GIGA GRANADA HILLS

The shop many had hoped would spark a new trend for the Old Granada Hills business district on Chatsworth Street, Alley Cat Boutique, is closing its doors after just eleven short months in business. Owner Jonalyn Cooper (pictured at left), a thirteen-year Granada Hills resident, had said of Granada Hills in a previous interview: "There's a great vision, and there's people that really stand behind that vision. Unfortunately, we're in a situation where that vision cannot come to be because there are certain elements of the city that stand in the way, but we all have a great aspiration of making this small town Granada Hills feeling, that makes it quaint, charming, and lovely, to match the people that live here." Cooper strove to make a store that also looked like her progressive vision of what Granada Hills could be: in her words, "Quaint charm on the outside, hip and funky inside." When Alley Cat was just five months old, the shop, a vintage and...

Starting today through May 16, Starbucks is offering their "new and improved" Frappuccinos at half price between 3-5pm, and already, employees are bitching about it on the Facebook Page for the event . Gripes one: "Its gonna suck really bad if your a partner such as myself....especially when you work at a busy store. The new fraps take forever to make." One commenter said, "The new ones are not nearly as delicious as they used to be. You'll see," but another employee didn't see the difference, saying, "I work for Starbucks, and Frappuccinos suck like they always have. But another employee suggests a solution: "If you're working with shifts/managers who don't care, you could make it in the pitcher instead of the cup. Much easier. " The often lax quality control at Starbucks hasn't made a difference in their bottom line. One poster summarizes it best: "Yes I will be attending, mainly because the drink is onl...

Granada Hills native and L.A. Observed blogger Bob Timmerman reminisces about buying baseball cards at Cork 'n' Bib Liquor in his interview with baseball card collector, Josh Wilker, author of Cardboard Gods . An excerpt from the interview: Q: How do you describe what Cardboard Gods is about? A: It is a tough one, and I guess I have different answers at different times. I always have trouble saying what any books are about, actually, I think because it's more about how I lean on them than what they're about. Like On the Road was a book I leaned on when I was 17 and freshly expelled from high school to expand my narrowing horizons and to get some breath in my lungs and to be hopeful about the life I still had to lead, and that such a life might contain some adventures and joy, and that I might be able to write about that life and get some of the joy down onto the page, as Kerouac had. It's the same with this book that I wrote--it's easier for me t...

Weekend Basic Survival Course! Registration closing on May 8th!! Hello Everyone, In a couple of weeks we have the honor of hosting the world renowned British survival expert, Toby Cowern, who will be leading a Basic Survival Course. [ More on Toby http://www.survival-school.org/Default.aspx?tabid=579 ] The registration is ending on May 8th, which is the date we will need to have the final count, and all payments (checks, cash, Visa/MC) in. The course will take place on May 15-16, in a location in the Palmdale area. Toby will teach everyone some basic survival skills, such as how to light fire in the wild, how to build a shelter... and will introduce us to many nature games. We will learn how to develop some good nature awareness! Don't miss this rare opportunity... We will leave Granada Hills on Saturday at 9 am, and will be back on Sunday around 4 pm. You may choose to participate in both days, or only in one day. The fees for two-days are: Adults and teens $60, Children under...

Sometimes, my son and I carpool with an older girl who goes to his school. I do have to leave the house a couple of minutes earlier than usual, but I'm glad to be helping out another mom and getting another car off the road. Since the weather has been lovely lately, I wanted to bike to school one morning and include this other child in our ride. The mom was fine with the idea, but her ten-year-old daughter wasn't. The poor girl was mortally terrified, it turns out, of being hit by a car. I tried to reassure them that it would be an all-sidewalk ride, with only two street crossings, one of which would have a signal, but she was just too frightened to attempt it. I found this terribly sad, especially when reflecting on my own childhood, that a ten-year-old girl would be afraid to attempt a four-block ride. It wasn't that long ago that it was a commonplace occurrence for kids to bike or walk to school, but in the intervening years, car culture has become so much more deepl...

I typically don't do much reporting on crime stories unless something about them cracks me up (e.g. this one ), but I was excited to learn from The Associated Press that the "Starlet Bandit" just hit one of our local banks. Oooh, I love starlets -- especially when they visit Granada Hills! Judging by her surveillance camera snaps, I can see why this starlet traded casting calls for a life of crime; even full-figured gals have to pay the rent, and Hollywood is a tough town when you're not a size 0. Fortunately, on this side of the hill, she blends right in, and unlike L.A., Granada Hills is having a distinct starlet shortage, so I say, come on over! I only wish we had a local branch of Goldman Sachs she could heist.

GigaGranadaHills is pleased to welcome Faces By Fern to the GGH family of sponsors! Fern Burg, who is offering a special discount to GigaGranadaHills readers on her spa facials (see the lovely green box at right), is originally from Chicago and moved to the Valley when she was 8 years old, "But I consider myself a Californian," Fern says. "I love the Valley -- we have everything we need right here!" Fern received her aesthetician training at Newberry School of Beauty in Granada Hills, and prides herself on keeping up to date with the latest in beauty tech. "I recently acquired a unique device which allows me to gently peel my client's dead surface skin cells, and then -- on a different setting, effectively penetrate active, healthful ingredients into their skin." Fern says, "I love my work, love what I do, and get a lot of pleasure from my happy and satisfied clients. I am a nurturing person and...