Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Bright-eyed entrepreneurs take over El Cajon Boulevard

Pearson Ford, mattress store make way for compostable dental floss

Isabelle DeMillan, founder of Mighty Bin
Isabelle DeMillan, founder of Mighty Bin

There are a lot of used-to-be’s on El Cajon Boulevard. The now-gentrified corner at Utah used to be a mattress store. The Red Fox Room used to be on the south side of the street. The chalet-esque building that now houses The Village restaurant used to be Li’l B’s, and before that, for 30 years, it used to be Johnny’s R (where I broke bread with my editor at the Mid-City Neighbor, which used to be a newspaper that covered the area).

On the east end of the Boulevard, 54th and El Cajon used to be known for, said Boulevard Improvement District Director Tootie Thomas, “a bad element. Not to put a negative spin on it,” she added. But much of the Boulevard is looking super spiffy these days.

Stephanie Butterfield-Richardson of Activate House

Fresh power-washes every few weeks up and down the street were instituted late in 2021 and continue this year, with each area on a set schedule for cleaning. John Royal of Royal Environmental and Friends of Talmadge leads a weekly Wednesday morning trash pick-up on the sidewalks around 50th. Community-activated space Fair@44 (Fairmount at 44th) will reopen April 20 after a hiatus due to construction near the lot where it was operating, which used to be Pearson Ford. Register for the grand opening Earth Day celebration and tree planting workshop to get a free tree from City Farmers Nursery. Look for the International Rescue Committee Market on Wednesdays and women - and minority-owned vendors on Sundays — along with the revival of weekly suckling pig roasts.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In May, the Little Saigon section of El Cajon Boulevard is getting an installation of $405,000 worth of new red lamp posts, continuation of a project started 15 years ago. And local small businesses are moving in all along the street. In North Park, the Mighty Bin is San Diego’s first zero-waste grocer, in the former mattress store that was divided into several commercial spaces —the new trend on the Boulevard. Under the same roof is Activate House of Wellness, Tulum-themed spin, yoga, and sculpt.

Mighty Bin opening day

“Businesses are snatching up those smaller spaces,” said Tootie Thomas. “A lot of buildings on El Cajon were too big for new entrepreneurs to occupy.”

The modestly-sized Mighty Bin carries bulk food with no packaging. Bring your own jar, buy a fresh one, or grab a donated (sanitized) one to fill up with what you intend to purchase. Weigh and pay. Shop for dry foods, local produce, oils, personal care and cleaning products.

“The idea is to have as much variety as a conventional grocery store,” said owner Isabelle DeMillan.

Disco balls glitter over the black-painted spin room at Activate House.

But a regular grocery store doesn’t carry compostable dental floss — or offer compost collection. Drop off a bucket of food scraps (meat, bones, and all) and Naomi Wentworth of the Compost Group will pick it up and take it to her anaerobic digester on campus at Cal State San Marcos. For free.

Back at Activate House, disco balls glitter over the black-painted spin room. It looks like a trendy club, but with stationary bikes.

“We have classes in Spenglish,” said owner Stephanie Butterfield-Richardson. Aside from regular paid classes, people can apply for scholarships here, where instructors hail from Mexico City, Italy, and San Diego.

Stephanie heads one of three female-owned businesses on that corner. On the other side is Pure Project, an outdoor biergarten. Next to Pure Project, the Alliance for African Assistance and Safari Seconds Thrift Store thriving contains donated items set aside especially for refugees coming to San Diego.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego seawalls depend on Half Moon Bay case

Casa Mira townhomes sued after losing 20 feet of bluffs in storm
Isabelle DeMillan, founder of Mighty Bin
Isabelle DeMillan, founder of Mighty Bin

There are a lot of used-to-be’s on El Cajon Boulevard. The now-gentrified corner at Utah used to be a mattress store. The Red Fox Room used to be on the south side of the street. The chalet-esque building that now houses The Village restaurant used to be Li’l B’s, and before that, for 30 years, it used to be Johnny’s R (where I broke bread with my editor at the Mid-City Neighbor, which used to be a newspaper that covered the area).

On the east end of the Boulevard, 54th and El Cajon used to be known for, said Boulevard Improvement District Director Tootie Thomas, “a bad element. Not to put a negative spin on it,” she added. But much of the Boulevard is looking super spiffy these days.

Stephanie Butterfield-Richardson of Activate House

Fresh power-washes every few weeks up and down the street were instituted late in 2021 and continue this year, with each area on a set schedule for cleaning. John Royal of Royal Environmental and Friends of Talmadge leads a weekly Wednesday morning trash pick-up on the sidewalks around 50th. Community-activated space Fair@44 (Fairmount at 44th) will reopen April 20 after a hiatus due to construction near the lot where it was operating, which used to be Pearson Ford. Register for the grand opening Earth Day celebration and tree planting workshop to get a free tree from City Farmers Nursery. Look for the International Rescue Committee Market on Wednesdays and women - and minority-owned vendors on Sundays — along with the revival of weekly suckling pig roasts.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In May, the Little Saigon section of El Cajon Boulevard is getting an installation of $405,000 worth of new red lamp posts, continuation of a project started 15 years ago. And local small businesses are moving in all along the street. In North Park, the Mighty Bin is San Diego’s first zero-waste grocer, in the former mattress store that was divided into several commercial spaces —the new trend on the Boulevard. Under the same roof is Activate House of Wellness, Tulum-themed spin, yoga, and sculpt.

Mighty Bin opening day

“Businesses are snatching up those smaller spaces,” said Tootie Thomas. “A lot of buildings on El Cajon were too big for new entrepreneurs to occupy.”

The modestly-sized Mighty Bin carries bulk food with no packaging. Bring your own jar, buy a fresh one, or grab a donated (sanitized) one to fill up with what you intend to purchase. Weigh and pay. Shop for dry foods, local produce, oils, personal care and cleaning products.

“The idea is to have as much variety as a conventional grocery store,” said owner Isabelle DeMillan.

Disco balls glitter over the black-painted spin room at Activate House.

But a regular grocery store doesn’t carry compostable dental floss — or offer compost collection. Drop off a bucket of food scraps (meat, bones, and all) and Naomi Wentworth of the Compost Group will pick it up and take it to her anaerobic digester on campus at Cal State San Marcos. For free.

Back at Activate House, disco balls glitter over the black-painted spin room. It looks like a trendy club, but with stationary bikes.

“We have classes in Spenglish,” said owner Stephanie Butterfield-Richardson. Aside from regular paid classes, people can apply for scholarships here, where instructors hail from Mexico City, Italy, and San Diego.

Stephanie heads one of three female-owned businesses on that corner. On the other side is Pure Project, an outdoor biergarten. Next to Pure Project, the Alliance for African Assistance and Safari Seconds Thrift Store thriving contains donated items set aside especially for refugees coming to San Diego.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Birdwatching bonanza, earliest sunset of the year, bulb planting time

Venus shines its brightest
Next Article

Live Five: Songwriter Sanctuary, B-Side Players, The Crawdaddys, Saint Luna, Brawley

Reunited, in the round, and onstage in Normal Heights, East Village, Little Italy, Encinitas
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader