The fading sign of Faye’s may be the best signal that things are changing in Montrose. 

By Mary O’KEEFE

Are things changing in Montrose?

For 73 years Faye’s Intimate Apparel was found on the corner of Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard; however, in 2022 the family-owned business closed its doors. The building was purchased by another local family business, Executive Jewelry, and will now house two new businesses: Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe and Sushi Nakata. Both are scheduled to open at the end of the year. 

Farther north at Ocean View Boulevard and Florencita Drive was Alissa’s Ocean View Bar and Grill. The owners of the building are looking for someone to lease the restaurant that closed in December 2024. 

The Cheese Shop is still working on its opening but no date has been determined. 

The Professional Development Center (PDC), which took over the former Citibank location at 2350 Honolulu Ave., is still in development and a schedule has not been released as to when it might open. It is to be an expansion of the PDC at 2340 Honolulu Ave., which has been open for years.

There is no news concerning the Pink Pig restaurant at 2325 Honolulu Ave., according to the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce. 

Holiday Hats and Gowns at 2313 Honolulu Ave. has been closed for about five years after a truck caused damage to the back of the building. The remodeling has been completed but there is no news if or when the store will reopen. 

Gus and Andy’s at 2201 Honolulu Ave. was a welcomed addition after longtime restaurant Rocky Cola closed in 2012. The building was vacant for years until Gus and Andy’s opened its doors. It is now open on a limited schedule on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Star Cafe closed its doors in January 2024. Signs on the door state the restaurant is temporarily closed but there has been no sign of it reopening.

And then there is a new restaurant that fits perfectly into the Montrose Shopping Park, and is even named after a Crescenta Valley High School alumna – Sabrina’s Pizzeria Napoletana. 

The pizzeria is at 2200 Honolulu Ave., the previous location of Benitoite, and its doors are now open. 

Sabrina’s had a soft opening yesterday with an official opening planned for the future. The owners are Rima and Donnell Cameron; Armen Gregorian is the restaurant manager and Rima’s ex-husband; and Josafat Mejia is the pizza chef who  was trained by pizza master chef Vito Iacopelli. 

“The [pizzeria] was named after [Armen’s and Rima’s] daughter Sabrina,” said Rima Cameron. 

Armen and Rima Cameron moved to Glendale in 1988. Sabrina attended Verdugo Hills Elementary, Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High School. 

“So it’s just a homecoming for Sabrina,” Rima Cameron said. 

The pizza oven is big and takes two people to work, so Sabrina’s husband Luke Stringer will be helping with that.  

“Armen and Josafat had been talking about what kind of restaurant they wanted to open,” Cameron said. 

They all began looking for a location for their restaurant and found the Benitoite location, which had been closed for many years. The previous owners had done a lot of work on the interior of the restaurant, which has made the transition easier to open. 

They knew they wanted a pizzeria and decided on a Napoletana style. Napoletana pizza was first created in Naples, Italy. It is a simple pizza made with fresh ingredients with a specific dough. 

“It has a thinner crust,” Cameron said. It is baked in special, very hot pizza ovens. 

“We built a pizza oven that is required for this [type of pizza],” she said. 

She added they have all their permits and although she had heard of issues with Glendale permitting they were able to get their permits and city representatives were helpful. They also now have permits to have outdoor seating as well. 

They are ready to open, happy to be in Montrose and are very happy with those who are working at the pizzeria. 

“We [have] a good crew,” Cameron said. 

Although they were planning on just serving pizza they were able to hire a pasta chef so they also offer a variety of pasta dishes and Italian entrees. 

Diners can make reservations via Open Table, visit the Sabrina’swebsite or just walk in and see if there is a seat available. The hours are  Tuesday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information go to the website at https://www.sabrinas.co.