By Mary O’KEEFE

For those who remember their parents or grandparents baking brown bread or who love a good Irish breakfast and real English tea, there is a store close to the Crescenta Valley that is filled with these hard-to-find foods and items that awaken memories from across the pond.

Kitty O’Shea’s Irish Imports is a small market on Eagle Rock Boulevard. Its shelves are filled with items for those with specific tastes that harken back to their roots.

“We have people come in from all over,” said Sam, the owner of Kitty O’Shea’s. She goes by “Sam” because that is how everyone knows her.

Sam had worked at other Irish import stores in California and knows the Irish and English communities well. When an opportunity came to open her own import store in her neighborhood of Eagle Rock, she decided to take the chance. Though there are English and Irish import stores in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, few were near her neighborhood and she felt there was a need.

She has stocked the shelves with traditional items, from imported Cadbury candies to staples like Heinz Beanz, and also has unique items like brown bread kits for those who have not quite mastered the art of baking.

“I had a woman from Germany who came in and found items she was used to finding [in Germany]. We had people come in here from South Africa and the Isle of Man,” she said. “I always hear, ‘Oh, I remember when I was little my grandma made this…’”

Folks from England, Wales, Scotland, Australia and, of course, Ireland have stopped by.

“I wanted this shop to be Irish and UK friendly, to welcome everyone,” she said.

Those who enter her market are often surprised with the items they find.

Sam grew up in an Irish neighborhood in Chicago when it was common to have many blocks that housed a specific culture. Now, and especially in California, people are more diversified with many cultures found in most neighborhoods. The market has become a type of neighborhood where those who have immigrated, or those who are visiting from Ireland and Europe, can find foods and other items that remind them of home.

Sam is constantly adding items as more people come in with specific requests, including non-food items like clothing and teapots. She said she is open to displaying the work of local artists as well, including CVW’s Charly Shelton.

“His photography is amazing. The photo of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (in Dublin, Ireland) is so good,” she said.

Shelton’s photography is now available for purchase as frame prints at the shop.

Kitty O’Shea’s Irish Imports is located at 4692 N. Eagle Rock Blvd. in Eagle Rock. For more information, visit kitty-osheas-irish-imports.business.site or call (323) 999-7060.

  Mary Okeefe