The western entrance to Thai Town in East Hollywood is guarded by two golden Apsonsi angel statues -- half-woman, half-lion figures of Thai folklore symbolically charged with guarding the ethnic enclave.
Eight years after the stretch of Hollywood Boulevard from Western to Normandie avenues was officially designated Thai Town, the neighborhood offers a colorful streetscape that matches the lively flavors found in the area's crowded Thai restaurants and markets as well as its Armenian bakeries.
The rapid gentrification of Hollywood to the west is spreading Thai Town's way.
But that tells only half the story.
The working-class neighborhood -- home to Armenian, Latino and Thai immigrants -- is one of the poorest sections of Los Angeles County, with many residents cramming into low-income apartments and working at minimum-wage jobs.
Now Thai community leaders are capitalizing on the neighborhood's unique ethnic mix to attract more visitors, bolster the local economy and revitalize the area.
With more than $500,000 in federal and state grants, the Thai Community Development Center is looking for a site to open a farmers market and an indoor bazaar next year. In addition to creating business opportunities for fledgling immigrant Thai, Armenian and Latino entrepreneurs, the market is designed to promote social interaction among the ethnic communities.
"We appreciate the diversity that exists in this area," said Chancee Martorell, executive director of the center. "We definitely want to see how this kind of project can be a vehicle to bring everyone together.... In order to succeed, you've got to be able to appeal not just to Thais but to everyone."
Retired teacher's assistant Prapasi Kheourai, 65, hopes to start her own business at the Thai Town Bazaar and Food Court -- perhaps selling kites, gardening hats and jewelry from her native Thailand. She is saving money and taking business classes through the community center, learning how to write a business plan and do the accounting.
Kheourai said she was convinced that the project would be successful -- not just for her and other entrepreneurs but for the entire East Hollywood area.
"Even though we have Food for Less, they don't sell interesting things from other countries," she said. "The public market will be unique."
