 16700 Valley View Avenue, Suite 300 in La Mirada.

La Mirada~According to a source, for unnamed reasons, the Steinmart located at 15754 Imperial Highway will be closing its doors when its lease expires in February. Multiple sources have also indicated to us that a Ross Department Store may take its place.The Steinmart is expected to remain open through the end of the year.

Also, we received a message the Elephant Bar Restaurant at 14303 Firestone Boulevard has shuttered. We tried calling the restaurant earlier this evening to confirm, but there was no answer and no message opportunity. After visiting the site, we can confirm the restaurant has closed.

The Costa Mesa-based parent S.B. Restaurant Co. filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and closed 16 units. They also closed 4 units in the Bay area last month. A check of the chains website revealed the La Miirada location has been omitted with only three Southern California locations remaining.

In 1980, founder of the Carrows family-dining chain, David Nancarrow, opened the first Elephant Bar Restaurant location in Lubbock, Texas. At one time, the chain had 25 stores in six states.

The La Mirada Blog has also learned the Big O Tires on Valley View Avenue has also closed its doors.

Dunkel Bros. Machinery Moving is….Moving.

The La Mirada-based company will be staying in town, but will be relocating to 14555 Alondra Blvd after the California Department of Transportation purchased its current facility on Firestone Blvd. for the I-5 Widening Project, it announced last year.

The firm is best known for the well-publicized move of the Space Shuttle Endeavor from LAX to its new home at the California Science Center two years ago.

They will be renovating the building on Alondra that was built in 1968 and utilizing it as its corporate headquarters. The building is 237,089 square feet building and sits on 12+ acres.

The building originally was scheduled to be demolished but the previous owner (Heitman LLC) received an offer from Dunkel they couldn’t refuse.

The 2015 holiday season may be the last chance for area residents to view the company’s famous light display that adorns the 5 freeway every year.

Full Steamed Buns Ahead

Plans to build a McDonald’s at the site of the iconic Carriage Coffee Shop are moving forward according to City Community Development Manager Alison Moore.

A fire broke out in the kitchen in December of last year and shuttered the eatery permanently.

Many people have commented and speculated publicly on this website’s Facebook page, the fire last year seemed suspicious at a time when the closure of The Carriage seemed imminent.

Moore told us indications from the developer, Rich Development, reflect that there should be “activity” on the site soon.

Diving Right In

Pacific Diving Academy USA, Inc. currently located in Santa Fe Springs will be moving to La Mirada after purchasing the former 24-Hour Fitness facility located on La Mirada Blvd.

The non-profit organization was founded in 1996 by Andy and Amy Kwan. Along with a world class dry-land diving facility, their training center houses a full size gymnastics spring floor, numerous gymnastics apparatus, dance studio, and a weight training center.

The company purchased the building outright. Kimco Realty Corp. are the owners of most of the remainder of the Theatre Center.

The City currently contracts, with the academy for some of their classes.

The former LA Fitness gym next to IHOP is currently undergoing a renovation you can see when you drive by.