[BREAKING] Century-old LA store gets dramatic transformation amid community complaints

A beloved Los Angeles corner store has swapped dusty shelves for designer vibes, and some longtime Venice residents say the makeover has stripped away a piece of the neighborhood's history.

The century-old building at 1915 Penmar Ave., home to the neighborhood market since 1935, reopened as Bodega & Palms after an extensive renovation that transformed the once humble convenience store into a bright boutique-style market filled with artisanal foods.

The renovated store is located in the same historic building that housed generations of corner stores, most recently Mitchell's Little Market, a neighborhood institution where locals stopped to buy everything from snacks and groceries to beer and wine.

Over the decades, the market changed hands and names: first Jack's, then Gilbert's, and finally Mitchell's.

The new owners, Phil and Kaila Neuville, moved to Venice in 2021 and purchased the market three years later, after the death of the former owner, Mr.

Woo.

They said they promised Woo's family that they would preserve the store's legacy while giving it new life.

After two years of renovations, the dark, roughly 800-square-foot market now features skylights, exposed ceilings and a fresh coat of paint.

A new mural honoring Woo and the store's past is also in the works; the message on the side of the building reads: “The little market since 1935.” "A little reminder of the story we are going to continue," the owners wrote on social media.

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"We will also draw a mural of Mr.

Woo and the original Mitchell and hang it in the new market," they told YoVenice.

The store officially reopened Wednesday and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner items from local vendors along with specialty beverages and luxury grocery items.

"We will also feature local vendors serving prepared foods like focaccia sandwiches and breakfast burritos.

There will also be unique local beer and wine offerings," the owner said.

The menu also includes modern offerings including matcha, mesquite coffee and soft serve ice cream.

“The messages from people who grew up in the area have been very meaningful!” the owners wrote.

"Two brothers messaged us separately telling us that Mitchell's was a big staple of their childhood...riding the scooter to get strawberry shortcake ice cream." "Neighbors who live in their childhood homes have told us stories about how Mitchell's was the first place their parents let them walk alone with a few dollars.

They went after school every day." The reopening sparked a heated debate on a Venice community Facebook page, where critics criticized what they see as another sign of the neighborhood's relentless gentrification.

California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, "Heartbreaking.

I grew up on Preston Way in the mid 70s/mid 80s.

My brother and I always walked to the little store.

I remember the Now & Laters 25 cent store," wrote one resident.

"It was called Gilbert's Little Store before the new owners renamed it Mitchel's in honor of their son.

Many, many good memories!" Others argued that the neighborhood had lost a convenient convenience store to another trendy destination.

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