More than 1,000 downtown denizens gathered Friday for a serious milestone in the history of downtown L.A.: The opening of the first chain supermarket in the city center in 57 years.
They went -- loft-dwelling yuppies, SRO dwellers, office workers and even some homeless people -- for a chance to browse the aisles of the long-awaited, 50,000-square-foot Ralphs on 9th Street.
In a revitalized downtown that is increasingly segregated, with upscale bars, hotels and eateries contrasting with tired residential hotels and shops geared toward Latino immigrants, Ralphs attracted an unlikely cross-section.
Outside the store, they waited in line for it to open, the queue snaking around the block from the entrance at 9th and Flower Street. Inside, they stood in line again: for free samples (soda, sushi, fruit, soup, sandwiches), for prepared food (four deep at a time) and to check out.
But nothing seemed to dampen the crowd's enthusiasm.
Sandra Russo, an octogenarian who has lived at 3rd and Olive streets since 1988, said she was so excited about the opening that she called the number on the flier that Ralphs mailed out announcing the new store.
Initially flummoxed by the automated phone system, she said she eventually got through to a man who answered her questions about when the store would be open and where she should park (the store has underground parking off Olive).
Russo said she wouldn't completely abandon the Trader Joe's at La Brea Avenue and 3rd Street, six miles west of downtown, where she's been getting most of her groceries. But, she said, "I'll be coming here often."
Julio DeLuis, 23, paused for a moment in an aisle that was stocked with toothbrushes and mouth-care products as his mother shuffled through an envelope of coupons.
DeLuis, who works downtown and lives near Venice Boulevard and Hope Street, said the new store is much closer than their former shopping destination, the Ralphs at the corner of Adams Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.
"My mom can walk down here," he said.
"Plus," he said, "it's safer, now that there are more apartments nearby."
Marcus Richardson was giving out tips to fellow shoppers in the produce section about how to pick the perfect nectarine. ("It needs to be a little firm," he said.)
The 35-year-old, who works in the area, was driving by the store, saw the commotion and decided to stop.
"I think it's pretty cool," he said. "And there are lofts upstairs, right?"
