By Sue Pascoe
Editor
P2, formerly known as Paliskates, will close until fall 2018, when Caruso’s Palisades Village opens.
Part of the reason for the temporary closing is the construction on Swarthmore Avenue, north of Sunset. The lack of parking and the street being closed to through traffic seriously impacted customers to the store, according to longtime owner Erica Simpson.
The store, which opened in 1999, will be remodeled before reopening as a skate shop. “We will definitely be back at the same location when construction is complete,” Simpson told the News on Feb. 20.
She sold merchandise and fixtures Feb. 13 through Feb. 19 at reduced prices in order to facilitate the move, and moved the remaining items and fixtures to storage on Feb. 20.
When the store originally opened, it rapidly became a place for all ages to gather, to purchase clothes, shoes, handbags and jewelry and of course skateboards and accessories.
In August 2005, the store was acknowledged in Los Angeles Magazine as having the city’s “best flip-flops.” The article said:
“We wear them with a bathing suit to the beach, and we wear them with a beaded tunic to A.O.C. We need lots of flip-flops, and sometimes that pair we picked up on the Venice Boardwalk simply won’t cut it. Paliskates can stock the closet without emptying the wallet. Along with the old standards Reef and Rainbow, the skate shop carries one of the biggest selections of Haviannas in town. But what differentiates the place from your run-of-the-mill flip-flop purveyor is the higher-end yet affordable styles: The Italian-made Fornarinas have a super comfortable molded foot bed, Arleen C combines terry cloth with rhinestones, and Dolce Vita’s metallics match almost anything. ‘We try to find the cool stuff that doesn’t look cheap but is inexpensive and fun,’ says owner Erica Simpson. After all, they’re just flip-flops.”
Over the years, Simpson hired many local youth to work in the store, including Jesse Creed, a Palisades High School graduate who is now running for City Council District 5, and CAA agent Franklin Latt. (Look for a story about some of her youth employees in an upcoming edition.)
Liz Jaeger, spokesperson for Rick Caruso, was asked for a comment about the closing, but had not responded by press time.
Simpson, who admitted she had been under stress because of the difficult operating conditions since last July, said she plans to take time some time for herself before she starts searching for new clothing lines and working on plans for reopening.
“Part of the old Palisades will be blended with the new,” Simpson said.
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