"From the store's interior on the north-west end there is a stairwell and conveyer belt connecting the basement storage to the store space." That line comes from a Los Angeles Department of City Planning recommendation report. It is one of the details the city now has in writing about 2108 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, the brick building at Kirkwood Drive that has housed the Canyon Country Store since 1956.
For most of this year, the store's future was decided privately among business partners, by license filings and in statements posted online. That changed this fall. On September 16, the city deemed a landmark application complete, which put a freeze on major permits. On October 15, the Cultural Heritage Commission took up the case and started a written deadline for a decision that will be made in hearings anyone in the canyon can attend.
How the Store Changed Hands in 2026
The ownership changes came in this order:
- February. SFGate reported that the business had gone up for sale and that a public notice about a change in ownership of the store's alcohol license was posted beside the juice and coffee bar outside. Longtime co-owner Tommy Bina told the outlet he did not know about the change and was looking for a lawyer.
- March. Another longtime co-owner gave The Hollywood Reporter a different account. He said he and other investors bought the business in 1982, that the partners who wanted to sell were ready to retire after 44 years, and that Bina had not been kept in the dark. He also dismissed rumors that the store would become a liquor mart.
- April 22. WEHOonline reported Bina's statement that new owners had taken over and that longtime employees were no longer working there.
- May 8. The off-sale general license at the address was transferred to Canyon Country Cousins Liquor Inc., according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control record.
Until the fall, a neighbor who cared about the corner had no city landmark hearing to attend and no landmark deadline to watch.
What Changed in September and October
The Los Angeles Conservancy says community members raised concerns about the store's ownership transition, and the Conservancy then worked with local advocates to nominate the property as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The application, case CHC-2026-4816-HCM, covers 2100 to 2108 North Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The staff report lists the property owner as Canyon Country Corp. and the zoning as R1-1-HCR, and places the site in the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council area and Council District 4.
On October 15, the Cultural Heritage Commission took the property "under consideration." Staff had recommended this step because the application and photo documentation "suggest the submittal warrants further investigation." The Conservancy calls it "one step closer to landmark status." It is not a designation.
One protection was already in effect before that meeting. On September 16, 2026, the Director of Planning found the application complete. The city's Office of Historic Resources FAQ says that once a Historic-Cultural Monument application is deemed complete, "a temporary stay is put in place on all permits for demolition or significant alterations," and no demolition may take place while the Commission and City Council consider the nomination. The same FAQ says the owner does not have to support a nomination. The owners still control the business, but since mid-September any major physical change to the building has waited on the city.
The Deadlines Set by City Code
The timeline is written into Section 22.171.10 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code. After the Commission takes a nomination under consideration, it must hold a public hearing and issue its report and recommendation within 75 days. With the owner's written consent, that period can be extended by up to 60 days. If the Commission does not act in time, the application is considered denied.
| Stage | What the code says | Where this case stands |
|---|---|---|
| Taken under consideration | The Commission decides at a public meeting | Done October 15, 2026 |
| Commission report and recommendation | Within 75 days of that meeting | 75 days from October 15 is December 29, 2026 |
| Optional extension | Up to 60 more days with the owner's written consent | Applies only if the owner agrees in writing |
| City Council action | Within 90 days of the Commission's public hearing | The 90 days start once that hearing happens |
| Hearing notice | Mailed at least 10 days before the hearing to the applicant and the owner of record | Applies to both the Commission and Council hearings |
December 29 is a calculation from the ordinance, not a scheduled meeting date. The Commission usually meets on Thursdays, and its next regular meeting is November 19. Under the code, the Council can also extend its own 90-day window by up to 15 days for good cause, or by up to 60 days with the owner's written consent.
For neighbors, the result is a public calendar. The merits hearing will be noticed, held in a public meeting at City Hall Room 1010 with a teleconference option, and recorded on the agenda under the case number. The October 15 hearing used that format.
What the Nomination Covers
Landmark cases rest on documented features, and the staff report lists them in detail, starting with the building's dates.
The site. In 1923, when Los Angeles annexed Laurel Canyon, a wooden building called the Laurel Tavern stood on the lot. Fire destroyed it that year, and the current brick building replaced it in 1924. From 1925 to 1929 its storefronts were offices for companies selling lots in the canyon. Later tenants included a grocery, a drug store and a dry cleaner. Starting in 1937, the building was home for more than 30 years to a neighborhood newspaper, The Canyon Crier.
The street face. The report describes the south elevation as having a hand-painted "Laurel Canyon" sign, two horizontal stripe bands with a clock centered between them, a Canyon Country Store Coca-Cola sign below, and a full-width cloth awning that reads "Canyon Country Store / The Store." On the east side, visitors pass through wrought iron arched entry gates set in a brick pony wall.
The interior. The report notes exposed masonry walls, hand-painted wooden signs hanging over the aisles, and the conveyor belt to the basement.
The changes over time. The report records changes made over the decades, including the 1951 surface parking lot on the west side and the 1978 loading deck and stairway. A permit in 1991 added the deli and cafe. The coffee cart on the patio came in 2000, according to The Hollywood Reporter's interview with a co-owner.
The cultural case is the part most locals already know. The staff report connects the store to the Laurel Canyon folk and rock scene that began in 1965. The Conservancy notes that Jackie DeShannon appears in front of the store on her 1968 album Laurel Canyon, and that Jim Morrison wrote the Doors' "Love Street" after watching the scene there from his house nearby. The song's "store where the creatures meet" is this building.
Pace, Downstairs, Is Part of the Same Case
The nomination covers the whole building at 2100 to 2108, not only the market. Pace is at 2100 Laurel Canyon Boulevard. When the Los Angeles Times reviewed it in April 1999, the paper described a new Italian restaurant in the former Caioti space beneath the market, with Sandy Gendel as chef. Pace's own history page lists Gendel as head chef and owner. Its website lists dinner every night, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas lived in the store's basement for a time, according to SFGate.
Because the restaurant is in the same structure, the permit stay and the Commission's December timeline cover the building that houses both businesses.
As of the Conservancy's late-October update, the market upstairs is a neighborhood store and gathering place. The building's next decision will come in a public hearing, and the city code sets the date by which the Commission has to make it.
This post is general information about a city process, not legal advice. Owners of historic or nominated properties should confirm their own situation with a qualified land-use or preservation professional.
If you own an older building in the canyon and want to understand how a nomination like this could affect its timing, presentation or value, Antonio Bruno offers private consultations. Schedule a short call, and we will go through your property's documentation together.
