As Promenade on Forest is completed, businesses in the Laguna Beach downtown celebrate

In 1946, a young pharmacist who had just graduated from USC envisioned growing a family business; now, 80 years later, that business, Bushard’s Pharmacy, still serves the community in the same building Joseph Bushard built along Laguna Beach’s Forest Avenue.

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The business has watched the city’s downtown and the popularity of Forest Avenue grow. And in recent years, as Bushard’s and its neighbors hung on through the pandemic and thrived in the years since, it was the evolution of the avenue into the Promenade on Forest that helped.

Now, on Friday, Sept. 25, Bushard’s — still in its original footprint with no remodeling — celebrates its milestone anniversary at the same time the city celebrates the ribbon-cutting for the now-permanent Promenade on Forest, an outdoor venue created out of the city street that has remained popular since it was created to give businesses a place for customers during the pandemic.

Together with another nearby business, Moulin, a Parisian-style cafe marking its 10th anniversary, they’re planning a community party that rolls the three celebrations into one large event.

“We thought this would be a good time to include the community to celebrate not only the ribbon cutting but our two anniversaries,” said Marisa Fader, Bushard’s granddaughter who now runs the drug store.

The event, which kicks off at 6 p.m. and will include comments from Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill, will be held close to the two businesses. Food will be available, including authentic free French crepes from Moulin, along with a raffle with opportunities for Bushard’s gift baskets and gift cards.  There will also be live music.

Plans to make the lower part of Forest Avenue a permanent promenade have been in the works for years — it was first set up to support the local economy as a place businesses could still serve customers while distancing during COVID and surrounding restaurants got city permits for temporary outdoor dining parklets.

With the parklets in place, city officials and others decided it made sense to divert cars from the lower section of Forest Avenue, and the promenade began to draw more locals into downtown — a goal city officials have had for some time — while also giving visitors a fun place to congregate and shop. Over time, and through multiple public meetings with locals and business owners, the idea of making the promenade permanent gained ground and construction began earlier this year.

To make it permanent, the roadway, curbs, sidewalks and parking spots have been removed and a brick promenade with artistic features and seating areas replaced them.

The project cost $7.2 million, which City Manager Dave Kiff said is under budget. The temporary plaza opened in June 2020 cost about $250,000, including $10,000 for security.

Some in the community have opposed the permanent venue, saying it reduces needed parking options, takes away from the town’s historic character and could worsen flooding issues.

Right before the Fourth of July, the public got its first glimpse when fences surrounding the perimeter were removed. The plaza area features specialized rustic tumbled brick paving and a kelp-forest-inspired fountain.

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Decomposed granite used in construction should help with drainage and flooding concerns, along with new landscaping — unstable and ill eucalyptus trees were removed this summer — better suited for a “saline” environment, Kiff said.

Kiff said some last-minute touches added this week include the placement of more art pieces, the nautilus bench, and bike racks.  Lastly, he said some interior brickwork still needs to be finished, the Wi-Fi speaker system needs activation, and the Coast Highway promenade side still needs a few tweaks.

Orgill said the space will provide a much-needed venue in town and become a gathering spot. He pointed to Vision Laguna 2030, produced at the turn of the millennium, in which 2,000 residents helped map out their idea for the small seaside community’s future, including a gathering place such as the promenade.

“It’s nice to see it starting to come to fruition with different groups trying to use it,” Orgill said. “Reading circles, kids at the high school talked about using it as a meeting space. There are a couple other groups I see meeting there now and it’s becoming a place where people see others they might not run into in a year.”

Fader said that’s also the vision her grandfather had for Bushard’s Pharmacy, which the generations who followed continue to nurture: a homey place where people know each other, can gather and can catch up while picking up essentials.

Bushard’s, which started as a pharmacy in 1946, still looks much the same as when the elder Bushard started it with his brother, Earl. The idea then, Fader said, was to create a local shop where customers were known by their first names and personalized service came first. The soda fountain prepared orders on the spot, employees took customer notes by hand, and some people came in just to hear her grandfather’s stories, she said.

Fader’s mother, Sheila Bushard-Jamison, started learning the business when she was still in school and would help out after her homework was done. When Bushard was ready to retire, Fader said her mom took over in 1986 and hired another pharmacist to take his place.

“She was able to run the business, and that’s kind of how it evolved to here,” she said. “Now, she’s on her way to retire, and I’m taking over the business side, and we have a great pharmacist that helps me.”

Getting folks their prescriptions wasn’t the only plan, Fader said. The goal was to be an apothecary where customers could buy specialty items not found at chain drugstores, such as high-end cosmetics and perfumes, she said, adding that many of the items sold now come from France and are not readily found in the United States.

Since July, when part of the new promenade near Coast Highway was unveiled, Fader said she’s seen many more people walking and lounging in the space.

“We’ve seen an uptick in people shopping and eating and enjoying the promenade,” she said. “After seeing the fence and the jackhammer for so long, I’m happy to see people down here.”

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