Laurel Canyon Country Store
 2108 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Located at the base of Kirkwood Dr., the Country Store has served as Laurel Canyon's 'downtown' since first opening it's doors in 1919.

Like so many Laurel Canyon buildings, the Country Store was destroyed by fire in 1929 (to be covered in later 'LC Fires' page).
The intersection at Laurel Canyon Blvd. & Kirkwood Dr. had a small triangular traffic island in the middle of the street where people loved to hang out, to see, & be seen.
Just as the intersection of Haight & Ashbury has come to represent the epicenter of San Francisco's counter-culture, 'Hippie Movement', many consider this spot to be Los Angeles' equivalent.-Technically, that honor should apply one traffic signal further north, at Laurel Canyon & Lookout Mountain, home to the 'Houdini Estate', the Log Cabin, and the R&R Treehouse, but who's counting?

This has been the spot to see Rock & Roll and film celebrities doing their grocery shopping for years.
LA's most renowned groupie, 'Miss' Pamela Des Barres (Miller), writes that she was first introduced to her life as a groupie in the Country Store parking lot. While still in High School, she and 'Miss Sparky' Parker would hitchhike from the San Fernando Valley up Laurel Canyon, to the Country Store, in hopes of meeting rock musicians.
The bottom floor is where the Cat and the Fiddle resided for many years (late 70's - early 80's). The little pub was a favorite of English expatriates who found themselves in Laurel Canyon and the Hollywood Hills. It was also the first bar in Laurel Canyon since The Laurel Tavern, over 50 years after the Tavern closed to become Tom Mix's canyon home. Restricted to the sale of beer & wine, the little pub attracted more than just transplanted 'Brits'.
As a result of the cozy little pub's growing popularity. it eventually relocated to its current home on Sunset.
The downstairs space currently houses PACE ("peace" in Italian), a fine European eatery catering to the likes of George Clooney and other Canyon notables. Its owner became captivated by 'The Canyon Life', and now lives in the rustic old cabin that Joni Mitchell called home during her most productive artistic period.

          Two Views of the Laurel Canyon Country Store      
1974 - Shots taken minutes apart - note LAPD cruiser entering & exiting side street
 
The Country Store proudly serves as the site for an annual community ritual which is uniquely Laurel Canyon. Every Summer, usually between Fourth of July and Labor Day, denizens of the Canyon retreat from the hillsides to assemble in front of the Country Store, for an annual group photo session. Like 'all things Laurel', the unstructured event is casual, just short of chaotic, and usually spontaneous. Though unscheduled, and occurring relatively early on a weekend morning, Canyon locals show up armed with leftover party intoxicants, Red Bulls, plus their dogs & children.

      {photo - Michael Jacobs/MJP 2006}
As Michael Walker describes it in his Laurel Canyon book:

"It's as if once a year the "creatures," as Jim Morrison immortalized them in the Doors' "Love Street", are driven to renew their neighborhood vows."

Explanations of the origins of the ritualistic gathering vary, most often in proportion to the number of residents quizzed. As I remember, the first photo gathering was organized for a Laurel Canyon Country Store T-shirt shoot.
Regardless, the occasion is a joyous gathering, enjoyed by all but the photographer, who must capture the raucous group of residents on film.

In 1982, the Country Store was sold to its present owners, Tommy Bina, his brother, and their financial partner, David Shamsa. Shamsa was an influential Persian Jew in Iran during the Shah's regime, and was the head of National Iranian Steel Mill Corporation, and also the director of Iran Hotel Corporation. Just a few months before the Islamic revolution, Shamsa fled to the United States and bought the Country Store's building. The Bina brothers followed and have managed the property since. Tommy, the store's genial proprietor, is a daily fixture behind the counter, who appears to enjoy his role immensely. No doubt unaware of exactly what the Iranian expats were buying, they have adjusted well and Tommy takes pride in the local store's accomplishments. He also takes an active interest in the local community, He has been awarded for forming a local group of volunteers to clean up the surrounding area and maintain its cleanliness.
"The city doesn't take care of this area very well,"  he said. "We do this to protect the environment."

Apparently unaware of the successful contemporary celebrities who visit, Tommy revels in recounting stories about the many classic film stars who frequent his little business. His cheeks flush when he mentions Gandhi's Ben Kingsley, or Sophia Loren, though Christina Applegate is discussed as if she was the little girl next door. At the same time, he goes out of his way to accommodate the eclectic requests from his staple of customers. Thanks to Laurel Canyon's omnipresent group of Brits, there is an aisle devoted entirely to English products. Cadbury Flake candy bars for David Bowie, British Kit Kat bars per Mick Jagger's request, plus an array of special liquors, snacks, etc., line the aisle's shelves

XMAS TREES AT THE COUNTRY STORE
When Bob Crosby was living in the R&R Treehouse, he devised the first of its kind, mail order Xmas tree enterprise (Santa's Helpers), and ran several independent lots in Hollywood and the Valley. Canyon locals made note of such, due to his preparation of wholesale and commercial trees on the remains of the Log Cabin site. When he acquiesced to neighborhood requests for a retail sales outlet, first at the 2401 L.C. site, and then down the street at the Country Store, residents became accustomed to the convenience offered.
I had assisted in the first few years (early 80's) of the business, but relocated to Kailua Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, by the end of the decade.
I returned 6-7 years later, just prior to the Crosby family's move to Warren, Ohio. While assisting Bob with the move, he pleaded with me to manage a Xmas tree outlet for Tommy, at the LC Country Store. I had reluctantly agreed to stay at the Treehouse to oversee construction and repairs, while Bob negotiated with the daughter-in-law of Fonia Pearson to purchase the property. After meeting with the amiable Tommy Bina, I surrendered to the request, and soon befriended the genial store owner. I would grow to admire the foreigner's ability to accept and adjust to the idiosyncratic behavior of the Laurel Canyon populace. Though the lot was less than lucrative, I enjoyed the opportunity to become reacquainted with Laurel Canyon and meet several of the community's new characters in the process.

LAUREL CANYON BLVD.
As you can see by this funky YAHOO!  map, the Laurel Canyon Country Store (red star), sits about in the middle of the Laurel Canyon community. Laurel Canyon Blvd. originates at its intersection with Sunset Blvd. (Sunset Strip), goes north past Hollywood Blvd. and there enters 'the canyon'. The tree lined street weaves north past the refurbished bungalows and cabins of the past, reaching the Country Store at the intersection with Kirkwood Dr. About half a mile further along the boulevard, you encounter Laurel Canyon's second traffic signal, at the intersection with Lookout Mountain Ave. (Wonderland). You soon notice the old classic estates as the boulevard begins to climb on its ascent to the legendary Mulholland Dr. (top of map).
The famed Mulholland Dr. (Highway) weaves along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountain range, offering spectacular views of the Valley below. As a result, thousands of teenaged 'Valley Girls' have succumbed to its allure, many deflowered in the process. Mulholland is lined with celebrity estates, most hidden from view, along its tree lined side streets, and behind the secluded gated driveways of Hollywood's rich and famous. Laurel Canyon Blvd. then begins its winding descent past the various upscale developments with their meticulously designed lawns and landscaping, to Ventura Blvd. entering Studio City and the neighboring suburbs of the San Fernando Valley.

DOORS NEXT DOOR 

        {Jim Morrison's house - 60's}              
Just south of the Country Store, set back from the traffic of Laurel Canyon Blvd., rests the two story bungalow, forever memorialized as the - "JIM MORRISON HOUSE"
Morrison always considered Laurel Canyon his 'home', though this is the only house that he actually rented. Previously, the nomadic artist's Canyon residency was spent in scores of homes belonging to friends, bandmates, and mostly female admirers.
This was the home where he settled with longtime girlfriend, Pam Courson.
Even though the home has been remodeled numerous times over the years, it remains a 'must stop' for Doors fans visiting California. For a long period, an occupant of the house displayed a hand carved totem pole, featuring Jim,Morrison, Janis Joplin, & Jimi Hendrix, in the front window.