The DOWNTOWN Report: Early November 2024

By Mike Ritto on October 30, 2024

Donuts To Dollars

We were there with our crew, and there she was, ready to be included in a local cable TV commercial because she was a long-time swap meet vendor. A swap meet vendor? That’s a big deal?

She had been doing this for maybe two decades, mostly selling colorful beach towels, and who knew, but we discovered that she had put four children through college working just three days a week, and that leads us to why we are spotlighting a fixture on Harbor Blvd for the second edition in a row.

Last time, we promised some photos of the B&B Donuts shop at 925 Harbor Blvd, but since discovering the history of the place and the success story on the day of their 40th anniversary, we felt you deserved to know more. This is also a family success story, with generations working there and making regular customers like Liz and Sal feel like family.

Taking over the former Burger Chef and keeping the vintage mid-century modern look was a great move, as was staying open 24 hours a day. The donut sign on top of the building was added in 2016 after the place got a paint job as fresh as the daily large assortment of donuts and other goodies.

It became a go-to during Covid because of the drive-thru window, and many people like to spend time inside visiting with friends and making new ones. Sure, we had free donuts and even pizza that day, but we came home filled with hope for a thriving business that shows how hard work can really pay off.

Congratulations to the owners.

Walk on Wilshire

Supporters from 5 to 70-plus years of age came out armed with handmade signs to make their feelings known, and chants of “We want WOW–when do we want it–NOW” rang out across Commonwealth to Amerige Park and beyond. On the north side of City Hall, contingents from both sides of the issue gathered and since there was not enough room inside for all, many moved next door to view the proceedings from the overflow room in our Main Library.

Others tuned in online and watched, still, others participated via Zoom, and a long line of interested Fullerton residents came up to the podium in person to make their pitch. No decision was made, but we do know plans are being made for many events on that segment of West Wilshire from now until January when the official word finally comes down. More info regarding this meeting and the status of Walk On Wilshire can be found by clicking here.

Say Hello to Hollywood

Part of Fullerton is inside the 30-mile zone from the center of LA, so our downtown is no stranger to film crews, and it was no shock to see the line of equipment and catering trucks lined up on West Santa Fe on Tuesday, October 22. We spoke with the location manager and Fullerton College alumnus Daniel Finn the day before and discovered the area was for staging.

The actual shoot location was not revealed, but I’m sure some of you located it later in the day. The crew at the site was not allowed to give us a lot of info, but the notice of filming read: “Film LA, Universal Television LLC- Hacks S4,” so we surmise they are shooting Season 4 of “Hacks.” That TV Series is a comedy streaming on HBO Max.

We were also reporting on the set of the 2019 “The Politician” TV Series at Fullerton High School (Gwyneth Paltrow/Jessica Lang/Ben Platt), the 2017 movie “Suburbicon” (Matt Damon/Julianne Moore, directed by George Clooney), and Ace Hardware and Domino’s Pizza commercials downtown. The movie “Vanilla Sky” was scheduled to be shot at the original Heroes location on Wilshire Ave, but issues with one of the stars nixed that one. Too bad, some guy who writes here was hired to be the location manager, and when word got out, he was asked to introduce Tom Cruz, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, and Kurt Russell to everyone on the block.

Ha. Likely would not have gotten within talking distance of any of them. Say Goodbye To Hollywood.