Alpine Village, a Bavarian-themed commercial complex near Torrance that for decades was the heart of the region’s German American community, has been sold and faces the specter of shuttering, according to various sources – with the popular Alpine Market already closed for good.
The Alpine Village website was updated this week to say the market has closed permanently. That closure came after the long-standing swap meet in the village’s parking lot closed earlier this month.
And on Tuesday, Feb. 28, tenants of the village’s various shops received a letter, which the Daily Breeze obtained, saying the entire complex had been sold.
Why the Alpine Village was sold or what the new owners have in store for it weren’t immediately clear. The former owner did not return requests for comment on Tuesday. And the new owner could not immediately be reached; the letter to tenants said the new owner is called 833 Torrance Boulevard LLC – Alpine Village’s address – and is a limited liability company registered in Delaware.
But multiple shop owners said on Tuesday that they were told by board members they would receive a follow-up letter from the new owners on Wednesday informing them that they’d have 30 days to vacate the property.
“It’s just going to be hard,” Michael Mueller, who owns Salamander Shoes at the village, said on Tuesday. “We are going to have to liquidate this, because I don’t think I am going to move my store to a different location, not at this stage in my life anymore, because to open up a new shoe store in a new location is a lot of financial responsibility.”
The Alpine Village, a chalet-style shopping court near the 110 Freeway, opened in 1968 and for decades was a hub of German American activity. It boasted a soccer field, a German market, bakery and even a petting zoo where small animals roamed – and was the site of memories for thousands.
Mueller’s family, for example, has run Salamander Shoes since the village opened and…
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