Main Street still has nine empty spaces as of Sunday, Aug. 17.
Asked for a comment, District One Council Member Joe Kalmick wrote: “The rents are too high and the spaces too small (generally speaking).”
However, he saw the recent openings of new businesses on Main as a sign of improvement.
“On my recent visits to Main Street during the week, I’ve noticed a lot of foot traffic and most of the restaurants are quite busy,” Kalmick wrote.
“Granted it’s still summer, but the fact that there is more rental activity is encouraging,” Kalmick said.
A thrift shop now occupies the former home of a CBD store. The Christian Science Reading Room reopened for business on Friday, Aug. 15 in the former location of Ebb Persephone.
Walt’s Wharf is still closed but they’ve been interviewing job applicants and you can see new furniture, some of it still wrapped in plastic, through the windows on Main and Central. When Walt’s reopens, that will bring the number of empty spaces down to eight.
The Purple Galore Store remains open at this time. The property owner has apparently applied for a California Coastal Commission permit to expand the physical space.
The location of the now closed Isabella’s Closet remains empty.
The former home of Thread + Vine Co. is empty. A poster in the window announces that a dog grooming shop will open there in the summer of 2025.
137 Main, one time home of Old Town Café, remains empty.
The space once occupied by Coast Pizza is now Acai Republic.
The Bank of America building remains empty. However, the owners have obtained a permit from the city to put a restaurant in there. A yellow (and fading) notice on the building reports that the owners are seeking a permit from the California Coastal Commission to change the building to a restaurant.
The Forest Nymph soap store has closed. (A pop-up store appeared at the location over the weekend of Aug 16-17.)
The old Sun office at 216 Main St. is available for lease. (We’re now at 1500 PCH, Unit G.)
Unit 226, the previous home of the Christian Science Reading Room, is now empty.
Unit 246 is also empty.
The Main Street Specific Plan is expected to be updated in the near future to allow residential use of the second floor of Main Street. This is apparently necessary in order to meet state government requirements for the Housing Element of Seal Beach’s General Plan.
