by Kevin Cody
The South Hermosa commercial district, long the poor step sister to Pier Plaza, is having its Cinderella moment with this month’s opening of the Yellow Jersey Patisserie, and the renovation of the neighboring, 2nd Street Laundromat, which will reopen as Good Neighbor Laundry.
Michael Ashworth, a former Team USA Duathlon (running and cycling) National Champion, named his new bakery after the jersey awarded the winner of the Tour de France. Ashworth purchased the bakery, at Second Street and Hermosa Avenue, from David Wallace, whose Hermosa Pie and Cake bakery was famous for its fruit pies. Ashworth says he plans to offer pies in the future, but for now his bakery is best known for its cookies and Zen garden facing Hermosa Avenue, but hidden behind a tall fence. Though this is Ashworth’s first bakery, he previously owned a catering company
Yellow Jersey is open Thursdays through Sundays, 8:30 to 2 p.m. But Ashworth plans to open twice a week for four-course dinners in the garden after he receives his beer and wine license.
Good Neighbor Laundry owner Kiana Nicio with Paul Mance, owner of neighboring Mickey’s Deli, and Nicio’s stepfather Alan Luhrson. The laundromat will reopen under its news name with new touch screen machines.
Kiana Nicio, the new owner of Hermosa’s only laundromat, said her 55 new, energy efficient washing machines will be touch screen enabled, and accept credit cards, but probably not coins.
Nicio also acquired the neighboring Pacific Rim restaurant, which will become a coffee shop, connected to the laundromat by a vestibule.
Good Neighbor is Nicio’s first laundromat. She previously worked with “founder teams” in the tech and manufacturing industries. She also helped with the start up of Nosotros Tequila, founded in Hermosa Beach in 2016, by two Loyola Marymount University students, as a class project.
Nicio said she was inspired to found a laundromat, with a coffee shop, because of the push and pull she felt on weekends between socializing, and doing something productive, like washing laundry.
She said she hopes Good Neighbor will become a social center with activities like dinners at Yellow Jersey.
Good Neighbor is scheduled to reopen near the end of the year. In the meantime, the laundromat will continue to offer fluff and fold services. ER
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