Plug 'N Play In Pacoima

We also chatted yesterday with Agora Realty & Management CEO Cary Lefton (right, with Cesar De La Cruz and Aaron Lefton), who tells us his company's new retail project in Pacoima will offer spaces as small as 265 SF to first-time entrepreneurs. The project, called The Zocalito of Pacoima, helps mom-and-pop eateries reduce startup costs by providing utility hook-ups and grease interceptor connections. ("Grease interceptor" is how our doctor classified our diet.) This also assists in avoiding the pitfalls of first-time restaurateurs, who often have no idea what it takes to get health department and building and safety approvals. "If we could help do the heavy lifting by creating some of the infrastructure, it just creates less stress for landlord and tenant."

The genesis for Zocalito (above) stems from a project Agora repositioned a decade ago in Panorama City consisting of incubator retail spaces. Cary says it also wasinspired by Downtown LA's garment district as well asthe way that retailersmerchandise in swap meets, creating synergy among multiple small retailers. The paradigm in retailing has transitioned to smaller, more efficient space, he notes. The project is located at the high-traffic corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road, where 65,000 cars and 42,000 bus riders pass daily. (It's the perfect place for your high school carwash for new cheerleading uniforms.) He says the project will provide some relief to folks who currently have no shadeor public restrooms while they wait for their buses. Right now, "It's a strong transit hub with no amenities or creature comforts."