Old Town Merchants Hoping for New Life

As the new year begins, Old Town Calabasas merchants are hoping that the nearly completed face lift of Calabasas Road will bring back customers frustrated by years of road construction in the area.

Calabasas Road, a section of the city known for the Old West flavor of the historical Leonis Adobe and shops, has been remade by the city to take advantage of its heritage as a turn-of-the-century stagecoach stop.

The road was widened to accommodate curbside parking, and new wood planters and benches were designed to encourage people to walk around, shop and relax. Bicycle racks disguised as hitching posts and new black street lanterns are a throwback to another time.

A landscaped median was added to the road, and cobblestone and brick crosswalks--also designed to be speed bumps--are clearly marked to aid pedestrians in traversing the usually busy street.

City officials said the $1.2-million renovation, which began in June, is nearly finished.

Merchants said they hope the frustration many of their customers felt during road construction--first when Caltrans rebuilt a Valley Circle/Mulholland Drive interchange nearby and later by Old Town street improvements--will be forgotten.

They said that all the merchants have suffered, many reporting a drop in business by an average of 30% in 1997.

Linda Evron, owner and operator of Calabasas Junction Antiques and the weekly farmers’ market, said her business dropped off nearly 80% and the Christmas selling season was particularly dismal.

The construction workers tried to accommodate the merchants as best they could, especially concerning already scarce parking, she said, adding that the end result is “beautiful.”

“We’re in fine fettle now,” she said. “We just need people to come back.”