Give Stanton a Chance

For some people, the only good way to see Stanton is in a rear-view mirror. They eye the strip malls and trailer parks and ask, “Why stop?” We see the not-so-hidden charms and ask “Why not?”

Where else can you pick up--gingerly, of course--a rare cactus from Madagascar and then, just a few blocks away, scarf souvlakia, a kefte kebab or a nice falafel? Where else but Stanton can you get a tattoo, some lingerie and your taxes done under the same roof?

Turns out this three-square-mile city deserves a little more than a passing glance.

Points of Interest

For 42 years, lovers of prickly plants have stopped at the House of Cactus (10580 Beach Blvd., [714] 828-4298) to sample what might be the largest selection of its specialty flora in Southern California.

Sheets of green mesh netting drape above table after table of nature’s most gnarled, quirky and spiny creations. Rick Hipp and his wife, Nancy, went from customers to owners 22 years ago, and now they stock more than 1,500 varieties of cactuses and succulents.

Rick Hipp, who minds the store with his two black-headed caique parrots, Zach and Kitty, says his place attracts customers from all over the country. Once a guy bought dozens of cactuses and then announced he was taking them home to the far northern reaches of Alaska.

“He had a spa area that was climate-controlled and had a heat lamp just so he could have these plants, even though it was dark all winter,” Hipp said.

Hipp even sent cactuses to a sheik in Oman, he said, but that was when there were fewer restrictions on overseas shipping, especially of endangered plants.

“In the ‘80s, he bought hundreds of plants and shipped them back,” Hipp said wistfully.

Now as always, Hipp’s best customers are locals feeding their love of cactuses. They come knowing they can get small $1.50 cuttings for a container garden as well as $300 rarities they might find nowhere else in Southern California. A rare crested Myrtillocactus cochal cristata from Baja California is priced at $260, while an angular 4-foot-tall “Totem Pole” cactus goes for $195.

Business booms in spring when his plants sprout and flower, Hipp said. But the love of true devotees spans all seasons. Once gardeners become cactus fans, Hipp said, they tend to stick with it.

Greece Is the Word

Perhaps more transient are the tastes of diners in Stanton. Beach Boulevard is dotted with ethnic restaurants that seem destined to close almost before the “grand opening” banner comes down. A restaurant space next to the House of Cactus has changed hands seven times since the Hipps bought their business, Hipp said.

Most recently, the owner served Egyptian food. “He stayed open barely a month,” Hipp said.

Now the building bears a new sign proclaiming, “Coming soon: Chinese restaurant.”

But not all area eateries fail the test of time. The Mad Greek (12120 Beach Blvd., [714] 898-5181) has been serving a mix of Mediterranean and American favorites since 1981.

Sure, you can get a burger or a grilled chicken breast, but why would you when for $3.95 you can get a gyro of seasoned beef and lamb dripping with homemade cucumber sauce wrapped in supple pita bread?

Other options include the falafel ($3.65), with its tangy tahini sauce; the souvlakia, in chicken or beef ($3.95); and the fried zucchini ($2.69 for a large order), which the Mad Greek says it invented.

There are actually four Mad Greeks, but this is the only one in Orange County. Dine on the patio and you’ll be surrounded by grapevines. Only a few grapes dangle from the vines this time of year, but owner Bill Kiousis promises blooms in May and a new crop by summer.

How Bazaar

Also spicing up the neighborhood is the International Marketplace Indoor Swapmeet of Stanton (10401 Beach Blvd., [714] 527-1112). With its 70 vendors hawking an eclectic mix of goods and services, the marketplace evokes thoughts of a street bazaar in a foreign city--except that it’s on two levels of a sleek, cream-colored building.

Strains of Latin music greet shoppers, who, like the vendors, reflect the diverse ethnic makeup of the surrounding area. Signs at various booths are in Spanish or Korean as well as English, and customers haggle in a variety of languages.

Goods range from vitamins and herbs to video games, wedding accessories and leather crafts. One shop is a combination travel agency and tax preparer. Another offers chiropractic care.

Shoppers flocked to the marketplace when it opened in 1988, featuring a $1 entry fee. Now entry is free and vending space is available, but the 40,000-square-foot building is still crowded on weekends. (In 1993, the building was considered as a site for a card club until voters rejected the proposal.)

On one end of the upper level, you can get a henna tattoo that lasts about two weeks and costs less than $5. Or if you insist on needles, you can have a name or design embroidered on a cap for $6.99 at a booth on the opposite end of the floor. The same vendor sells Mother Teresa T-shirts for 99 cents. “Most likely, we have something for everyone,” operations manager Jila Ilami said.

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IF YOU GO

Getting There: Take Beach Boulevard south from the Riverside Freeway (91) or north from the Garden Grove Freeway (22).

More Reasons to Like Stanton:

* The city is one of the few to incorporate twice, the first time in 1911 to save itself from becoming a storage site for Anaheim’s sewage.

* The city flower is the bird of paradise, and the city tree is the jacaranda.

* If you’re a big Hollywood producer and want to film your next action picture or romantic comedy in Stanton, it only costs $300 for an application review and business license, plus a $100-a-day location fee.

* It’s home to Nickel City (12075 Beach Blvd., [714] 892-4858), which features more than 100 video and arcade games you can play for nickels instead of quarters. First you have to pay a $1.95 entry fee (less if you have a group of eight or more), but then you can play for hours for just a few bucks.

About 30 games are free, including the old favorite Ms. Pac-Man. Try the Crazy Taxi game, in which the driver sees how many fares he can pick up and deliver alive as he swerves to avoid oncoming traffic and city buses. Kind of like a day in New York, only cheaper.

Stanton on Beach

1. The Indoor Swapmeet of Stanton

10401 Beach Blvd.

(714) 527-1112

2. House of Cactus

10580 Beach Blvd.

(714) 828-4298

3. Nickel City

12075 Beach Blvd.

(714) 892-4858

4. Mad Greek

12120 Beach Blvd.

(714) 898-5181