When I was in high school in the late 80's, having a scooter was pretty cool...but to have a Vespa was like owning a classic sports car. Their popularity's been pretty resilient, especially during the recent gas crisis, despite the $3,000 to $6,000 price tag.
Now those cool little scooters are coming to Little Tokyo. The CRALA recently signed off on a permit for Vespa Scooters to open a 2,500 sq ft dealership in to the former Shakojuku building at the southwest corner of Central Avenue and 3rd Street.
We'll post renderings and plans of the storefront as soon as they become available.Thanks to Ron for the tip.
5 comments:
Interesting! Some of the top Vespa shops in the US are in this area. I expect this will do well but wonder how it will compete with Vespa Sherman Oaks and Vespa Thousand Oaks.
Do you have any ideas who the owners of the new dealership are?
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Vespa will have a retail presence in that new retail store front. I was expecting a clothing or food establishment -- not Vespa! I welcome its presence and hope that it will add to Little Tokyo's charm and evolving character. Thank goodness its not going to be a Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Johnnie Rockets, or some other dreadful chain that dots every city block corner...
I am frankly shocked that nobody has piped up yet with an indignant, clueless quasi-racist "But It's Not Japanese!" rant.
Oh wait, maybe it's because Vespa is Italian, not Korean in origin. Maybe if it had been Hyundai or Daewoo or something... XD
I'm a fan of Vespa but I think they're over-rated. For some reason, it seems like there's no middle ground though - it's either Vespa or a break-down-in-one-year Scooter. It's still nice to see a new scooter shop, even if it is Vespa.
good to know a vespa store now opens in little Tokyo. I have a friend living in the area and I will tell her about the vespa store. She may be be interested to check the vespas. But if you happen to visit one of the most favorite cities in Belgium, that's Ypres or Ieper, and you would like to tour around the city and visit world war 1 sites, you can rent a vespa from hotels nearby. Ambrosia Hotel Ieper not only offers bed & breakfast, it also offers vespa rental or vespa verhuur both for hotel or non-hotel guests.
Post a Comment