A few bars got paint jobs recently. At first I thought they were copying the 4100 Bar in Silverlake and the Shortstop in Echo by painting over everything with solid dark colors, but it turns out there were other reasons besides following a trend. Pictured above is Costena and 5 Stars Bar in Downtown LA. They hadn’t been painted in years, so they probably needed it. Not long after I took the early Sept 2010 picture, Costena Bar surprised me with a new design pictured below. I’m wondering if 5 Stars will do something new, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
Halfway down the block, Jalisco Bar went through a similar transformation.
A different story happened at Little Joy in Echo Park. It went from very plain, to overdone, to extremely plain. The first two photos are thanks to two other blogs. The third photo I’m embarrased to say is mine – the camera just wouldn’t focus. It turns out the city made them get rid of the mural because it violated sign laws. The bar has not closed down, there just isn’t anything indicating the name of the bar. Even the two signs that hung on the corner are gone – I think they said something like Cocktails, Rec Room, Fun Room, or Play Room – I can’t remember but I do miss them – leaving only the sign for the restaurant next door.
