Boulevard News-August 2019

Events 2019 / Newsletters

You Belong Here

After running two separate businesses for over 10 years, Nic Roc and Stacy Keck’s worlds aligned and they quickly realized that instead of sharing an office space, both had dreams for so much more. As a creative sector entrepreneur, it can get lonely working out of one’s home with no one available to bounce around ideas with or collaborate. The opportunity of being office mates was encouraging, but for their own personal growth, they really wanted to connect more deeply with the community, highlight social issues and stir up conversation between people. Thus came You Belong Here (YBH), a collaborative work space that offers floating desk space and resources including a meeting room, podcast room and photo studio that can be rented by the hour.

Open Monday through Friday, 6am-5pm, YBH is available to full-time and part-time members. In such an intimate space, members feel encouraged to share ideas and pursue their passion projects. It is meant to be a versatile and dynamic work/event space, designed with foldable furniture, the room can easily transform to host all different types of gatherings. Over the past year, it’s been very experimental, and as a result, amazing events such as Drag Queen Story Hour and Elephant Talks, a discussion around gender, identity and racism have become notable programs that have come to define YBH.

You Belong Here – 3619 El Cajon Boulevard

Two New “Little Saigon Stories” Public Art Installations

Two new art installations have been completed as part of “Little Saigon Stories,” a community-based arts program showcasing San Diego’s Vietnamese-American community through public art and placemaking activities along The Boulevard. Little Saigon Stories was designed as a platform for local youth to capture, preserve and share the first-hand accounts of inter-generational members of San Diego’s Vietnamese-American community through photography and film.

The latest installation in the Little Saigon Stories series is large scale mural created by acclaimed artist Shinpei Takeda, co-founder of the AjA Project, a participatory photography-based program for refugee and immigrant youth in San Diego. The 120-foot-by-30-foot mural covers the entire parking lot of Sin Lee Foods, located at 4665 El Cajon Blvd. in City Heights.

Painted by Takeda and a small team of volunteers over the course of eight nights, the work centers around a 66-foot ship, the actual size of the typical fishing boats refugees boarded to escape the communists in the aftermath of the Vietnamese War. The image was inspired by a story shared by Andy Tang, owner of Sin Lee Foods, whose uncle Stephen fled to the U.S. on such a vessel. As many as 300 to 400 people were crammed onto each boat, a devastating fact that Takeda depicts in his painting by using the same number of Vietnamese letters to tell the personal stories of escape collected through the Little Saigon Stories project.

A second Little Saigon Stories art installation has also been completed at a vacant storefront formerly occupied by Thrift Trader at the corner of 30^th Street and El Cajon Boulevard in North Park. Located in the heart of the heavily trafficked “30ECB Hub” along The Boulevard, the storefront location offers the opportunity for more members of the San Diego community to learn about the vibrant Little Saigon District just a down the road.

“These two new art installations are a key part of our larger place-making strategy along The Boulevard,” said Beryl Forman, marketing and mobility coordinator for the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association. “We are always looking for new ways to create special community gathering spaces, similar to what we have been able to do with Fair@44. By transforming a boring parking lot or an empty storefront into something not only beautiful, but that also tells a story, creates dialogue and fosters a sense of community pride, that’s really powerful.”

“My hope is that the people will physically step into my painting on the ground, whether consciously or subconsciously, and recognize that we are all part of these stories, that we are literally making history,” said Takeda. “The imagery relates not only to the refugees from the Vietnamese War, but also those suffering right now on the Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere in the world. The ship represents the ongoing voyage on the sea of negotiation and reconciliation, towards the formation of new identity and new collective history.”

Take a Stroll on the Boulevard

Mark your calendar for September 6th! “Stroll The Boulevard” is happening from 6-10PM with many participating businesses between Idaho to Illinois. There will be fun activities like games, music, art, and promos on food/beer. Invite your friends for a walk on The Boulevard and enjoy the night with everyone!

For more information go here

Coffee & Tea Collective Celebrates Seven Years on The Boulevard

Coffee & Tea Collective is commemorating 7 years on El Cajon Blvd. with a limited release from the birth place of coffee, Ethiopia. The box illustrates the #30ECB Hub and as always, the single origin beans were roasted right on The Boulevard.

Innovate Up Small Business Workshops

Innovate Up tackles all the verticals of success for Small Businesses: Ideation, Business Formation, Branding, Product Development, Marketing, Finance, Manufacturing, Distribution & Legal.

Attend the FREE small group sessions in YOUR neighborhood so you can start-up & scale-up your business!

Earn Your Beer at Kor Strength & Conditioning Aug 31, 2019

KOR + Home Brewing Co. are partnering up for an event – Fitness + Beer = Fun. Join us at KOR for a fun, free workout from 10:30-11:30AM. Afterwards, walk over to Home Brewing Co. together for well-deserved $5 pints at 11:30AM. Free workout, Excellent Beer & Good Times!

Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

2884 El Cajon Boulevard

“The best Ethiopian restaurant I’ve had a meal at. Super delicious. A nice cozy restaurant with the nice Ethiopian feel. Very friendly staff tip worthy.”

Click here for more reviews