New Bookstore
Bel Canto Books will host a shop-warming celebration on Sunday, Dec. 1, complete with children’s book readings, giveaways, and a holiday card-making station.
A new independent bookstore, Bel Canto Books celebrated its soft opening last week. Located inside Fourth Street’s popular shop collective The Hangout, the bookstore offers a curated selection of fiction, nonfiction, young adult and children’s books, celebrating books by women and people of color. They also carry bookish gift items such as novelty socks, candles and journaling supplies.
Owner/manager Jhoanna Belfer said the new shop will play host to community events, including author readings and book signings, children’s story times, book club meetings and events highlighting local artists and business leaders.
Bel Canto Books is at 375 Redondo Ave., #108. For more information, go to belcantobooks.net.
Georgia’s Restaurant
After establishing a legacy of reimagining and redefining the public’s perception of Southern Soul Food, cult-favorite Georgia’s Restaurant at the Long Beach Exchange continues to serve up Southern “soul-delicious” cuisine by introducing a new weekend brunch menu.
Georgia’s Restaurant does not stem from the Deep South, but instead a suburb of Philadelphia where high school sweethearts Gretchen and George Shoemaker decided to leave the Keystone State and head west, settling in Southern California.
Georgia’s Restaurant, 4101 McGowen St., at the Long Beach Exchange is open for brunch from 9 to 11 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.Georgias-Restaurant.com or call 562-420-5637.
Kickstarting Restaurant
Kevin Rheault says he plans to open a new restaurant in the East Village Arts District and is funding it via a crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter. He said he hopes to open in Februaryr.
The Hester Bar & Grill will be at 743 E. Fourth St. in the spot formerly housing 4TH + OLIVE that was later rebranded as Pigburd, in the East Village Arts District.
Planned as a “rock-and-roll” restaurant set in a casual dining environment serving American, Mexican and barbecued food, signature cocktails, local craft beers with a 1980s game room. Hesher, meaning an enthusiast of hard rock music, is the foundation of the planned theme-based restaurant.
The link to the Kickstarter campaign is www.kickstarter.com/projects/hesher/hesher-bar-and-grill?ref=2hv489.
Port Report
Although officials say tariffs continued to impact cargo volumes, the Port of Long Beach last month still had the second-busiest October in its 108-year history.
A total of 688,425 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) were handled in October, 2.4 percent less than the same month last year. Imports dipped 7.4 percent to 337,062 TEUs, while exports jumped 9.8 percent to 131,635 TEUs.
Empty containers delivered overseas to be filled with goods decreased 0.8 percent to 219,728 TEUs. The port moved 6,366,787 TEUs during the first 10 months of 2019, down 5.4 percent from last year’s record-setting pace.
