The storefront at 15276 Antioch will soon go from selling diamonds to selling dial tones. Pierre Onassis, owner of Onassis Jewelry, has subleased his 1,000-sq.-ft. space between Noah’s Bagels and The Coffee Bean to USA Wireless, which is currently renovating the premises for a September opening. According to managing partner Vince Nguyen, USA Wireless will sell a variety of cell phones and services, including Verizon, Nextel, Cingular, Sprint and T-Mobile. If the store is a success ‘we will open others,’ he said. Asked about the fate of his jewelry store, Onassis told the Palisadian-Post, ‘I am not going out of business. I am simply moving my operations back downtown.’ Prior to opening his store here in December 2002, Onassis had operated a jewelry business in the Los Angeles Diamond District for more than 20 years. He and his family moved to the Palisades in 2000. He said he will continue to work with his wife, Sabah, and they will sell jewelry wholesale. They can now be reached at (213) 244-1100. o o o Mid-summer finds plenty of other business activity going on in the Palisades Village, with one business closing down (Contentment), another changing hands (Littlebits), and several other storefronts under construction’slowed only by the City of L.A.’s permit and inspection process. New businesses planning a late summer, early fall opening include: ”Chefmakers, the new cooking academy at 872 Via de la Paz, formerly Sheila May Permanent Makeup Studio. Owner Rick Klein, a Palisadian, said that while several celebrity chefs have been lined up for the fall ‘it would be premature to say who they are as we have yet to finalize the schedule.’ Klein did say, however, that within two weeks people could start signing up for cooking classes online (www.chefmakers.com.) ”Renovations are progressing at 1022 Swarthmore, former site of Video 2010 which closed down last October. The 2,500-sq.-ft. space, located between Baskin-Robbins and Ivy Greene for Kids, will be the new home of BOCA Woman clothing boutique. ‘We’re looking forward to having 30-40 percent more space than we do now,’ said Michael Mangimelli, who has secured a five-year lease and will be paying approximately $3 a square foot. There is still no word on what will become of the current BOCA Woman site located at 15260 Antioch. Mangimelli and his wife, Denise, also own BOCA Man at the corner of Swarthmore and Antioch. ”The owners of the new Italian cafe at 863 Swarthmore, formerly Il Sogno, are awaiting approval from the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control for a beer and wine license. Palisadian Robert Mackston and his partner Kevin O’Connell plan to offer family-style dining in both the indoor and outdoor areas. The prospective menu includes pastas, salads, pizza and sandwiches. The owners have already completely gutted the interior, leaving only the familiar brick fireplace, and propose to call the new eatery Beech Street Pizzeria. ”Work continues at the former Anna Marie’s Boutique at 857 Via de la Paz, which closed in May. Anna Marie Tomasello, who opened her women’s boutique in 1995, sold her lease to a Palisades couple who are making improvements on the 500-sq.-ft. space and will reopen as a women’s clothing store. ”The ownership of Littlebits, at the corner of Swarthmore and Antioch, is expected to change hands in August. The children’s clothing shop is being purchased by Pam and Paul Hayer, who own Tattle Tails, a children’s clothing shop in Claremont. The couple have not yet decided whether they will retain the Littlebits name. ”Philips French Cleaners at 15224 Sunset, which has been in business in the Palisades since 1988, has completed renovations next door, in the space formerly occupied by Palace Fireplace. Meera Cho, owner of Philips with her husband Jeff, said they have invested in some new equipment to provide more ‘environmentally-correct dry cleaning services.’ ”In June, Palace Fireplace moved two blocks up the street to 15335 Sunset, adjacent to Emerson LeMay Cleaners. Besides selling fireplace screens and accessories, Palace also sells ‘mailboxes and barbecue grills,’ said owner Armond Vartanian. ”Quizno’s Sandwich Shop, located beside Starbucks in the Business Block building, opened in June in the former Haagen-Dazs space. The national franchise is known for its submarine sandwiches made with toasted specialty breads. ”Contentment, which occupies one of the largest retail spaces on the main floor of the business complex at 970 Monument, will officially close down July 31 when its three-year sublease with Kinko’s ends. According to Taryn Rudon, property manager for Equity Pacific which owns the complex, negotiations are under way to open at least one, ‘and possibly two’ new restaurants in that space. Admitting there is a lot of speculation as to the kind of restaurant, or restaurants, that will open there, ‘from Italian to Greek to Indian to Asian to Mexican to Japanese,’ she said she was unable to confirm anything ‘until we work out all the details,’ which is expected to take several more weeks. ”Early this month, Mogan’s Cafe, which is owned by Palisades Chamber of Commerce president David Williams, added a dinner menu, offering American comfort food. In May, Williams sold his Cafe Misto, three doors down from Mogan’s, to Lucia’s, an Italian eatery which only serves dinner. Both restaurants are located in the lower Highlands Plaza, off Palisades Drive. o o o ”The only advertised storefront currently available for lease in the Village is the former Emerson-LeMay site (1,600-sq.-ft.) at 1045 Swarthmore, which has been vacant since March 2003.

As its second offering, the Movies in the Park series will feature ‘Grease’ this Saturday, July 31, on the Field of Dreams at the Palisades Recreation Center, 861 Alma Real. Admission is free. Over 400 people of all ages came to see ‘E.T.’ at the park last Saturday, spreading out blankets on the outfield grass at the south end of the playing fields. ‘It was a big hit, exceeding everyone’s expectations,’ said Arnie Wishnick, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, one of the sponsoring groups. ‘We’re hearing rave reviews; one person even suggested that Norman Rockwell had visited the Palisades.’ Before there was ‘Hairspray’ there was ‘Grease,’ starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Eve Arden, Edd ‘Kookie’ Brynes, Sid Caesar, Dinah Manoff and Frankie Avalon as The Teen Angel. You’ll hear the songs: ‘Grease Is The Word,’ ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You,’ ‘Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee,’ ‘Sandy,’ ‘Greased Lightening,’ ‘Summer Nights,’ ‘Beauty School Dropout’ and ‘We Go Together.’ Future films in the series include ‘Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark’ on August 7 and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ on August 14. Movies on the 15-by-20 foot screen start at dusk, with seating on the grass beginning at 7 p.m. Bring your own picnic and blankets, but please no chairs with stick legs. And, no alcohol. Snacks and drinks will be sold by the Boy Scouts. ‘Wear warm clothing,’ Wishnick said. ‘We learned Saturday that it can get chilly in the evening at the park.’ This week, two speakers will be added (making a total of six speakers) to spread the surround sound throughout the audience and reduce the volume for the neighbors. ‘Outdoor cinema is a phenomenon that is spreading throughout the country,’ Wishnick said. ‘Other communities also want to get out and be with the family and be with nature.’ The major sponsor of Movies in the Park is Wachovia Securities. Other sponsors are Friends of Film, American Legion Post 283 and the Palisades Junior Women’s Club. Helping to make the evening safe is Palisades Patrol, while Chrysalis cleans the park afterwards. Movies in the Park committee members include David Williams, Sandy Derby, Roberta Donohue, Sandy Eddy, Andy Frew, Brad Lusk, Roy Robbins, Bob Sharka, John Wirth and Bob and Marika Tur. Visit www.palisadeschamber.com or contact 459-7963 for more information.

Greg Schem, a Highlands resident and managing partner of the 881 Alma Real building, said Thursday that he’s pleased about working out a five-year lease with the new Renaissance Academy Charter High School. The Palisades-headquartered school has leased 13,000 sq.ft. in the three-story commercial/professional building. Administrative offices will be located on the ground floor, with classrooms (grades 9 through 12) on the lower terrace, the same level as Fancy Feet Dance Studio, Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Studio, and Curves Fitness and Weight-Loss Center. ‘I think having a school in here is a great idea,’ Schem said. ‘The fact is, in the last few years this area has gradually transformed itself into a school-friendly neighborhood,’ referring to Seven Arrows Elementary School around the corner on La Cruz and the Village School annex currently under construction at the corner of La Cruz and Alma Real. Schem’s investment group purchased the 58,370-sq.-ft. building in foreclosure in October 2000. He said that he did not have to vacate any tenants to accommodate Renaissance and doesn’t anticipate any problems with existing tenants, the largest being the real estate firm Prudential John Aaroe on the ground floor. Two dozen other tenants in the building provide a range of medical, legal and financial services. ‘The only problem I can see us having is perhaps with security,’ said Dr. Phil Kamins, who has had his dental practice on the top floor of the building for over 10 years. The new public school, which will have its own entrance at the rear of the building, will take over the space formerly occupied by Bouquet Multimedia, a post-production company. Renovations, which include converting existing editing suites into classrooms, as well as the addition of two restrooms, will begin as soon as permits are issued by the L.A. Department of Building and Safety. ‘I am very excited about the building,’ said Paul McLaughlin, the founding director of Renaissance. ‘I always thought it had a campus feel to it. And being so close to the village, the library and the park, it is actually perfect for us. As a community school many of our classes will be held off-campus anyway, ranging from the Palisades library to Santa Monica College.’ Even though the school expects an initial enrollment of 300 students, most of them from the Palisades area, ‘not all of them will occupy the Alma Real building at the same time,’ McLaughlin said. Traffic problems in the already congested neighborhood will also be minimized ‘as the students will either be bused in or will walk to the building.’ While there will be parking for faculty, students ‘will not be allowed’ to park in the building’s underground lot. Still to be decided is whether students will be allowed off-campus at lunchtime. ‘Our primary concern is for their safety,’ McLaughlin said. According to the LAUSD, all that is required to open a public school in a commercial building, such as Alma Real, is that ‘it meet city health and safety standards,’ said Andrew Glazier, director of legislative affairs. ‘Given the lack of available classroom space in LAUSD, we have seen schools in recent years locate in church basements and in many different kinds of commercial settings that have been successfully converted for classroom use.’ Glazier added, ‘As long as the school meets the State of California education requirements, public hearings are not necessary in such situations.’ McLaughlin began exploring the Alma Real building as a potential campus through the suggestion of Palisadian David Eagle, founder of the New West Middle School. Eagle had approached Schem several years ago about locating his school in the building. Schem wasn’t interested at the time ‘but the more I thought about it,’ Schem said, ‘the more I came to see that it could be a good fit.’ New West opened last fall in a former furniture warehouse in West L.A., and plans to open a second campus on the former site of the Santa Ynez Inn on Sunset in the fall of 2005. Renaissance Academy will give the community three high schools, joining Palisades High, which has 2,650 students, and Temescal Canyon, which has about 80 students. Asked what he thought the impact the student population will have on the Alma Real building, Tom Price, who has owned Palisades Village Pharmacy on the ground floor since 2000, said: ‘I don’t know. It might get a little hectic around here but I’m willing to give it a chance.’

Public High School Locates on Alma Real

Six weeks away from opening, the Renaissance Academy Charter High School has acquired a site, signed a lease, and is anticipating about 300 students when classes begin on September 8 at 9 a.m. The new public school, which will occupy 15 percent of the 881 Alma Real business/professional building, will consist of complete grades 9, 10 and 11, and a small 12th grade class. Students will not be allowed to park in the building, located between the branch library and the new Village School annex. A shuttle system will be established. ‘Out of three possible sites in the Palisades, this one emerged,’ said Paul McGlothlin, founding director of Renaissance Academy and former Palisades Charter High School teacher. But, he added, ‘Our school doesn’t have just one location. Students will be taking classes at Santa Monica College and the Palisades library [both partnered with Renaissance]. We’ve always had the notion that we’ll have community partners and supplement the school with administrative and classroom space.’ Designed as a small, personalized college-preparatory school, the academy will provide a ‘Renaissance’-style education with emphasis in the arts, sciences, humanities and technology. Students will also have full access to traditional extracurricular activities, such as after-school sports at public and private facilities in the area. ‘A lot of people talk about schools like Renaissance Academy, but there are few examples,’ McGlothlin said. ‘All the people involved [with Renaissance] are passionate about education and committed to making a better public school.’ Among the 14-person faculty are former PaliHi teachers Lorena Candrian, who will be teaching advanced math (as well as precalculus and calculus), John Kannofsky, teaching visual arts and technology, and Philip West, whose specialty is drama and performing arts. Kannofsky and West are co-chairs of Renaissance’s visual and performing arts program. A former English department chair at PaliHi, Kannofsky may also be teaching some language arts. Paul McGlothlin will be teaching documentary film production and PaliHi teacher Brooks Walker will work part-time with Renaissance on special-ed issues, though Walker will be staying at Pali. Other Renaissance teaches include Palisadian Alex Cutler, who said he joined the team ‘when I discovered what they were doing here and realized this is the school I wanted to create, the school I wanted to see…It was a coincidence of interests and philosophy.’ He will be teaching 11th grade American history, as well as a cinema studies/film appreciation class. Cutler earned his undergraduate degree in political science from UCLA, a law degree from Southwestern University and his teaching credentials in history from Cal State Long Beach. He worked in business affairs in the film and television industries, both in Los Angeles (at Republic Pictures) and in Australia. Cutler started teaching in 1998, and has taught middle school students in Long Beach as well as high school students at Marymount. Former college history professor Travis Hanes will be teaching 10th grade world history using the textbook he wrote, ‘World History, Continuity and Change.’ Originally from Texas, Hanes earned his master’s degree in modern European history and his Ph.D. in British Imperial history from the University of Texas, where he also taught. ‘I will be teaching out of my book for the first time [at Renaissance],’ said Hanes, who left the classroom in 1990 to pursue writing in California, where he worked as the social studies producer for an educational Web site called craniamania.com. He also worked as an actor for a time, but says it was ‘not quite the same as being in front of students.’ The father of a 21-year-old son, Hanes admits that he has always wanted to teach at the secondary school level, where he can ‘challenge students to live up to their best expectations.’ He also believes that ‘Renaissance Academy is getting back to the right foundation for educational experience’ in which ‘teachers doing administration is absolutely critical.’ Jon Palarz will be teaching 9th grade humanities and developing the athletics/P.E. program. ‘Paul’s vision for the school is compelling and I believe in his ideals and values,’ said Palarz, who earned his master’s degree in history from Harvard and his teaching credential from DePaul University in Chicago. ‘It’s a unique opportunity to do what matters most and what I love best.’ Previously, Palarz taught history to high school students and was a high school basketball coach in Cleveland before moving to California, where he worked as a human resources director for a shipping/distribution company in El Monte. Palarz said he was drawn to Renaissance because of the opportunity to teach at a smaller school where ‘curriculum is integrated, there are shared units of study and large-scale projects for students.’ He said the school’s organizing team has been focused on ‘giving kids a metacurriculum’ in which ‘students don’t just learn subjects but also about values, community and leadership.’ In addition to the Renaissance teachers who will share in the administrative responsibilities, Palisadian Tracy Vale will serve as office manager. Vale, who met McGlothlin 20 years ago at NYU film school, has a background in computers and administrative techniques. Brentwood parent Linzi Glass said she couldn’t enroll her daughter, Jordan Katz, fast enough. ‘Renaissance Academy isn’t about surviving high school. It’s about thriving and growing and making choices for yourself,’ said Glass, whose daughter is leaving Malibu High School to enter 10th grade at Renaissance. ‘It’s about being proactive about your education and loving every minute of it.’ Glass calls the school ‘Reality High’ because ‘It’s just like the real world’you get to decide how you live in it.’ She also likes the idea that Renaissance will be a community school with small classes, and believes that the cliques that exist at other schools will be less prevalent at Renaissance because ‘when you’re building or experiencing something new, you tend to pull together. The formation of the school is in itself an educational experience.’ Katz, 15-1/2, offered her own insight as to why she chose Renaissance. ‘This school will let its students grow and expand in their own individual ways,’ she said. ‘Most conventional schools make you feel like you can’t make decisions outside of the ‘school box’ and that you can’t make big decisions and choices for yourself about your education until you go to college.’ Palisades mom Kathleen Milnes said her daughter, Stephanie Gutterridge, age 16, is ‘excited about the possibility of getting community college credit.’ Gutterridge will be entering the 11th grade at Renaissance. ‘I think the small, individual learning environment will work for her,’ said Milnes, who runs an independent economic and employment research firm called Entertainment Economy Institute. ‘I like the fact that the school is close, small, hands-on, and I know a lot of teachers involved.’ She knows McGlothlin from having worked with him through Work Force L.A. to establish one of the nine Entertainment and New Media Academys within LAUSD. Acceptance to Renaissance Academy will be based on a lottery system, with preference given to students who reside within the Palisades K-12 complex, including Topanga and Brentwood. No tuition will be charged. Funding for the school will be provided by the State of California on a per-pupil basis, just as with other independent charter schools such as PaliHi. Renaissance’s temporary administration offices are located at 17383 Sunset, Suite 105, at PCH. For more information or to download a school application, go to www.rahigh.org or call 454-4099. New applications will join a waiting list.