South Lake Avenue in Pasadena stretches from Colorado Boulevard at its northernmost end and winds all the way through Shoppers Lane before culminating at California Boulevard. There’s no longer a real lake near this 10 block shopping district packed with hundreds of shops, restaurants and offices. The lake dried up long ago.
South Lake Avenue’s rich shopping heritage was born in the late 1940s with a department store built to look and feel like a country club. Bullocks, now Macy’s (currently under construction though December 2008) became the foundation of South Lake Avenue’s reputation as a cosmopolitan shopping destination. More department stores followed, making the area one of Pasadena’s finest shopping districts.
Today, antique English phone booths complete the district’s European ambiance, where shoppers sample fresh lunch cuisine at the various open air eateries. Shopping boutiques, European-style patio cafes and upscale business lofts polish off the chic setting.
Stores on South Lake Avenue run the gamut. Mall-shopping big names like Macy’s and Borders complement niche stores like Anthropologie and Rangoni Firenze Soes, where shoppers can find high-end Italian footwear. The food here is the same way: familiar favorites like Coffee & Lea Leaf, Starbucks and Pete’s Coffee rub elbows with lesser-known but still delicious locales such as the original Corcodile Cafe and the Rose Tea Cottage, Pasadena’s first English Tea House.
South Lake Avenue Pasadena real estate has been doing extremely well. The luxurious condo complexes like The Prado, Pasadena Collection and the newly built exclusive residences at The Granite Park have been in demand by investors, corporate housing and consumers looking for a car-free urban living.
If you are ready to start your Pasadena home search, this website offers FREE MLS access and Pasadena real estate market reports to help you with your research. Of course, please do not hesitate to call Irina at 626.629.8439 or email her for personal assistance in finding the right home for you.
