1955-10-08 The Valley Times - “Big Cat Lurks in Topanga” (Mountain Lion)

“Big Cat Lurks in Topanga”

A “black wildcat, long and slinky, with orange-yellow eyes” is reportedly prowling the rugged Topanga Canyon area today.

Mrs. Ruth Powell, of 21260 Circle Trail, Mrs. Eleanor Roberts, 536 Canyon View and Bill Walls, 604 S. Topanga Blvd. alerted the Sheriff’s department yesterday and said that the feline visitor has been dropping in on them periodically for two months.

Latest visit was yesterday when Mrs. Powell saw the cat within 100 feet of her home.

Deputies said they were informed that a former resident had owned a mountain lion as a house pet and had dyed the cat black.

[1955-10-08 Mirror News:]

“Not Nice Pussy! Panther Scare in Topanga”

A “big black panther,” which comes out of the hills at lunchtime, according to frightened Topanga Canyon residents, still was sought today by Malibu Station deputy sheriffs who yesterday found “cat tracks.”

Deputy James Marshall investigated a report by Mrs. Ruth Powell, of 21620 Circle Trail, Topanga Canyon, that the black cat twice in a month had slinked to within a few yards of her home during the noon hour.

Yesterday, on its second visit, she summoned officers.

Neighbors Bill Walls of 604 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd., and Mrs. Mary Eleanor Roberts of 563 Canyon View Trail, also reported seeing the animal, deputies said.

Marshall said he found large animal tracks on a game trail in the area and that Walls was trying to trap the cat.

Deputies said there was a report that a black panther had escaped five years ago from the World Jungle Compound at Thousand Oaks, but expressed doubt that this was the Malibu mountain monster.

1908-06-28 Los Angeles Times - "Outlaw's Bones, Perhaps"

"Outlaw's Bones, Perhaps"

Skeleton Unearthed Near Barn Built at Topango in Stirring Times.

Santa Monica Notes.

In making excavations for the repair of the old adobe barn on the Harter place, at the mouth of Garapito Creek, in Topango Cañon, Postmaster Charles Greenleaf of Topango unearthed the skeleton of a man. The bones are believed to be those of an Indian, as numerous stone implements were also found. The barn was built by [Brigadore] Valdez in 1871, and some think that the skeleton, if it could speak, Would tell of the doings of [Tiburcio] Vasquez and his outlaw band.

1947-03-28 Topanga Journal - "Bill Wiley: The Man with the Gong"

The Man with the Gong is Bill Wiley, your new, friendly fruit and vegetable man, who has crispy-fresh fruits, vegetables, and frozen foods for your meal-time enjoyment—at market prices.

Listen for the gong—look for the grey Chevy. Buy fresh produce from Bill Wiley.

1976-06-18 Los Angeles Times - "The Runaways: Corral Club Grand Opening"

 "Corral Club Grand Opening"

The new Topanga Corral Club, 2034 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, will hold its grand opening tonight and Saturday evening with concerts featuring the Runaways, Mercury recording artists. The club will feature live entertainment nightly except Mondays.

[Setlist.fm:]

"The Runaways Setlist at Topanga Corral"

1. Cherry Bomb

2. Blackmail
3. C'mon
4. Is It Day or Night?
5. You Drive Me Wild
6. Rock & Roll (The Velvet Underground cover)
7. Johnny Guitar
8. Dead End Justice

1973-01-04 Malibu-Topanga News - “Sandstone: Topanga Nudist Retreat Closing” by Rita Stollman

“Topanga Nudist Retreat Closing”

 

by Rita Stollman

 

Land For Sale

 

Topanga's controversial Sandstone Retreat shut its doors to the public last week and put its secluded 15-acre hilltop estate up for sale.

 

The announcement by Sandstone founder John Williamson was greeted with delight by some of Topanga's other residents, who long have opposed the private club's encouragement of open sensuality and nudity.

 

“It's marvelous,” said Harriet Swenson, former president of the Topanga Community Women's Club and leading opponent in the nearly three-year battle to get Sandstone and two other “growth centers” out of Topanga.

 

It was the long, financially taxing legal battles Sandstone has fought since it first opened in early 1970 that forced its closure today, Williamson said.

 

High Legal Costs

 

Even though the club won the right to assemble in the nude in an April ruling by the California Court of Appeals, he said legal costs have run in the neighborhood of $10,000.

 

The ruling, involving Sandstone and Topanga’s Elysium Fields Growth Center, overturned as unconstitutional a Los Angeles County ordinance regulating nudist camps.

 

In response to a subsequent protest by several angry Topanga residents, the county Board of Supervisors created a special task force to investigate how else to combat the sexually oriented centers in the canyon community.

 

Mrs. Swenson said her main opposition to the centers recently has been that they are “running businesses without licenses.”

 

Money-Maker

 

She said the centers advertise publicly in the underground press and are money-making enterprises.

 

She said she is delighted about Sandstone's closing, adding that the Topanga community always has hoped the growth centers there “would just fold up their tents and fade away.”

 

“They certainly do not fit the character of the residential community up here,” she said.

 

Topanga realtor and Chamber of Commerce director Bill Prewitt also said he is glad Sandstone is closing down, but added that he finds the secluded club at 21400 Saddle Peak Road “probably the least offensive’’ of the three growth centers.

 

Meanwhile, Williamson said he and his wife plan to tour the United States sometime in the next three months and look for a place where they can expand the full-time residential community Sandstone started in Topanga.

2001 Unpublished - "Sorry, Steve" by Michael McGovern

“Sorry, Steve”

 

by Michael McGovern

ROW 1: Michael McGovern, Steve Marshall, Harold Lindsey. ROW 2: Alan Kruse, Dickey Coghlan, Guy Hoover. TEACHER: Mr. Herbert Hawkins.

Herbert Hawkins commanded respect among us sixth graders. He wasn't a large, imposing man, or mean, or scary. He was of medium height and build, affable and frequently had a smile. Maybe it was because he called us Mr. or Miss which was foreign. Maybe it was because he captured a bat at the school with his hands thus saving everyone from getting rabies. After talking to my friend Guy Hoover we agreed that Mr. Hawkins gained respect because of the book in which he kept black marks. Black marks were a method of maintaining discipline because every mark represented a reduction in our citizenship grade and that cause problems at home. Ten marks meant that you could not attend the graduation swim and barbecue at Stewart's pool in June. That was serious stuff.

 

It was difficult not to accumulate black marks as an active sixth grader. The world of Topanga was full of enticements that Mr. Hawkins considered "black markable.” Topanga Creek was one of the best and it was worth two black marks if you were found there during school hours. It, however, beckoned relentlessly on warm spring days after a wet winter and it was only a few quick leaps down the hill to enter its cool, exciting environment.

 

All of us guys in the sixth grade seemed to get at least one black mark during the year. All were well deserved with the exception of Steve Marshall's. Steve was one of the nicest and gentlest people that I have ever known. I remember a number of things about Steve but a few stand out significantly. He liked history, which was weird. Steve was so tall that it seemed as though he had descended directly from basketball players. In addition, he approached everything with a slow, deliberate format. He talked slowly and walked slowly so that, at times, I worried about his safety in the event of a real fire drill. This casual demeanor of Steve's may account for his unfortunate incident.

 

The morning fog burned off unusually early producing a hot spring day. Just such days are not meant for staying in a classroom and they are torturous to those having to stay on the playground. Harold Lindsey (5 marks), Alan Kruse (6 marks), Dickey Coghlan (5 marks), Guy Hoover (too many marks), and I (won't say) stood at the fence of the playground during recess gazing at the canyon below. We didn't mean for it to happen but as we stood at that fence and peered into the cool canyon something indescribable reached out and dragged Dickey swiftly down the hill. The rest of us looked in dismay at each other momentarily before realizing what we had to do. We had to help! We leaped down the hill quickly and quietly as a heard of buffalo.

 

As we gathered under the cool sycamores and oaks we nervously looked at one another. We were silent for a time as we watched the stream and reflected on what we had done.

 

"What if we get caught?" I said.

 

Alan looked at me and laughed, "Who cares, stupid?” He reached beneath the placid pond at his feet to bring up a hand full of stringy, green algae.

 

"You'd better not,” I warned.

 

With that I did the same to defend myself. We smiled at each other in a challenge. It was contagious. Harold filled his hands with mud and pretended to throw it at Guy who immediately picked up a large rock. Dickey also reached below the green water and armed himself with two hands full of slippery algae. Here we were, the Topanga version of the cold war. But who would throw first and at whom? We stood around the lazy creek nervously laughing at one another, calling challenges, and faking a throw now and then. None of us wanted to start anything but no one wanted to back down and be chicken either. We sensed that no one wanted to be first, but if there were a first there would be four other seconds and it would escalate. It had happened too many times before, but never at school. We could be looking at history!

 

The laughs and taunts continued. We periodically augmented our organic arsenals by scooping more mud or algae from the creek. It was an exciting stalemate until a voice slowly rasped, "What are you doing?" We turned in unison to see Steve and his affable smile step where no man should have stepped. What was he doing here? The next moment the signal to return to class sounded. We had been here all recess bluffing at one another. We were on edge. How could any full-blooded Topangan, a sixth grader no less, be expected not to make proper use of the algae and mud in hand. It was downright unpatriotic! Our minds raced and unified in thought. Or maybe it was that our minds all stopped thinking simultaneously. Nevertheless, the command "fire" possessed us. Guy reacted first by throwing his rock into the water at Steve’s feet thus causing a wave of water to leap at his faded jeans. It was difficult to say in what order we unloaded our five-fingered weapons with their organic missiles at Steve because the moment was frantic. No sooner had we fired than we were running up the hill to Mr. Hawkins’s class to avoid those dreaded black marks. If we were quick enough there would be no problem.

 

The scramble up the steep, grassy hill was chaotic as each of us tried to go faster than the next. We pushed, pulled, and shoved each other as we powered our way upward. The playground fence raced towards us. A short dash past the fence put us all panting and red-faced at the heavy wooden door of the classroom. No time for composure. Dickey pulled the stout knob and we burst as one into the room out of breath and disheveled. It aroused no suspicion because we of the Canyon were mostly in that state, but my conscience haunted me so that I felt conspicuous. We slid into our desk chairs just as Mr. Hawkins got up from his desk. Safe! I looked at Guy who was looking at Dickey who was scanning the room also. Guy, Dickey, Alan, Harold, and... Steve! Where is Marshall? My stomach immediately sank and churned. Where is Steve?

 

Mr. Hawkins was now standing at the podium looking over the class. He had closed the book that he had with him and his brow furrowed as he craned his neck toward the conspicuously vacant chair that contained Steve before recess.

 

"Where is Mr. Marshall?"

 

All heads turned towards Steve's empty chair. The usual low murmur of suspicion and speculation spilled through the room as Mr. Hawkins stepped back to his desk and pulled open the drawer with the dreaded book of black marks.

 

"Has anyone seen Mr. Marshall?" came the ominous question. Everyone but the five of us said no.

 

No sooner had the question been answered than the door slowly opened and Steve carefully plodded to his seat with his eyes to the floor. He took his seat as though nothing were wrong. I was sick with guilt and fear.

 

"Mr. Marshall!" Mr. Hawkins said inquisitively. It could have been Mr. McGovern because the question pierced my conscience. I couldn't look at Steve, Mr. Hawkins, or my accomplices. I only could focus on my collection of baseball cards that I kept in my desk. I focused on my favorite and most treasured card of Duke Snider. My idol, my honest idol. Maybe by doing that I thought this whole thing will blow over and all will be well.

 

"Mr. Marshall?" Mr. Hawkins said again, and again the spears of guilt stabbed me.

 

"Yeah?" Steve replied in a raspy voice.

 

"Mr. Marshall, why were you late?"

 

"I dunno."

 

"Mr. Marshall," Mr. Hawkins continued as though he were Perry Mason, "were you in the creek?"

 

Here it was, Armageddon was approaching. I took a peek at Guy and then at Alan. It was a good thing that they had baseball cards too. Were they feeling this suppressing Catholic-like guilt too?

 

"No." Steve boldly but foolishly replied.

 

I had seen Steve when he came through the door. It was only a glance because I couldn't bear to look him in the eye, but I will never forget it. He had wisps of algae draped delicately from his right ear down to his chin. It gave him the appearance of having a green beard. Algae was in his hair also, and his white T-shirt was stained from the barrage of algae and mud. His clothes were wet and when he walked to his seat one tennis shoe was so wet that it sloshed with each step. I didn't know if we were good shots or if Steve had fallen into the creek. For him to answer no was contrary to visible evidence. A long silence followed Steve's reply until Mr. Hawkins broke it.

 

"Tell me, Mr. Marshall, how did you get so wet and muddy?"

 

Steve was silent for a long time. I couldn't take it so I turned to look at him. He was sitting motionless, staring at his hands that were folded on his desk. But I knew that inside he was putting a great story together. Something that would settle this for all and then we would get on with class. At least I hoped that this is what was happening. Steve looked at his desk top, then at Mr. Hawkins, and then at me. I quickly turned away but had to look at him again. Steve was getting a little unsettled especially when Mr. Hawkins again called his name questioningly. But I had faith in Steve coming up with a convincing story to get him off the hook. Or would he tell on us? God! That thought began to bury me into the hard wooden seat.

 

"Were you in the creek?" came the question again.

 

Steve looked up to speak. I was full of anticipation because I knew that Steve had been thinking a long time and that he usually told a protracted story. This would be our salvation and I was eager to hear every word.

 

"Yeah...,” came the reply followed by an unbearably long silence.

 

I waited for more. Is that it? After all of that were we to be betrayed by a simple yeah? My life was in his hands and he said yeah. I was very disappointed but more, I was frightened that we would be named and marked. Then Steve began to say more.

 

"But I.... It wasn't my fault.... I... I..." was about all that he could stammer. I could tell that Steve was frustrated. I almost passed out under fear of possible discovery. The fearless five were now exchanging nervous glances except for Harold who was at his desk smiling as though he were enjoying this torture. What did he know that I didn't? His smile made my fears all the worse.

 

"No buts, Mr. Marshall. That's two big ones." Mr. Hawkins smiled as he opened his book in a deliberate manner and wet his number 2 pencil with his tongue before putting two big ones after Steve's name.

 

Steve stopped stammering and began to boil inside. These were his first black marks and they weren't completely his fault although he was in the creek too. I imagine that he was most angry because we didn't get caught and because we gave him proof to present to Mr. Hawkins that he was in the creek as opposed to being late getting back from the restroom. It often gave us pleasure to see a fellow student attain the distinction of elevating him, or sometimes her, to the club of black marks. But this one hurt. It seemed unfair but none of us wanted to defend Steve. We preferred to bathe in the misery of our conscience.

 

Steve glared at me and the other four. He didn't speak to us for quite some time afterwards. But, as it should be, this incident was forgotten, things returned to normal, and we again talked of all the things that twelve-year-old boys talk about. But we never said, “Sorry, Steve.” So with this I say... sorry, Steve, I'll give you my Duke Snider.

1965-09-24 Los Angeles Free Press - “500 See Psychedelic Art at Free Americans Gallery” by Lionel O'Lay

“500 See Psychedelic Art at Free Americans Gallery”

 

by Lionel O'Lay

Free Americans Gallery of Art sign. Still from Mondo Hollywood (1967).

Edward Lewis is a young black panther of a man who, at the ripe ago of twenty-three, has personally investigated the relative merits and charms of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Communist Party, the prize ring, and nearly all of the many correctional facilities we have in our port of the state for the caring for and shaping of our wayward youth.

 

About eighteen months ago, with some significant directional impetus provided by the psychedelic chemicals, he decided to forego all factions and just join the human race. The results have proved to be a welcome addition to its sadly depleted ranks, and last Sunday he opened his own Art Gallery in Topanga Canyon with a group show called "The Psychedelic Viewpoint.”

 

The show features the work of some of the meat gifted artists currently active whose subject matter has dramatically evolved as a result of their experiments with LSD and the other psychedelics. it is a mixed bag of a show, all of it extremely interesting, ranging from the firm and boldly executed primitivism of Ed Lewis himself to the technically accomplished and clearly envisioned works of Burt Shonberg, Michael Green, and Fred Adams, whose Hieronymus Bosch-like orgiastic scenes continue to yield layers of vision hour after hour.

 

The advertised main course was Richard Alpert, a Harvard psychology professor on permanent leave, who, the previous Wednesday night had spoken to a turn-away crowd of intensely interested and interesting people, where he mentioned that he would indeed be in Topanga for the opening. And indeed he was. The setting was California Sherwood forest, a dried river bank whose grassy banks and overhanging elms provided perch and comfort for several hundred who kept churchmouse still to catch his unamplified words before they escaped on the breeze.

Alpert, pretty well exhausted after four incredible days here of meeting the local contingent of fellow travelers, stood on a rock, holding a sprig of wood roses for support. (He didn't say, but I think it is to remind him, when his fancies glow white, that nature is the only boss.)

Richard Alpert speaks on "The Psychedelic Viewpoint.” Still from Mondo Hollywood (1967).

The crowd listens. Still from Mondo Hollywood (1967).

Alpert under the trees outside. Photo by Sharon Allen.

 

The crowd, appreciative though less wildly partisan than at his lectures, had the same astounding cross section of people pursuing the psychedelic riddle, from young Prince Valiant, himself a painter of astounding technical skill and untrammelled vision, all the way to two school teacher spinsters from Arcadia who had reason to believe that LSD got rid of the pains in their necks and wanted to push it a bit farther.

 

Vito, the sculptor and rebel chieftain, was there with his motley band and his beautiful three year old son Godot. He suffered Alpert's words for the better part of the afternoon and finally exploded as only he can, accusing Alpert and the rest of the people who preach psychedelics of, by implication and extension, condoning the reported use of drugs for soldiers in Vietnam which reportedly remove their guilt about having to slaughter women and children.

 

Certainly a valid point, if true, for it is not inconceivable that medical science, with their modern equivalent of Nazi doctor mentality, is working on just such substances even as I write and you read. What is inconceivable, however, is the notion that the psychedelics (by which I am speaking of both the inorganic—LSD, DMT, mescaline, psilocybin, etc., and the organic—peyote, the mushrooms, morning glory seeds and such like) could ever be used for such purposes, for the very root of their effect is to point out the clear insanity of such behavior.

 

Methinks the shoe pinches Vito in another place. His near-hysterical rejection of all such drugs has to do with the loss of ego that such an experience does involve, and his own inability to picture a Vito without an ego. (As that Chinese sage Ah Fong was heard to mutter to Harrison Carroll, who printed it as a blind item: The Way in is The Way Out.)

 

But seriously: Vito’s point, heartfelt and well meant, was that in times of crisis, like these, we need all our wits about us, for our enemies—you may be sure—have theirs. Alpert’s contention, if I understand him correctly, and Timothy Leary’s also, is roughly, that the times of crisis are only an illusion in that a large portion of mankind have ALWAYS lived in a time of crisis, that the job of the individual is to first and foremost develop his own full personality, realize his own greatest potential for human being- hood, and in that way he is making the world better by one.

 

This is not to say it is pointless and futile to continue to agitate against American foreign policy, or to be an ongoing part of the other revolutions that are taking place: merely that it must all be viewed with a different lens,—some would say, a clearer lens.

 

My own answer to Vito is contained in what I have come to believe are the three heaviest sentences penned by Western man. They come from the Talmud, and for me formulate the root core of the psychedelic experience. The sentences together say it all as well as Beethoven’s Ninth, and you must pause between them or lose it. They are: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am for myself alone, what am I? If not now, when?

 

The art show itself, and the very existence of the Free Americans Gallery as a permanent home for such happenings (in addition to proving again the drawing power of the subject) is simply proof that the psychedelics liberate energy, and that all it craves to become excitingly creative is POSSIBILITIES.

 

Lewis will continue the show until September 25, and be open from ten to six, Sundays included. Admission is free, but contributions will be appreciated. After the 25th he will close and prepare for his next opening, which will likewise feature opening-day appearances by some of the many luminaries interested in perpetuating both Mr. Lewis and his gallery.          

 

Richard Klix painting inside. Photo by Sharon Allen.

THE PSYCHEDELIC VIEWPOINT, an exhibit of psychedelic art. Free Americans Gallery, 252 Old Topanga Canyon Rd., Topanga, Calif., Thurs.-Mon. 10-4 & 6:30-10 pm.

1978-07-27 Messenger - "Gumby & Co. Land in Topanga" by Jeanne Christoferson

“Gumby & Co. Land in Topanga”

 

by Jeanne Christoferson

Photos by Tom Mitchell

 

Arthur Clokey—Truth, Love, Gumby

 

Setting out on assignment for the Messenger, Tom and I drove up the winding Topanga Canyon roads to enter the home and hear of the life of Arthur Clokey, creator of Gumby. Arthur Clokey, a man of 56 years who is most easily recognized by the bald top of his head, the grey bushy hair on the sides of his head and his moustache, has lived in Topanga with his lovely wife Gloria since 1972. For years, his character Gumby was one of the hottest selling toys on the market and the main character in the still-running Saturday morning cartoon show “Gumby.”

 

Arthur's story starts in Detroit, Michigan, with an escape from the hot summer to his grandfather's farm 80 miles to the north. He and his friend Junior would make figures out of clay, build a fort from building blocks and shoot them down with toy cannons. As a boy, “when I had hair" Arthur says, he carried around on the top of his head, a cowlick exactly the same shape as his father's. It made his hair stand up on the right side of his head (see photo on the bottom of this page). This natural curl, and the dreams that Arthur Clokey had, were the inspiration in part for Gumby's appearance.

The Clokey cowlick here shown on Arthur's father. The direct inspiration for Gumby's unique appearance.

At ten years of age he moved to California. Coming from a very strict upbringing, where the ONLY way to become a very “good" boy was to enter the Episcopal ministry, Arthur Clokey entered graduate work in theology in Connecticut. “Conforming to all the goodness," says Arthur. “Then I suddenly realized," grasping his forehead, “gee, I don’t want to become a minister."

 

Back to California and graduate work in the USC Cinema Department. Then on to Santa Barbara to teach chemistry, physics, algebra, etc. In the church choir in Santa Barbara his friend asked if Arthur would be interested in doing a film for the Split Pea Anderson Soup Company. He did a black and white industrial film for Bob Andersen with no sound. Arthur showed it to the Coca-Cola agency in Los Angeles, they loved it, gave him $110 and told him to go back to his garage to “do same thing you did, but put Coke bottles in it." After the experimental films were sent to Atlanta, Georgia (Coca-Cola headquarters) Arthur received a package of scripts and storyboards with a note saying: “Tell Clokey to just use these as guides to get his technique and style across, just use the message we have."

 

Arthur Clokey's style and technique did not take long to enter the walls of NBC. Commercial Spots for Coca-Cola and a spot done for Budweiser started shaping his film career. In the Budweiser commercial clay came into his life again. Remember the commercial for Budweiser where the piece of Swiss cheese disappears on screen piece by piece? Clay cheese achieved this technique and Arthur Clokey was inspired to do his first art film with clay entitled “Gumbasia."

 

Why Gumby/Gumbasia we ask? “Clay has universal flexibility," says Arthur. “Clay is Gumbo," adds Gloria whom he calls his memory bank. “I can remember," says Arthur, “Back East in Michigan as a kid, I heard them say “...Oh we got stuck in the gumbo."

 

“Not to be confused with gumbo soup," Gloria interjects. “Yes there is a gumbo soup, thick and gooey." Arthur smiles. “Yeah, thick and Gumby!" said Gloria as we laughed.

 

After completion of “Gumbasia" Arthur showed the film to his friend and eventual partner Sam Engel of 20th Century-Fox. “Sam got so excited," says Arthur, “that we immediately became partners." Sam could see the potential for Arthur Clokey's style and technique. “We can make kid shows out of little clay figures." said Sam. Arthur smiles at the memory and muses about cartoons that will be different from the children's cartoons now, films that will be three dimensional.

Gumby and Pokey, 130 episodes filmed with love and friendship.

Shooting of these first pilot Gumby films was done at 20th Century-Fox Studios and financed by Sam Engel. “How did you make the Gumbys for filming?" we asked. Arthur explains:

 

“The artist would roll out a slab of clay, we would cut out a clay Gumby for each shot, until it would eventually melt under the lights. Then we would just cut another Gumby out of the slab and continue shooting. We would use hundreds of Gumbys for each film."

 

He showed these pilot films to Tom Sarnoff at NBC, who then signed a contract to do a half hour children’s show. It is now 1956 and Gumby, the cartoon character, has skated as he so gracefully does on film on this cover into the hearts and homes of children all over the United States.    

 

But tell them how Gumby the toy got started," says Gloria. “The first Gumby toys were made for NBC executives," Arthur continues. “We gave every executive at NBC a big Gumby that we just made special."

 

Reorganization at NBC forced Arthur to buy his film back and expand the Gumby cartoons for syndication. Financing himself, Arthur quickly realized the marketplace was tight. Walt Disney & Hanna-Barbera were flooding the market with their cartoons. Arthur related, “I found that only about five per cent of station managers, owners, and program directors had any kind of real rapport with children and their needs. They were victims of the high pressure sales techniques of exploitation and violence."

 

A friend of his suggested Arthur go into the toy business. I never thought in a million years of going into the toy business," Arthur explains, “it just seemed repulsive to me, commercializing Gumby." But with the exposure Gumby received via NBC, commercialize he did.

 

“I made a toy, went through the whole process of setting up production of the toy, running myself crazy all over the industrial areas of the city," Arthur continues, spinning his finger in the air. “I put a few spots on three stations to promote Gumby, and it sold! It sold faster than any toy of its kind in the history of the toy business. Within a year we sold a million just here in California.”

Gumby and Arthur 22 years together and still going strong.

It would seem at this stage that Arthur Clokey had made it, but there were more important and deeper things on Arthur’s mind than money. “Money is power." Arthur says, “you can't get in through the heart." With the creation of his Prema Toy Company. Arthur finally hid an outlet through which he could begin to express his real feelings about love and the giving of love to a child through a toy.

 

This feeling is expressed through the logo of the Prema Company, a heart containing the ancient Sanskrit symbol Prema which every Gumby wears on his chest. It means universal love. At this point in the conversation. Arthur and Gloria break suddenly into the Gumby theme song: “If you have a heart, then Gumby is a part of you."

 

"Gumby and his horse Pokey would merge together into a clay heart to end every Gumby film." Arthur explains.

 

We begin to reminisce about our experiences with Gumby. Tom remembers in Germany finding a Gumby in the PX, he took it to a local playground and the kids loved it. He recalls: “They didn't want to give it up, so I went back to the PX and bought a bunch more Gumbys for them."

 

“We find them in the most amazing places," says Gloria. “I found one in a teacup in an antique store." I recalled giving a Gumby to eight year old Ricky and he immediately started to twist the body to its limits, arms and legs. He smiled and threw Gumby into the air and said, “Hey, he is great!"

 

Arthur has tried to get kids interested in doing and in making their own little clay things. "You remember Engineer Bill?" he asks. “You mean the guy that only drank milk on the red light?" says Tom. Arthur nods: "He asked the kids to send in their own little clay Gumby figure, and the hallways of the station were piled high to the ceiling with boxes from kids! Some of them were made out of clay; but many turned out to be Gumby cookies."

 

Gumby is not like a Disney character, his basic form is much simpler so a kid can project onto him without interference."

 

“He is universal." says Gloria as Arthur goes on: “Gumby appeared first on national television in the era where there were only black and white sets around the country. In the South, Gumby was considered the first Black cartoon character. His green color projected on a black and white screen made him look black."

 

Gumby is made out of soft pliable rubber with a shielded armature or wire running through his entire body. The materials are organic, Arthur explains, non-toxic and very durable.

 

“Playing with a Gumby can very therapeutic," Gloria says. “Children can put their own expressions into the Gumby figure," Arthur adds, “it is very creative, you can really express yourself.

 

“There is something really deep and profound about the symbolism of this. Back in the 60’s when the drug culture was flowering, a lot of the hippie generation were deeply moved by the Gumby figure. Some of them called him a symbol of universal love.”

 

In Gumby cartoons, Gumby could turn himself into any shape or form. “He could melt and reappear as a boat” says Gloria, “he is also an astro-traveller, able to jump into a book and be timeless."

 

Arthur again: “He is unlimited. That is what the swamis teach us, that we are unlimited. In creating Gumby, I was not aware of what I was really doing or why." His subconscious was poking through: “I guess my films were like dreams in a way. I had full control at NBC to do exactly what I felt with Gumby."

 

After years of psychological testing, workshops, and spiritual experiences, Arthur Clokey realized “that my whole psyche was exposed on national television through my films." His interests outside the film industry include parapsychology, self-realization, and the searching for each human's potential and power.

Like a proud father, Arthur Clokey displays his two creations. Right the world famous Gumby, left his newest character Moody Rudy.

The conversation drifts onto another plane of the subconscious and then our eyes focus onto the table in front of us and Arthur Clokey's newest character, Moody Rudy, who is made of the same pliable rubber as Gumby. But, Arthur says: “Moody Rudy is more sophisticated."

 

Gloria picks up a Moody Rudy from the table and begins forming his face in her hands. She holds Moody Rudy up to us and Arthur comments: “Now that expresses a feeling!" People can relate to Moody Rudy even more than Gumby himself. “He is a mask," Arthur says, “and we all wear masks, we all live a life of a masquerade. Moody Rudy helps us somehow play around with the idea. It is, and can be, a physical, psychological, and emotional outlet for people ages 4-100 and over."

 

Tom and I think Moody Rudy can be an essential tool in relating your feelings to your family and friends. “Moody Rudy will have many faces," says Arthur who plans to make Moody Rudy in all colors of the human race. "Do you plan to put Moody Rudy into the movies?" I ask. Arthur answers: “Maybe we could put him into a Gumby series, he can be Mr. Nobody who knew everything."

 

Moody Rudy was born as a thought 15 months ago. The first 40 Moody Rudys (up to this point a very hush-hush subject as the patent had not been cleared) have been painted by three Topanga residents, including me. Arthur says: “Can't keep it a secret when we start making millions of them in the Canyon."

 

And what better place than in Topanga which Arthur Clokey calls his oasis and refuge: “A place where you get back to nature and live in it. There are no straight lines in Topanga. There's not a straight street up here. I came to Topanga to have dogs for my son Joe" (Joe the tennis freak of 16 years blushed).

Arthur and his artist wife Gloria, her skills and talents are a catalyst for his work.

Topanga is where he met Gloria. They were married nearly two years ago in the St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral. Arthur smiles: “It was a big show, we like to have big shows."

 

In January Arthur and Gloria plan to visit India to see a spiritual leader, Sai Baba, and to bring him Gumby and Moody Rudy. Besides vacationing after setting up production of his characters, Arthur will continue his search for the truth and hopes to bring back information that will lead him to other projects.

 

Have a great time in January, Arthur and Gloria, and thank you for helping us and our children more easily express ourselves through Gumby, and can’t wait to meet Moody Rudy on the streets of Topanga Canyon by Christmas! In the meantime, pick up a piece of clay and see where it takes you….

1977-03-09 Messenger - "Skateboarding: Super Shreds" by Dan Regan

"Super Shreds"

Article and Photos by Dan Regan

"Tim Regan shreds any pool."

Topanga skaters are the best around. Just take a look; Everyone is hot! These guys shred Valleys and kids from the beach. This is because Topanga is such a great place to skate: Skyline Pool, Saddle Peak, and, of course, the area where the very best skaters come from: Entrada. Unbelievable speed runs, insanely hot slalom, radical pools, and of course the best competition to skate against.

The reason Entrada guys are so hot is because there is so much good competition. Let's face it, the worst guys from Entrada are better than most of the skaters in the rest of the Canyon. And the best guys on Entrada—well, that's another story. Tim Regan shreds any pool. Kipper and Jeff Stork have Entrada totally wired. Peter Roach and Bobby Martin hit forty m.p.h. consistently.

So the next time you see these guys skating, don't scream at them. Stop! Admire the beauty, the power, the courage and the skill that they have. 

Also, all the letters to the editor in the world will never get kids off their skates. Drivers, these kids are not making any trouble or doing anything that could hurt other people. They have a lot of control, and with courtesy there is surely room for skates and cars. Instead of honking or swearing at them why not give them a ride when you see them hitching up a hill?

Or better yet, go out and get your own skate.

2000-10-19 Messenger - “Big-Time Party at Pine Tree Circle!” by Susan Chasen

“Big-Time Party at Pine Tree Circle!”

 

by Susan Chasen

Photos by Katie Dalsemer

Owner Steve Carlson (far right) built Pine Tree Circle with a little help from his friends—many of them Topanga craftsmen seen here.

At the Topanga Canyon Gallery, the joint was jumpin’ all afternoon.

In our photographer’s view, the Jillian Speer Band is one of Topanga’s finest.

Hundreds of Topangans turned out for the opening celebration of Pine Tree Circle, October 7, and while many expressed ambivalence over this permanent change in the look of Topanga, the overwhelming sentiment seemed to be one of great optimism.

 

For many, the hope is that the new businesses, along with several reborn and relocating ones, will become a destination that will bring the community together and ultimately create more than just new shopping opportunities.

 

“I’m very happy,” said Pine Tree Circle owner and builder Steve Carlson. “My heart is bursting with joy.”

 

The new center took only seven months of major construction, but it took Carlson nearly nine years to get to that point. He had jumped through many regulatory hoops and survived local opposition to reach this day, and he was well pleased.

 

“I think it’s perfect, based on reality,” says Carlson. “I think it’s exactly what it should be... Everything is needed that’s here.” Instead of having a party at home to celebrate, Steve and Leslie Carlson decided to have it at Pine Tree Circle and invite the whole community.

 

Feasting on free food, including 60 tuna Carlson and 10 of his buddies—many of them Topanga tradesmen who’d worked on Pine Tree Circle—pulled out of the Pacific for the occasion, the community joined in the celebration. “It’s fantastic. They ate all the fish. They’re going to drink all the beer. They’re going to eat all the cake,” said Carlson.

 

Hot musical groups, including the Jillian Speer Band, Manny Saenz on the Native American flute and R&B artist Nykol, provided a perfect backdrop for the festivities.

 

The Carlsons have more plans for landscaping and beautification of Pine Tree Circle as well as for opening it up to uses that could help create the community focal point many Topangans are hoping for. “I hope to have all the different community organizations come and use the space for events and fundraising. I’m all for the community. I like community things,” said Carlson.

 

With about 15,000 square feet of rental space, the new center is now home to about 22 businesses and offices, and is full with a waiting list. The rental rate is $2 per square foot.

 

It was built using a lot of local labor—long-time tradesmen who serve the Canyon. Some of those include John Stalen, drywall; Shawn Rhodes, electrical; Mark Mahoney, plumbing; Eric Andrews, Andrews Bros. Concrete; Chet Hoover, construction; and Willie Swenson, construction.

 

Several of the new center’s businesses have relocated from the “old center” across the street, but most people seemed anxious to see a solution to the traffic problem that would include a safe crosswalk so the two “centers” could be joined.

 

By the time this Messenger comes out, the community will have voiced its opinions about various options for slowing traffic through town at the meeting with Caltrans October 12. Many Topangans at the new center said they were ready to accept a lowered speed limit and a traffic light, but opinions varied about where it should be.

 

Carlson said he favors a flashing light at the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Old Topanga Canyon Road to slow traffic down and a traffic light at Abuelita’s.

Steve rustles up free grub for the group—tuna he caught himself.

Jocelyn Berry (left) makes herself at home on her Pilates bed. Radiant Yoga Desa partners Brian Gibson and Emily Portman (right) are their own best advertisement.

If the new center’s businesses can be categorized, many of them would fall into three general categories—galleries and home furnishings; health and fitness; and toys and gifts—plus the Water Lily Café. The gallery owners and artists are seeing the new center as an important opportunity to raise awareness of Topanga as an arts community and to attract attention from buyers outside the canyon.

 

Among the galleries opening in the new center is the inspired return of the Topanga Canyon Gallery, an artist cooperative with 40 members mostly from Topanga. The new Howell-Green Fine Art Gallery will showcase individual artists of renown and the Adobe Road Gallery will feature Native American arts and crafts.

 

It is hoped that these, combined with Beth Sullivan’s Elliott Antiques, a custom furnishing shop, and Barry Hornig’s Topanga Rug Company, just a few steps beyond the new center, will create a new kind of draw for Topanga. The artists have been here all along, but the gallery owners and participating artists hope that with sufficient publicity, Topanga could become a destination for art collectors—like Ojai, but much closer.

 

“I’ve been here alone so long, and I’m still here,” said Hornig, whose rug business with its inviting wide porch front has been at its present ramshackle location for five years, but now sits in the shadow of the new center. “I’m glad to have it if it brings people,” said Hornig of the new center. “It will be nice to see people. And you can get something to eat.”

 

While the galleries hope to bring people into the canyon, many of the new center’s businesses make the related promise of saving Topangans trips out of the canyon.

 

Children’s birthday presents perhaps account for a sizable portion of single-item-prompted trips to the valley or the westside. Now, with Lucy Hall’s toy store Hella Bella and the return of Topanga Homegrown for other gift choices and buying urges, Topangans can conserve on gas without resorting to gifts of wrapped up stuff from around the house that hasn’t been used because it has no possible use.

 

Similarly, the health and fitness services might otherwise require trips out of the canyon. These are the new yoga studio, Yoga Desa, which opened last month with an instant following; Jocelyn Berry’s Pilates body conditioning; Topanga Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage; and the Canyon Hair Studio.

 

Perhaps the best consolation for those who are bothered by the transformation to Topanga wrought by the Pine Tree Circle development, can be found in a sunny office on the second floor of the new building. The establishment of this home for the Topanga Historical Society offers perhaps the best opportunity yet for keeping a sense of place alive in Topanga.

 

And already, even before the office was unpacked, on opening day, the room was beginning to realize its purpose with visitors dropping in to reminisce about Topanga history and to listen in on those who had stories to tell.

 

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Pearl Sloan, the Historical Society secretary. “This has been a wonderful day.” According to Sloan, who has lived in Topanga since 1947, visitors were interested and grateful to have a historical society in the canyon.

 

Most Topangans who are unhappy about the new center probably didn’t show up for the opening celebration. But some did. There were plenty of “Motel 6” references and complaints about the architecture. One couple complained about high prices and left to buy a pair of sunglasses across the street—“the only good buy in town.” But generally, the worst sentiments were a mixture of disappointment and optimism.

 

“This is what we’ve got. We’ve got to work with what we’ve got,” said Jane Donaldson, whose good friend has opened Hella Bella. “These people are our neighbors. Let’s pull together. Let’s make this a vital and vibrant place, a reason to be here other than spending money.”

 

At the same time, Donaldson mourned the new center as a “missed opportunity.” What Topanga needs, said Donaldson, is a village green with different events scheduled throughout the year. For proof, she needed only the lively spirit created by Steve Carlson’s party. As it is, the more successful the new center is, the more Topanga’s center is going to look like a parking lot.

 

“I’m ambivalent,” said Charles Sheldon. “I’ve lived here since I was a baby, so I’m attached to the way it was even though it can’t possibly stay that way.” At the same time, said Sheldon: “I like what’s here, and I think they’ve done a good job.”

 

Leslie Carlson, like Steve, felt that the over-riding response to the center was positive. “I’m thrilled that everybody came to celebrate with us...I saw people I hadn’t seen in years,” said Leslie. “Yesterday felt like it was a community.”

 

While she too has heard the references to the building looking like a “Motel 6,” like Steve she suggests that if people knew the constraints the project was working under, they would understand the results. “We didn’t have that many choices,” said Leslie. There were many things they wanted to do that just weren’t allowed, she said. Also, she noted that they are still planning to do a lot of landscaping and will be bringing in big planters. “We’re just going to keep making it better.”

 

As for the name Pine Tree Circle, Leslie said it came out of The Topanga Story, where the site of the new center is referred to eight times by that name. At one time, she said, there were pine trees there, but someone cut them down.

Hella Bella toy store owner Lucy Hall (standing) finds Charlotte Portman, Travis Rase and his mom Barbara easy sells.

For the new Topanga Homegrown, Leslie Carlson (left) brought on two partners—daughter Kristen (foreground) and Jane Hoover.

 

Here is a sampling of the businesses, new and old, of Pine Tree Circle.

 

THE WATER LILY CAFÉ

 

At the Water Lily Café, Marie Moksness Klok, who will be familiar to many from her days working at Mimosa, was already busy serving up sandwiches and coffee.

 

“It’s the most beautiful name we could think of. And I thought it fits Topanga,” said Marie. “I got a lot of help and I met all these wonderful people. I’m really happy.” In particular, she is grateful to Mike Kinnefic, a private investigator and experienced Topanga carpenter. “He worked so hard,” said Marie. “We built it together basically. He was so terrific.”

 

Many other Topangans contributed as well. Penelope Marie Mendivel and Todd Montgomery created the colorful water lily scene inlaid along the counters; fine carpenter Fleming Nielson recycled old wood beams for her counters and tables; and Patrick Rhodes made the wall lamps.

 

In addition to homemade sandwiches, wraps, pastries and coffee served in recycled cups, Marie is offering an herb bar, ice-blended drinks and soon will add fruit smoothies, juices and ice cream. Also, almost everything is organic and hormone free, says Marie, because that’s the way she likes to eat. Water Lily is currently open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, but Marie plans to add evening hours.

 

PACIFIC CANYON DRY CLEAN

 

Kayvon Mirafshar has moved his 12-year-old business, Pacific Canyon Dry Clean, across the street to a bigger space in the new center, and he’s already noticing new faces among his customers since opening in September.

 

Kayvon says he plans to resume offering delivery service on certain days of the week. Pacific Canyon Dry Clean is open 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

 

YOGA DESA

 

Yoga Desa, pronounced “day-sha,” means a meeting place to promote growth through the practice of yoga. “It’s been phenomenally successful. There’s been between five and 15 people in just about every class,” says Emily Portman, who with partner Brian Gibson, opened the yoga studio September 8 with live music and Kirtan chanting. According to Gibson about 100 turned out for the opening and since then more than 200 people have begun taking classes.

 

Currently, Yoga Desa has scheduled about 30 classes per week at a price of $12 per class or $10 per class for a set of 10 coupons. Initially, all classes are described as mixed level, but Portman said that is changing. At this point beginning classes are offered by Michelle Broussard at 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and by Mary-Beth Gibson at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. A new schedule that distinguishes different levels will be printed by January.

 

“In addition to the regular schedule, Yoga Desa is offering several special programs including an Introduction to Yoga workshop October 21 and 22 for about two hours each day; Kirtan—call and response chanting—at 8 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month; and a special Sunday community class that accepts donations for payment, with a suggested donation of $5.

 

HELLA BELLA

 

At Hella Bella, Annette Borland, a one-time “Maid of the Mountain” alongside Will Geer as Grand Marshall, bought yellow elephant chopsticks for her elephant collection while her daughter Laura and her mother Joan Stanley planned out their respective receiving and giving roles come Christmas time.

 

“Guess what? I’m going to be doing all my Christmas shopping here,” said Stanley, whose daughter Dawn is married to Shawn Rhodes who did the electrical work on the new building. Stanley has a blind dog and car problems, so it’s great that she won’t have to leave the canyon, explained Borland. But, as a child of Topanga visiting home, Borland’s comment was: “Everything’s changed so much.”

 

Meanwhile Hella Bella’s owner Lucy Hall could barely finish a thought—the store was so busy. “It’s been non-stop. The place has been mobbed,” said Hall. “It’s been a hurricane.” According to Hall, the adults are pleased with the educational aspect of the toys and kits in the store. “And the kids are just playing with everything. They’re happy.”

 

THE TOPANGA CANYON GALLERY

 

In the five years since the Topanga Canyon Gallery closed in the old center, members of the artist cooperative have ruminated on the question of whether to try again.

 

At every meeting, said Gallery president and ceramicist Rebecca Catterall, some members would ask: “When are we going to reopen the gallery?” But with the risks and effort involved, by the next meeting, everyone seemed to change places, said Catterall.

 

Ultimately, it took the Carlsons, who Catterall described as big art supporters, to make the first move. “So we got serious in our discussions,” said Catterall, and by January the consensus was: “Yes. We’ve got to open a gallery. This is what Topanga is all about.”

In addition to exhibitions, Catterall said that the gallery will host workshops, arts activities, lectures and book signings. And the other galleries are seen as a boon.

“We’re thrilled that there are other art galleries around us,” said Catterall. “The reality is the more art galleries up here there are, the more of a draw it is.”

At the opening celebration, the gallery was packed by artists, well-wishers arid anyone willing to tear themselves away from the food and music. While many were satisfied just to look, some were not. Artwork sold included several paintings, several sculptures and mixed-media works as well as jewelry. “What it is, is community support,” said Catterall. Also, it was noted that as a cooperative, these artworks are a good value because they are sold by the artist with no dealer markup. “We can fit every budget,” said Catterall. “We have a number of things under $100.”

One item that sold was a mixed-media piece titled “Quercus Query” by Rabyn Blake. It was an intimate view through a window into a framed box. As a member of the gallery, Blake sees the potential of the new center. “I think it’s going to be a destination stop,” she said, citing the example of The Inn of the Seventh Ray. “People love to come out to the canyon.” On the other hand, she noted that it could look more rustic. “A coat of muted green might paint the building right back into the landscape.”

Watercolorist Julie Paul, who also sold a piece at the opening, sees Topanga becoming a draw. “We see a future for Topanga to become the kind of mecca that Ojai has become for the arts,” said Paul. “We really want to promote that.

HOWELL-GREEN FINE ARTS

Next door to the Topanga Canyon Gallery, the Howell-Green Fine Art Gallery is exhibiting paintings by Peggy Cassen. Howell said her gallery will show work from a wide variety of artists who have had shows nationally and internationally.

“I think it’s really a good time for Topanga to do this,” said Howell of the new center and its galleries. “Topanga has so many people with cultured backgrounds—writers and artists. And Topanga has a great reputation as a point of destination....The idea of coming up here for galleries—it’s a natural.

“We’re thrilled to have the cooperative next door. I think it’s great to see the synergy,” said Howell, who studied art history and worked at the Getty for 10 years.

David Green, who has collected art for 30 years, is equally enthusiastic, but he still enjoys referring to their enterprise as a “folie de deux,” a folly for two. The couple moved to Topanga almost two years ago, and Howell says: “I just feel like I moved home.”

ADOBE ROAD GALLERY

Striking yet another note in the world of art is the Adobe Road Gallery on the other side of the Topanga Canyon Gallery. Kara Brecher, of Encino, has reopened the store she once had in Santa Monica on Colorado Boulevard. It features American Indian sand painting, Navajo etched pottery, jewelry and much more.

She said she was babysitting a lot for a family in Topanga and got the idea just driving by the Pine Tree Circle. “I just love the style, the colors, the jewelry,” said Brecher. “It’s fascinating going to the reservations, getting to know the artists and their different styles, even in the jewelry.”

THE IMAGINATION GROUP

In addition to storefront businesses, Pine Tree Circle has also attracted several Topangans who are moving their offices closer to home.

James Catterall, a professor of education at UCLA, has established a Topanga office for his Imagination Group, which researches the relationship between the arts and human development. Primarily, Catterall says he made the move for reasons that relate to his idea of community and his desire for local interaction.

Catterall, whose office is decorated with musical instruments, is a member of the Topanga Brass band and plays cello in the Topanga Philharmonic. He is also creating a Topanga musicians’ file and plans to have weekly jam sessions in varied musical styles.

Catterall’s work in the area of the arts in education has put him close to the eye of some stormy results-oriented educational debates. Of particular interest for Topangans is the fact that Catterall was a founder of the Galef Institute, which is currently working with Topanga Elementary School on new approaches to the social sciences.

Currently, he is teaming up with world-renowned neuroscientist Edythe D. London to examine neuro-imaging of brain function to see what children learn when they listen to music. He is also involved in a study that will examine in detail the vote in Los Angeles County on the voucher ballot initiative, Proposition 38, and the sociological implications of that vote among different communities and demographic groups.

In addition to Catterall, the new center will be home to an accountant, a public relations business and a design company.

PILATES

The new center is also home to a Pilates body conditioning studio run by Jocelyn Berry. For all those who have wondered what Pilates is, it turns out that Pilates is actually a man’s name. Joseph Pilates, according to Berry, was a German who regained his health and strength after a sickly childhood by applying techniques for strengthening the body’s core by using springs to create resistance.

The idea, explained Berry, is to lengthen and strengthen abdominal, lower back and pelvic floor muscles that are the body’s core of strength. Then the rest of the muscles are balanced around the core, said Berry. “It’s so concentrated. You don’t always break a sweat,” said Berry. “But it’s very effective.”

Berry, who has an MFA in dance from CalArts and applies a dance conditioning, rehabilitation and physical therapy approach to Pilates conditioning, has a Woodland Hills studio and was urged by her clients from Topanga to open another in Topanga.

“I realize when people live here, they don’t want to leave,” said Berry.

TOPANGA CHIROPRACTIC, ACUPUNCTURE AND MASSAGE

For several Topanga businesses, the new center is an opportunity for a fresh start as they relocate to bigger spaces more suited to their purposes. “I think this is going to be exciting,” said Nancy Marcucella, who has moved her Topanga Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage from the old center. “I think this is going to be a community center here. It’s bringing the community out and bringing the community together.”

For Marcucella, the decision to move was mostly prompted by the need for a space that could be better arranged for her patients’ comfort and privacy. “This is going to be a much more comfortable and a much more healing environment,” said Marcucella.

Other businesses relocating to the new center include the Coldwell Banker real estate office which is already up and running, and Canyon Hair Studio.

TOPANGA HOMEGROWN

Topanga Homegrown is another Topanga favorite reborn in the new center. “It feels like I should never have left it,” said Leslie Carlson, who ran the original store from 1988 to 1996 with her husband Steve and now has reopened with two partners—her daughter Kristen Carlson, a high school senior, and Jane Hoover.

“Jane’s been a very, very good friend for about five years,” said Leslie. “She’s got the creative end and I’ve got the business end. She’s got an amazing eye. “It was overwhelming yesterday. We were really surprised. There were so many positive comments,” said Leslie.

Originally Topanga Homegrown sold eggs, honey and organic produce from the Carlson’s farm, along with local crafts, said Leslie. Now many local craftspeople are involved, and Topanga Homegrown is also getting items from craft shows.

Topanga Homegrown’s hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday. The store is closed on Mondays, but may have evening hours and Monday hours during the holiday season.