Tracing grandma's footsteps: #1

Grandma's Footsteps c.2011

Address : 808 S. Broadway Downtown Los Angeles

Year: 1976

Former Name : Ideal Fashions

Current Name: Anjac Fashion 

I was very excited to visit the first location of my grandma's former workplaces. To be honest, I was thinking about how to approach this project throughout the day. Instead of walking to all of the locations in one go, I decided to visit one location in a given day and in chronological order.

I should mention my grandma was a seamstress her entire life, which will give everyone a better idea of the type of buildings she was at. She loved to sew outside of work too. She'd make some clothes for me when she had the extra time and resources. My favorite handmade item was a purple dress she made especially for my 2nd grade picture day. But I digress...

After I got out of work and ate a quick dinner out, I looked at the stapled 1976 W2 forms and selected one address. With a full stomach and renewed energy, I walked from Flower down to Broadway along 7th street. As I was looking for the street numbers, I noticed I wasn't too far from the location. I was at 710 and needed to find 808. The majority of the street numbers on that side of Broadway are hard to find. Most are missing or just hand painted. It was a different feeling to walk while looking up for the numbers. The shops and stands along Broadway are so overwhelmingly "in your face" that it's easy to miss some of the architectural designs that are directly above everyone's heads over second floor.

 Grandma's Footsteps c.2011

As I approached 806, I saw two unnumbered spaces then 810. I asked a vendor next door which one was 808, and she pointed at the chained gate. She went on to tell me it's out of business and completely empty. I was surprised since it didn't look abandoned. There was a security camera and the decals on the doors were completely in tact, so it looked like it was just closed for the day. I asked the vendor how long had it been closed and she said it's been about 6 months.

Grandma's Footsteps c.2011

Based on the tax form, my grandma wasn't there for too long. She never went into detail about why she  left her jobs. All I know is that she simply moved onto the next place. It was the only way she knew how to survive. She had to, for herself and for her two daughters. I'll always be thankful for that and I'll continue to thank her by retracing these steps.

The Purple Dress

f*ck yeah side ponytail!

An unwelcome walk...

Digital reading for film project

There are many days when I wish I would have been an aspiring photographer during the days when having your picture taken was a rarity and a privilege. People seemed more willing to let a stranger capture their image…or so the history books have made it seem. Too often I’ve seen people dodge my path at the sight of my camera, whether it’s an SLR or a little point and shoot. I sense their uneasiness immediately. Some see me as a type of thief. No one has ever said that to me but that’s the vibe I often feel.

Recently, I was walking westward on 8th street, expanding my collection of payphones. There was one outside of a small liquor store that I came across and shot it. Immediately, I noticed the storeowner nervously come out to see what I was up to. Having captured what I wanted, I continued on with my walk. As I did this, I also noticed a customer step out behind me. I was about half a block down when I heard the heavyset customer exclaim, “We don’t like cameras”. I didn’t turn back, although I did think about how many photographers they’ve come across and felt photographers are only interested in the exploitation of the area and the people.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve been confronted by someone because I took a picture of a payphone near their store. On Washington and Central I took a picture of a payphone near an entrance to a salon and a nervous young Hispanic man came out and asked me if I had been sent over by someone. I said no and explained the objective of my project. He went on to tell me that his store had been vandalized continuously because he was gay. I apologized for causing any alarm and hoped his troubles would stop soon.

I’ve also been confronted by less understanding storeowners. On Broadway and 8th I took a picture of a payphone that was across the street from the Orpheum theatre. The phone wasn’t next to the convenience store entrance so I was surprised when I saw the storeowner come out to the street and attempt to cover my lens. He was an older man of Middle Eastern descent. He told me I wasn’t allowed to take a picture of his store. I calmly explained what I was doing and assured him that his store wasn’t in my frame, only the payphone. He didn’t care and told me not to shoot anymore. I said the phone was city property and he couldn’t tell me what to do. To his disapproval I quickly captured my picture anyway. He kept an eye on me as I walked down the block. Normally I’d be intimidated by such a confrontation, but honestly, not in my hometown.

I would love to know the specific reasons some of the storeowners have for hating the use of cameras near their stores. Then again if they’re confronting me then they’re probably not in a chatty mood. Either way, this is my ongoing project and it’ll take the actual disappearance of the payphones to get me to stop.