By Mary O’KEEFE

This weekend I went from a real high – an inspiring event – to a very sad “sign of the times” event. 

The first was Once Upon A Time bookstore’s Fairy Door Diaries, a book series from Megan McDonald. I wrote about the event on Page 3 of this edition but I wanted to expand on what it was like to see all of those tiny fairies enter the children’s book shop. 

The morning event was literally magical. The girls who entered were dressed in beautiful clothes; many of them wearing fairy wings. The event was so special but beyond that I just kept thinking how lucky we are to have this children’s bookstore in our community … and remembered how close we came to losing this iconic gathering place for wizards, fairies and bookworms. 

Anyone who has lived in the Montrose area for a while will remember that Once Upon a Time used to be located at 2284 Honolulu Ave., on the southeast corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu. It was so distinct and included the image of a child reading a book placed high on the front of the building. I remember the first time I walked into the bookstore. We had just moved here so it was 1991/1992. At the time it was owned by Jane Humphrey, who founded Once Upon a Time in 1966. 

We traveled a lot and we would come to the bookstore to get my kids’ books so they could read while in the plane or in the car. But mostly my kids just loved sitting on the chairs and sofa in the little reading area. As my kids grew older they continued to feel the love of this store. 

In 2003, Jane retired and the Palacios family purchased the store. We all breathed a sigh of relief because we knew this family understood how valuable this children’s bookstore was. In fact, Palacios’ daughter, Jessica, then 9 years old, wrote a letter to the local paper asking, “Where will I find my fifth Harry Potter book if there is no Once Upon a Time?” And so her parents bought the store. 

Since then Once Upon a Time has been the type of bookstore we’ve only seen in movies. Case in point: the 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail” starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. The premise was the family of Hanks character – Joe Fox – owned a lot of big box bookstores that were eating up real estate and pushing out small bookstores like the one owned by Ryan’s character Kathleen Kelly. 

Although the movie was made long after our own Once Upon a Time was in business,  Kathleen’s The Shop Around the Corner could have been set in our Montrose bookstore. The storyline of what happened to Kathleen’s store was very close to what could have happened to our own local store if not for the pure “stand your ground” spirit of the Palacioses and the community. (FYI: the name The Shop Around the Corner is from the original 1940 movie with Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan.)

The Fox family built this huge bookstore just around the corner from Kathleen’s small, family-owned children’s bookstore. The Fox bookstore had lots of books, and coffee, but no heart. In fact, there is a scene where a parent asks a Fox employee about a book for their child and the employee had no idea what they were talking about. Luckily, Kathleen was there to answer the question. 

In reality, around 2007 a person bought the 2284 Honolulu Ave. location and raised the rent to the point a small business could not afford to stay there. I was a journalist by this time and followed the saga. The amount of community support for Once Upon A Time was tremendous. People – me included – were so worried about the bookstore’s future … as were the Palacioses. The new owner of the building rented the location to Starbucks, a business that could actually afford the high rent, and luckily for all of us Once Upon a Time bookstore moved to the location where it is now: 2207 Honolulu Ave. 

And although the store is smaller than the original, it really doesn’t seem small. Once Upon a Time is recognized as the nation’s oldest children’s bookstore. The tenacity of the Palacios family, led by Maureen Palacios, is now legendary. This family never gave up on our kids and on our community. When I was at the Fairy Door Diaries event I saw all of these tiny humans … I mean fairies … get so excited about books. They all wanted to share their feelings about fairies; their imaginations were over the top and they were all so excited about reading more books. And the author, Megan McDonald, was so kind and just as excited as the kids. This is what a children’s bookstore is supposed to be. 

When our kids walk into that bookstore their imaginations come alive and in a world of tech pressure this is an oasis not only for children but also for adults. My kids, now long grown, still visit the store because they know Maureen will have a suggestion for a book. My grandkids come to the store and are as awestruck by all the reading choices as their dad was when he was their age. We are so lucky the Palacios family fought for this bookstore. Daughter Jessica is now following in her mom and dad’s footsteps as she manages the bookstore. This store also has a lot for adult readers as well, so if you haven’t been there yet …. go and find what adventures are waiting for you in books at Once Upon a Time. 

And now for the not so great event. The Eagle Rock Irish grocery store Kitty O’Shea’s Irish Imports Store will be closing their doors at the end of May. This is a store I have been going to since they opened in 2018. As everyone who reads this column knows, I am of Irish descent. The food I ate as a kid was a mix of Irish and Midwestern. 

This store had everything – unique items like parsley sauce,  Barry’s tea, rasher [bacon], and yes, black and white pudding … [I know it’s disgusting but when you’re raised with it memories are connected]. 

The store has items from the UK as well. It is where I get marmalade, tea, clotted cream and all the chocolates. When I first moved to Los Angeles there were a few places where you could get Irish-focused items but they have closed – one-by-one – and now Kitty O’Shea’s is closing. The owner is a wonderful woman who filled the shelves with the things her customers wanted. She would always listen to me go on (and on) about how much each item I purchased meant to me. The food sparks memories from my past, from my culture – and I hate losing it. I feel bad because the owner is not only losing her store, which after years of struggling was finally making headway as a small business, but she is also losing her home – the building that was purchased included her apartment. This little block on Eagle Rock Boulevard, like most of Eagle Rock, has had … an eclectic feel. The building housed other businesses, many that are now looking to close or move. Many of us who are here because our families immigrated from Ireland have heard family stories about Ireland’s heritage under attack. The language itself, which I understood when I was younger but not anymore, is considered “endangered.” It may seem silly but having this small store where I could buy food I remember from childhood was an important part of keeping alive those Irish traditions. 

The fact is I am sure I can order some of this food from somewhere; however, there won’t be that great conversation and story-sharing that accompanied trips to Kitty O’Shea’s … and that is as much part of the culture as the black and white pudding we would choke down. 

Once Upon a Time Bookstore, 2207 Honolulu Ave., in Montrose: 

https://shoponceuponatime.com.

Kitty O’Shea’s Irish & UK Market, 4692 N. Eagle Rock Blvd. in Los Angeles. (323) 999-7060. Hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. 

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Just a note – Antarctic sea ice has experienced an abrupt “drop-off” collapsing to record-low levels since 1979 … Happy Earth Day!

Our weather will have close to normal temperatures for this time of the year with daytime temperatures in the low 70s/high 60s. Today and Friday will be in the mid to low 70s, then cooler over the weekend. There is also a slight chance of showers on Saturday and Sunday but nothing “impactful,” according to NOAA.