Monrovia's Athletic Prowess

Monrovia is a sports lovers paradise.

The Angeles National Forest offers wonderful trails for hiking, biking and running - and it is right in Monrovia's backyard. But Monrovia also has a variety of sports groups, running clubs and boot camps - some of which have award-winning athletes as members. For example, in the past month alone, the following local training facilities and their athletes have dominated at Southern California competitions:

Team CrossFit Academy's Trail Racing Team, in red, had a 

dominant presence at Fountain to the Falls in Monrovia and 

the Mt. Wilson Trail Race in Sierra Madre.

Donna Walters from Team CrossFit Academy earned 5th Place in the Open and advanced to the Reebok Crossfit Games. Team CrossFit Academy is located at 130 E. Walnut Avenue.

Out of Team CrossFit Academy is also the Arrogant Bastards Trail Racing Team, which dominated during the Fountain to the Falls Race on May 19 and also placed during the Mt. Wilson Trail Race last week in Sierra Madre. The team is led by Eric LeClair.

Down the street from Team CrossFit is Old Town Fight Club, whose MMA fighter Walter Morales beat Michael Venturella on May 20 at the Nokia Theater. OTFC is located at 111 W. Maple Ave., and specailizes in Muay Thai, Stickfighting, Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts.

Photo from Old Town Fight Club

Walt Morales of Old Town Fight Club was victorious in his

fight on May 20, 2012.

Among the other athletic groups in town include:

- Stan's Bikes, which has a community of active cyclists that ride around Southern California. Learn more.
- Snail's Pace, which has a running club each Wednesday. Learn more.
- Kate Yoga, a boutique Yoga studio located in Old Town Monrovia. Learn more.
- Cross FitMonrovia, at 143 W. Maple Avenue. Learn more.
- MMA School Ring of Fire, at 119 W. Palm Avenue. Learn more.

And there are traditional athletic clubs such as 24 Hour Fitness and Foothill Gym, among many others.

So what are you waiting for? Swimsuit season is here!

Making People Smile: Monrovia Dentalcare Now Open

Lan Dao, far left, likes to make people smile. And now that she and her UCLA School of Dentistry colleague Jane Refela, right, have a dental practice, she can fulfill that dream everyday.

Dr. Dao and Dr. Refela opened Monrovia Dentalcare just last month at 831 E. Huntington Drive Suite 201, at the corner of Mountain Avenue. Monrovia Dentalcare specializes in general, cosmetic and implant services. 

Their office is a new, state-of-the-art facility complete with plasma televisions, a refreshment station in the waiting room, and, best of all, massage chairs for patients who are getting work done. The hope was to provide patients with as comforting an environment as possible.

Photo courtesy of Monrovia Dentalcare

This is the front lobby of the new Monrovia Dentalcare.

According to their Facebook page, Dr. Dao was born in Vietnam but grew up in Southern California. She graduated with Cum Laude Honors from the University of California at Irvine where she earned dual degrees in Biology and in Psychology. 

Later, Dr. Dao earned her Doctorate from the prestigious UCLA School of Dentistry, where she was the recipient of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry Award, Excellence in Esthetic Dentistry Award, the Section of Advanced Prosthodontics Award, and the Section of Endodontics Award. 

                                   Photo courtesy of Monrovia Dentalcare

This is no normal chair - it gives you a massage while you 

are getting that check up, implant or other not-so-pleasant 

dental work done.

Dr. Refela is a native of Los Angeles, California. She graduated Magna Cum Laude Honors from UCLA, where she earned her BS degree in Biochemistry. She continued her studies and entered UCLA School of Dentistry with Deans Honor Scholarship, and later earned her doctorate. She was the recipient of the prestigious Academy of Operative Dentistry Award. 

To make an appointment, contact Monrovia Dentalcare at (626) 359-8300, or visit the website at www.monroviadentalcare.com. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and by appointment on Saturdays. They are currently offering new patient specials. Click here to learn more.

Urbane Beauty Care Hiring

Urbane Beauty Care at 108 S. Myrtle, located in Old Town Monrovia next to Yogurtland, Coffee Bean and Noor's Indian Bistro, is hiring for positions at the front desk as of May 27.

For more information, contact the salon at (626) 471-9030, or stop by their location for an application.

Verizon Store Hiring

Huntington Crossing's Verizon Store, located next to Daphne's at 917 W. Huntington Drive, has a sign posted that it is hiring. For more information, visit the store or call (626) 358-8700.

In other hiring news, the City is just putting its final touches on a Job Fair that will be held on June 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kay Dalton Room in the Community Center in Monrovia. It is open to all - but please bring an updated resume and dress to impress. For more information, call Jennifer McLain at (626)303-6601.

UPS Store Moves to New Old Town Location

The UPS Store has moved to its new temporary location in Old Town Monrovia following a brief stint at a neighboring location in the ground floor site in the Paragon Luxury Apartments. The UPS Store, which opened last month, is located at 710 S. Myrtle Avenue. Prior to that, it was located in the Foothill Park Plaza.

The UPS Store moved to a new location last month following a brief stay 

at a neighboring location. Before that, it was located in the Foothill Park 

Plaza.

Meanwhile, brokers are still looking to fill two remaining vacancies in the retail sites at the Paragon Luxury Apartments. Click here for more information.

New Doggie Day Care Opens in Monrovia

Monrovia has a reputation for being dog friendly, whether it's from the water bowls outside of the Old Town stores to the number of pet stores it has in town. But Monrovia now has another new dog-friendly  business - Wonder Dog Ranch, located at 220 Taylor Street. Wonder Dog Ranch opened on April 28.

Photo courtesy of Wonder Dog Ranch.

This dog day care and boarding facility features rubber flooring and large play areas. What's more is that the facility has a live internet camera so that patrons can, "watch the fun your dog is enjoying with attentive caretakers and fun activities," according to its Facebook page.

It joins several other dog-tailored businesses in the area, including the Dog Zone at 166 W. Foothill, Happy Paws Dog Grooming at 138 E. Colorado, and Petsmart Pethotel at 745 W. Huntington Drive.

Filming Roundup: New Normal, Crush and Honda

Filmings in the month of April and early May picked up in Monrovia, including the production of a commercial, a pilot and a movie. Here's what was filmed:

• On May 3 at Myrtle and East Olive, Honda shot a motorcycle commercial from 5:30 a.m. and wrapped up by 8:30 a.m. It involved three separate people driving/riding on two bikes.
• On April 3, high school horror flick "Crush" re-shot scenes in a residential neighborhood. "Crush" had previously filmed in Monrovia week-long shot back in October.
• Also on April 3, TV pilot "The New Normal" directed by Ryan Murphy and starring Ellen Barkin, Justin Bartha from the Hangover, and Nene Leaks from the Real Housewives of Atlanta was filmed at Myrtle and Lemon. It involved temporarily transforming 427 S. Myrtle Avenue into a sporting goods store and 423 S. Myrtle Avenue into a Chinese restaurant.

Staff photo

Filming crews work at the 400 block of S. Myrtle Avenue, where they shot

several scenes for the pilot of comedy series, "The New Normal." Here, 427

S. Myrtle was used as a sporting good store and 423 S. Myrtle turned into a

Chinese restaurant.

Six-2-Six Moves to Bigger Old Town Location

One local accessory store is getting bigger. Six-2-Six, a jewelry and accessory store formerly located at 114 S. Myrtle, moved to a location nearly double in size in the heart of Old Town last week. 

Six-2-Six officially opened on Friday in their new location at 522 S. Myrtle Avenue. The store will have a grand re-opening sale from May 4 to May 20.


Six-2-Six can be reached at (626) 359-6262, or on their Facebook Page.

Yogurtland Now Open

It's official: Yogurtland is now open for business as of 11 a.m. today. Read more.

Site of the Week: Former Blockbuster Building

Calling all retail businesses looking for excellent visibility on a well-traveled street: the former Blockbuster video building is available and looking for a tenant. The site, which has been vacant since early this year, has 6,160 square feet at 123 W. Foothill at a lease rate of $2 per square feet. It is located across from the popular Pavilions shopping center, and is at the entrance to Old Town Monrovia.

Also available is 117 W. Foothill, which is 2,100 square feet, and 127 W. Foothill, at 1,320 square feet.

For more information, see the attached flyer, or contact John Archibald at 818-334-1880 or by email at johna@cbcnca.com.

Brokers: Have a site that you want advertised? Please send an email to jmclain@ci.monrovia.ca.us.