LAS PALMAS MARKET

Today I talked to Kyunghye (pronounced Kee-on-he). She is a 50-year-old Korean woman who welcomes me with a cold look. She softens when I tell her how much her store reminds me of the European convenience stores.

Kyunghye and her husband own the Las Palmas Market, a grocery store at the corner of Fountain and Las Palmas Avenues. Reminiscent of simpler times, this red painted wooden building stands out from the surrounding modern houses. A sign on the roof reads “Fresh Milk and Ice Cream”.

Outside the market the light is dazzling. Once inside my eyes take a few seconds to adjust. The place is full of things stacked from top to bottom with beverages, food, frozen food, a few fruits, umbrellas, nails, cigarettes, Indian incense, sunglasses, hair nets for fuzzy hair… “We have everything”, says Kyunghye quietly. Sometimes she sees the same person twice or three times a day. “They cook, realize they forgot something, and come back ”.

This place is the lively hub of the neighborhood. The locals call it The Red Market. “All our customers walk here because they live in the area. We don’t even have a parking spot”, she adds. I’m amazed to see that every minute someone walks in. A short Mexican man with a huge white t-shirt and a gangster look buys beers and packs of ham.

A few moments later, a smiling polite man buys a few Double Match cards. He asks me questions about my camera. His name is Derico. “My mom gave me an original name. She wanted me to be original. Sure I am”, he says. I notice his cool Black Dynamite t-shirt and find out he made it for a movie. He is from Michigan and has been living in L.A. for thirty years. “I just got my passport. I want to go to Belize, see new places. I’ve been around here too long”, he says. He scratches his Double Match card. No win. “A friend of mine won 25,000 dollars with that game”. Dericio’s goal is to be a professional bowling player. “I’ve got to go train now. My bowling balls are in my van”.

Shortly after, a platinum pale blonde with extra-short red shorts buys an energy drink and a pack of Band-aids. She has no eye contact with Kyunghye and leaves.

The Las Palmas Market is also an important role player in Hollywood. At least twice a year the place becomes a set for films, TV shows or ads. One of its most memorable roles was in the TV show called Southland – a crime TV series that takes place in Los Angeles. The episode was about a robbery. The market owner was wrongly accused to be the thief because he was holding a gun when the cops arrived. It makes Kyunghye laugh while she tells me this story and then suddenly becomes more serious. “Sometimes we have weird customers, so we have to watch”, she points to the round mirrors hanging from the ceiling.

Kyunghye is short on casual conversation and most of the customers seem to be in a hurry. She is concerned that her accent may be too strong even though she has been living in this country for sixteen years. For her the toughest side of being in America is missing her friends and family. “This business is a family business. It takes a lot of sacrifice”, she says. Kyunghye doesn’t see her children as often as she would like to.

When I ask her if I can take a picture of her she declines… even though she is aware of her beauty. She smiles mischievously, “I know I look ten-fifteen years younger”.