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Midtown Modern Art Festival - Photos

2011-10-17T14:38:20Z

Some scenes from Midtown's Modern Art Festival:

For article about the art festival, CLICK HERE>>>

Music, art and dancing in the street at Midtown Modern Art Festival

2011-10-17T06:49:28Z

A myriad of local artists and hundreds of community members gathered in the street Saturday to celebrate art in multiple forms for the first Midtown Modern Arts Festival.

The free, family-friendly street festival was held on 20th Street between J and K streets and featured six hours of music, dance, comedy, visual and performing arts and creative, hands-on activities for kids. The festival was run largely in part to the multitude of volunteers willing to give their time to put the event together, and neither the attendees nor vendors were charged to attend.

“This is one way for use to give back to the community — bringing art organizations, artists and businesses together,” said Heather Philpott, producer of the Midtown Modern Arts Festival and communications coordinator for the Midtown Business Association.

Philpott said the festival started off as a project intended for launch in the summer until organizers decided to partner with Artober, a month-long celebration of Sacramento’s art scene in October to celebrate the National Arts and Humanities month, now to be an annual event.

“A lot of times, people don’t get to experience the performing arts because it’s expensive and it’s not always accessible to everyone,” she said. “We have quite a few of performing arts organizations in Midtown, but not enough venues.”

The event was sponsored by the Midtown Business Association, the MARRS (Midtown Art Retail Restaurant Scene) building, Heller Pacific and KlickNation and Philpott said the festival was to be a venue through which anybody interested could get a taste of art in its many forms, even those who have not had any prior experience.

Performing arts organizations were contacted initially for the event as well as other local art organizations. The festival also included live artistic demonstrations in sculpting, painting and drawing and various interactive art activities for children, including a craft corner and a musical instrument petting zoo, which allowed children the opportunity to try out many different classical instruments and hand drums.

“At the end of the day, we need to have something creative for (the children) to get their hands dirty and find their niche,” Philpott said.

Throughout the day, La Raza Galleria Posada, a nonprofit cultural center which offers Latino/Chicano and Native Arts workshops and other services, made over 100 sugar skulls — skull molds made of compacted sugar which are decorated with icing and food coloring in remembrance of a loved one — traditional tokens of the Mexican Celebration The Day of the Dead/Dia de Los Muertos.

Emily Ellis, mother and former teacher who attended the event, said it’s important to have activities for children in family events, especially to have arts activities at an arts festival.

“It’s important so they are occupied, so they get involved and they understand what it all means,” she said. “It helps make (art) tangible for them.”

Performing artists covered all corners of the medium from stand-up comedy to ballet, to jazz and modern dance in the streets.

The Sacramento Ballet led a “Thriller” flash mob, complete with zombie makeup and tutus, which Philpott said had been planned for a while. The group put out a video on YouTube to teach community members how to do the popular dance, which resulted in over 200 dancers joining in the streets.

The Harley White Jr. Orchestra, a locally-based Big Band reminiscent of the 1920s jazz-style through the 1950s, performed on one of the festival’s two stages, as well as local stand-up comedian Johnny Taylor, the Sacramento State Jazz Quartet, the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sacramento Ballet, among many others.

Created by Harley White Jr. in 1991, the band is influenced by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones and Lee Scratch Perry, among others.

“We came to support the arts,” said Harley White Jr., 46, composer and bassist. “I’d like to see more collaborations between the art and jazz community.”

The Contemporary Dance Conservatory, a youth dance studio recently opened in May, was added to the festival at the last minute, said Jane Numazu, mother to one of the youth dancers. They still drew a crowd each time they took to dancing in the street.

The youth dancers said that they were very excited to be in the festival, some of whom had never performed in a public setting before, and welcomed the publicity for their new studio.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback with our dancing,” Allison Lian, 15, said. “We’ve been mainly improv-ing all day, and we’ve been asked to, next year, do performances, so that was really exciting for us.”

Lian described the modern dance as a “new type of dancing” but said the crowd embraced it positively.

“A lot of people do ballet and we have that strong technical training, but we kind of bring it into the 2000s,” said Bradley Palmer, 16. “We bring it into a fresh way of dancing. We take that ballet technique and use it to create a piece of work that hasn’t been seen for years.”

Lian has been dancing for three years and Palmer has been dancing for two years.

As for how the day went, both youths said they were just happy to be there and hope to see the festival back next year.

“I think it’s gone great this year, and if it could get bigger, then that’s all we could ask for,” Palmer said.

Feedback from the festival remained positive, with many attendees saying they wished it took up more than one block.

“I like the bands, but I like that they have the actual people that do the things like the dancers,” Roseville High School teacher Betsy Sanchez said. “I like when they actually have things that you can do - like the interactive stuff, and they have stuff for the kids, too. It’s nice.”

Her only critique — Bigger, because when it ended, I was a little disappointed. I thought there was going to be more,” she said.

Sanchez attended with her husband, who said the couple only came upon the festival by accident when they heard music and saw a crowd but were pleased with the experience.

“We wanted to indulge ourselves in some of the excitement,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for people to expand their horizons.”

Mario Sanchez, who works for Union Pacific Co., added that Midtown needs more events similar to the festival and he hopes to see the festival continue for a second year.

“I like the crowd,” he said, “it’s nice and happy — and there’s good vibes. We’ll definitely be back next year.”

Philpott said organizers estimate there were about 500 or 600 attendees, though it could have been more, she added.

“We were really excited with the turnout,” she said. “It was a perfect amount of people for the space we had allocated.”

Philpott said that next year she would like to have the opera onstage as well as the Contemporary Dance Conservatory, which performed in the middle of the street since they were a late addition.

“We’d really like to get them on the stage next year, but it was almost awesome that they were on the street because it gave the street a different vibe,” she said.

Philpott said she would like to continue the festival running next year, though that is to be determined. For now, her reflections on the inaugural festival remain positive.

“It was just great to see all of the community arts organizations and businesses come together to put something on,” she said. “The volunteers were phenomenal. I couldn’t have done the event without them and without our technical team.”

Philpott said that the festival was successful because there was something for everyone to enjoy.

“It was definitely community-driven and a rewarding experience,” she added.

Andy Ekstrom mourned across Sacramento

2010-08-05T02:24:22Z

Andy Ekstrom's Facebook profile includes his favorite quote:

"If everyone likes you, you aren't doing your job. However, if no one likes you, you can't do your job."

Sounds good, even wise. But in fact, nearly everyone seemed to like Andy. So as the news of his death at the age of 35 circulated Tuesday afternoon and evening, the outpouring of emotion through Facebook, texts and Twitters soon became a flood.

Ekstrom, who worked as a project manager for Heller Pacific, was instrumental in launching and filling developer Mike Heller, Jr.'s game-changing MARRS building on 20th Street between J and K, and his two-building Retro Lodge complex downtown at 11th and H. Ekstrom was a constant presence at both places, where his ready smile and eagerness to lend a hand defined him for hundreds of his fellow Sacramentans.

"Andy was the guy on the ground," said J-E Paino, project director for the Rubicon Partnership, rival developers. "He got the tenants, he made stuff happen. He poured his heart into the MARRS building."

Andy Ekstrom grew up in Sacramento's northeastern suburbs and went to Jesuit High School. He then left to do his undergrad work at UCLA, and returned to get his MBA at UC Davis. When he was done, he started working for Heller Pacific, managing properties that include the MARRS building and the Retro Lodge.

"We're trying to improve the Midtown Sacramento environment," Ekstrom wrote in his biography on Facebook. "It's starting to become a pretty cool place after all."

Liz Harris worked with Andy at Heller Pacific. In an e-mail to Sacramento Press, she emphasized his skill at connecting others.

"He had the ability to light up a room," she wrote. "His presence made any occasion more enjoyable. Perhaps what I admired most about him was his passion for connecting others. He listened with genuine interest, remembered everyone's name along with their interests, and made a point to connect people who might have common interests or benefit from knowing one another.

“While I was unemployed, I got an email or call from Andy at least once a week introducing me to someone he thought would be helpful to talk to as part of my job search."

Bay Miry, of the development firm D&S Development, said that Andy "was an integral part of Midtown/downtown. He was a key part of what is going on down here."

"He was genuine, he had great perspective on things," added Miry. "Everyone around here is just shocked."

Part of the shock is the manner of Ekstrom's death. He was found Tuesday morning near the American River at Sutter's Landing, the new park at the northeast corner of downtown. There was a handgun by his side, and a police spokesman told Sacramento Press that his wound "appeared to be self-inflicted."

The circumstances of his death don't fit at all with the universal view of Andy, virtually all expressions of which include a mention of his ready smile, his long friendships and his love of social gatherings.

"It just doesn't make any sense," says one friend who prefers to be anonymous. "People have all sorts of issues that they don't show anyone. But Andy was just so bright, so upbeat...it's just crazy, it drives you nuts trying to figure it out."

But it is Andy’s smile, his work, and his generous, inclusive spirit that are being celebrated now.

Ali Mackani is owner of Lounge on 20, one of the businesses in the MARRS building that was so important to Andy.

"It's always been a personal communication, it was never a manager-tenant relationship," says Mackani. "I think that's how he dealt with everyone else in the building.

"Everyone called him the unofficial mayor; he was an adamant promoter of Midtown," says Mackani. "He chaired a bunch of different organizations...everything from business to architectural design and things like that. He was definitely someone that was a leader in our community, (he) would have been a great leader over time."

"He's one of the reasons I'm here," said J-E Paino, of Rubicon Partners, and another passionate believer in Sacramento's future. "He took me under his wing when I first came to town, he showed me around, introduced me to people. He said, 'Come be a part of this.'

"And that wasn't unusual, he did that for everyone."

Jake Favour is a graphic designer and a passionate believer in Sacramento's future. He tells the same story.

"We first met when I was pitching Heller Pacific on a new retail concept," says Favour. "Andy met me with enthusiasm, a quiet attentiveness and most of all, a great welcoming smile and support - even when others didn't.

"Over the next few years, we met often and held multiple events at the MARRS building. Andy was always extremely trusting, supportive and excited to share in what we were doing. He was a bright, talented and enthusiastic young soul and he will be greatly missed."

Says Harris, "He worked tirelessly to shine a light on his hometown and all the exciting things happening here. I will never forget my first 'tour' of Sacramento with Andy - we went to nearly every restaurant and bar on the grid, and of course Andy knew at least one person at each place. To say he will be missed is an understatement - there are many, many heavy hearts across Sacramento today."

In some ways, Andy represented the best of what development can be: Creating places for community to happen.

"At the end of the day, a building's just a building," says Rubicon Partners' Paino. "You've got to have people in it. And Andy made that happen. He put people in the buildings. He brought people together, customer and vendor, friend and friend, and it added up.

"I think his legacy will be all the relationships that developed because of him. He made his hometown a better place."

There is no word yet of a service.

Sacramento Press managing editor Colleen Belcher contributed to this story.

Art dealer's death rouses project

2010-07-02T03:09:09Z

The death of Sacramento art dealer Paul Thiebaud has stirred efforts to get started on construction of the Tribute Building as soon as possible, Heller Pacific officials said Thursday.

Thiebaud died Saturday of colon cancer at age 49. He had been partnering with developer Mike Heller Jr. on a project to build a modern, mixed-use office building featuring a tile mosaic of the Sacramento River by his father, artist Wayne Thiebaud.

The two friends had planned to build the $12 million, four-story structure to honor their fathers — contractor Mike Heller Sr., who died in 2007, and the elder Thiebaud — and their collaboration on Sacramento Municipal Utility Department headquarters more than 50 years ago. At that time, their fathers teamed up with architect Len Blackford to create a celebrated piece of modern architecture using a mosaic tile mural cityscape by Thiebaud for SMUD.

Paul Thiebaud's death is inspiring Heller to push forward with the project.

"It's a tribute in so many ways," said Heller, who didn't wish to comment further at this time.

"It only increases the motivation," said Andy Eckstrom, Heller Pacific's development project manager. "It's out of tribute for his (Thiebaud's) father, who's still living, and my boss' father, and now, certainly a tribute to Paul, too."

Now 89, Wayne Thiebaud has been asked to create the mosaic for an art tower at the building on a prominent Midtown corner at 1926 Capitol Ave.

The Sacramento Planning Commission approved the project in November 2008. The commission okayed variances and permits to exceed the 45-foot height limit in that zone with a building larger than 40,000 square feet, as well as to reduce shade tree requirements and setbacks and allow 59 off-site parking spaces. About 28 parking spaces are planned for the site.

Construction had been expected to be completed this year. But that stalled due to the collapse of the economy. Broker Ken Turton is working to find a few more tenants or a big one — enough to convince a bank to provide financing, Eckstrom said.

The 47,000-square-foot building will feature a rooftop garden, a "glass envelope" exterior and public art integrated into the architecture. There is about 40,000 square feet of leaseable space, including ground-floor retail and three stories of office. Heller Pacific plans to move its Gold River headquarters to the building, and the project's structural engineer, Buehler & Buehler, would also relocate from another Heller Pacific building — taking up about 30 percent, or roughly 16,000 square feet.

"We're permit-ready for this project. Everything's titled and ready to go," Eckstrom said. "It's just a matter of getting enough pre-leasing to make us feel comfortable and the banks feel comfortable."

The SMUD headquarters building was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources and is an example of the International/Miesian-style of post-World War II modernism, led by architect Mies van der Rohe.

A Sacramento resident, Paul Thiebaud operated two art galleries in San Francisco and New York. He also had an office and appointment-only gallery on Capitol Avenue a block away from the Tribute Building's future site. His work as an art dealer took him throughout the world. With the SMUD building as his father's only piece of public art and only ceramic work, son Paul was devoted to constructing the Tribute Building.

"He wanted this project built," Eckstrom said. "He was still motivated before he passed away."

Photo of Paul Thiebaud and Mike Heller Jr. and graphic renderings provided by Heller Pacific. Photo of SMUD headquarters provided by SMUD.

Retro Lodge owners face challenge

2010-04-16T02:57:41Z

The owners of the office complex called Retro Lodge are continuing bank negotiations in an effort to prevent the property's sale.

The $2.5 million loan balance is now several months past due, which led Bank of America to schedule trustee sales at least twice this month. But developer Heller Pacific and partners haven't given up on trying to get a loan extension after converting a former downtown Travelodge into one of the city's most creative adaptive-reuse projects, a block away from Sacramento City Hall.

The bank agreed to postpone a sale scheduled for Thursday while the partners are deep in talks with them. The project, which received no public subsidies, began taking tenants in 2008 just as the decline in the local real estate market quickly worsened, said Heller Pacific President Michael Heller Jr.

"We put every ounce of our passion into that project," Heller said. "Sometimes in life you face things beyond your control: One is an unusually challenging economy where it's hard to find tenants; two is a big bank that calls the shots."

The idea behind the 49-office complex was to create a kind of incubator for small business owners who want to have space downtown but without the usual long-term, high-priced leases. Office sizes range from 300 to 700 square feet, at $595 to $1,595 per month, said Andy Eckstrom, project manager for Heller Pacific.

The property's two buildings, which are named Astro and Elroy after The Jetsons cartoon characters, retain their mid-20th century modern design. With its lush fan palms, multi-story balconies and outdoor seating areas, Retro Lodge invokes a Palm Springs motel-turned-funky office building vibe.

The pioneering concept has gained traction. Retro Lodge is 57 percent leased with 28 tenants. While not the figure the owners want, that's more than double the number at the same time last year.

Tenants like Terrence Aguas and David Nybo credit the casual vibe, the layout and leasing staff with helping to make the concept work. Both have found plenty of networking opportunities just by keeping their doors open, hanging out on the balcony to handle a business call and being friendly with neighbors.

Aguas, who is a senior mortgage banker, and his partner, real estate broker Amir Cackovic, moved into Retro Lodge five months ago after starting a sustainability-focused company, American Green Realty.

Now they plan to do their outdoor advertising with Nybo, their next-door neighbor, and to use their other next-door neighbor's branding and website design services. They were drawn by the "energy of the place" and the community they found at Retro Lodge, Aguas said.

"We help each other out. We bounce ideas off each other; we partner up together and look out for each other," he said. "It's inspiring."

Shared kitchens and conference rooms, as well as the opening of a Naked Lounge coffee house in one of the buildings, provide other common areas where tenants gather.

Retro Lodge offers a more open alternative to traditional shared office buildings, where everyone works behind closed doors, said Nybo, who's leased office space for his company, Primero Outdoor Media, since shortly after Retro Lodge opened.

"You work with your door open and people walk by your office every day," he said. "It's pretty special. There's so much interaction among the neighbors here."

But the property hasn't worked for everyone. Marty DeAnda, who owns the small record label Dig Music and manages singer/songwriter Jackie Greene, relocated to the Urban Hive in October because he needed to be in an area where clients could park more easily. He also said there were too few tenants in the Elroy to interact with.

"I have respect for those folks. For me, the people were professional and wonderful," said DeAnda, who leased space at Retro Lodge for a year. (But) "The parking was difficult in that part of town."

The dates for a possible sale have been extended once again because of the "continuing efforts to make this thing work," Heller said.

"It's a great community," he said. "Right now, what we need is more tenants."

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter covering business and development for The Sacramento Press.

Midtown ice rink opens

2009-11-20T06:19:09Z

Rob Kerth has been getting plenty of Zamboni action the last few nights.

Midtown Business Association's executive director has been staying up late and going out in the early-morning dark to use the ice groomer to help create an ice-skating rink that opens at 10 a.m. Friday in Midtown.

"It's a tremendous amount of work to put up one of these portable rinks," Kerth said Wednesday. "I've been there until 4 in the morning at least five out of the last 10 days."

While most business association leaders might not even know how to spell "Zamboni," Kerth not only knows how to drive one, he owns one. And he has the license to drive it.

That's because until last year, Kerth owned Ice Unlimited, the company that built the holiday rink on a half-block of 20th Street next to J Street. Kerth and his father, William John Kerth, also designed 75 ice-skating rinks all over the country and on other continents as well.

The last rink they designed was at Squaw Valley's High Camp in 1990. The family also has owned Iceland Skating Rink since 1940.

The holiday rink was built in front of the MARRS Building this year due to conflicts at St. Rose of Lima Park, where a rink has operated every holiday for 18 years. The park was renovated and a Carnival of Lights is being held there this year.

Just two days before the Midtown rink was set to open, Kerth rushed to drop off sign materials at GW Print Media while Carlos Rios of Ice Unlimited scraped leaves off the new ice.

More than a dozen people helped build the rink and lay the ice. The project began Nov. 2, when the half block was closed. Skilled construction crews first built a wooden edge smack against street curbs.

They poured in gravel — 10 truckloads of it — and leveled it. Three-quarter-inch foam insulation went on top of the gravel to protect water mains and sewer pipes from freezing. A plastic sheet was laid on top of that and up the sides of the wooden edge, Kerth said.

Then, 69 pipes connected with u-bends on one end were laid. The 123-foot pipes were connected to headers or manifolds on the other end, Rios said.

About 1,800 gallons of saltwater is circulating now through three miles of pipes. Saltwater or "brine" is used because it freezes at a much lower point than fresh water.

The saltwater flows through bigger pipes into coolers inside a big trailer. That system chills the saltwater flowing out to 10 degrees, Rios said.

The saltwater warms up a few degrees outside, but the pipes stay cool enough to freeze the fresh water crews spray on the surface, little by little and layer by layer.

The water was sprayed from one end to the other and back again, forming layers until the ice is 4.25 inches thick. Most work took place between sundown and sunup, Kerth said.

The ice must be thick enough that a skate heel can't hit a pipe, Kerth said.

At 5,000 square feet, the 123-foot by 40-foot rink will be smaller than the St. Rose rink, which was 6,500-square feet.

Sponsors' names were set in the ice on mesh signs or around the rink. Major sponsors include Elk Grove-based Bell Brothers Heating and Air Conditioning, MARRS Building owner Heller Pacific, Harv's Car Wash, CBS13/CW31, California Pizza Kitchen and Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn.

The rink will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. all week. The rink will close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Hours on Christmas Day will be noon to 6 p.m. Two to three hours of skating are $5 for kids, $8 for adults. Skate rentals are $2.

The street will be closed for 90 days. The rink will operate until Jan. 18. The rink can hold 200 skaters.

Locals have been talking with MBA about holding activities on a small stage at one end. Some have talked about a tropical hula hoop demo. Fire dancers want to perform next to the ice. Two traveling musicians have talked about informal sessions on Friday nights and other bands may play Saturday nights, Kerth said.

Security will watch the rink overnight.

"They're there to help people not get hurt," Kerth said. "This is not like ice in the Sierras. It is the slickest surface that can be produced."

Photos by Kati Garner. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

MARRS Building gets new tenants

2009-11-18T05:38:01Z

Midtown's MARRS Building has a full house again with three new tenants coming on board this month.

Two spaces have been vacant for several months after business owners left without a word and without paying all their bills — which really hurts after the effort the company made to help them be successful, said building owner Michael Heller of Heller Pacific.

"We help these tenants. We help them get their permits, we help with their construction, we market them," he said. "So when they don't honor their obligations, it's hurtful to us."

New tenants in the block-long building, whose renovation was completed in 2007, include a shop that sells jeans, a sandwich shop and a comedy club. All three show promise for the location on 20th Street between J and K streets, he said.

"They're all scrambling to get ready for the holiday season," Heller said.

The Denim Spot is expected to open this month after leasing the store vacated by DV8 Boutique and doing minor renovations, including painting.

"He's going to want to put his touch on it," Heller said.

The owner has "a strong base" of female clients interested in the jeans sold at a range of prices, Heller said. Landlord and tenant are trying out a short lease to see if the arrangement works, although Heller would not disclose the terms.

Many yogurt operators contacted Heller Pacific about leasing the former yogurt shop. The company was concerned about the over-saturation of yogurt shops in the central city, so they signed a traditional, longer-term lease with the popular Mr. Pickle's Sandwich Shop, which has franchises in Northern California and Nevada. Sacramento has at least nine others.

The owners are "really cool guys that we hit it off with," who want to give this shop an artistic vibe that should work well in the location, Heller said. The shop will include a mural or hanging art, plus a neighborhood board where businesses and residents can post things.

"They understand they're in Midtown now and Midtown has a culture," he said. "I think it's going to fit in really nice with the building and the neighborhood."

The Comedy Spot has already opened in the space formerly occupied by the Solomon Dubnick Gallery, after the gallery moved to its new Midtown home as planned.

"The art gallery was here from the beginning," Heller said. "They were gracious enough to come to MARRS and create the art vibe we wanted there."

Heller said he was excited to lease to the club, whose owner wants to incubate local comedians.

"MARRS is really an entertainment type of place now," he said. "Especially at night. It's a very simpatico type of use."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

DV8 owner spins around the world

2009-10-30T02:10:27Z

The recent closing of his DV8 Boutique in Midtown was rough. But Michael Afshar doesn't have time to dwell on that.

He's too busy DJ'ing his way through Europe right now. Considered by some to be a pioneer of San Francisco's underground house scene, Afshar — who entertains under the name DJ Skittles — is in St. Petersburg, Russia, after gigs in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Soon, he'll be spinning tech and electro house music in Moscow and Ukraine.

"I have been playing in different countries every week now," he e-mailed in between gigs. "I had played in many venues in the world in the past. This is me going back to one of the things I love the most: music and flying in airplanes."

The former U.S. Airways pilot ran a trendy clothing store in Midtown for about five years. He was one of the first tenants in the Marrs Building, once home to California Department of Transportation offices before being renovated into a blocklong, upscale retail space that opened in September 2007.

Anchored by Lounge on 20 at one end and Peet's Coffee & Tea on the other, that block of 20th Street, between J and K streets, is now one of the hottest in the central city.

But the even constant foot traffic wasn't enough to help Afshar's boutique survive the recession. Sales dropped 40 percent last year when state cutbacks hit and the full impact of the real estate crash was felt, he said.

Afshar opened the first DV8 in Hawaii in 2002 after being laid off by U.S. Airways. He moved to Sacramento and opened a boutique here in 2004, later moving to the Marrs Building.

Afshar was a good boutique operator who knew what he was doing, said Marrs Building owner Michael Heller of Heller Pacific.

But the store's expensive threads just weren't selling.

"Who's buying $150 jeans in this market? Nobody," Heller said. "His product didn't make sense."

Although some people had been willing to pay that much for jeans just a few years ago, Heller said.

"It's a rugged market out there, and people are watching their pennies," he added.

To cope, Afshar added less expensive items and reduced prices on 80 percent of his inventory. He laid off everyone, including the window cleaning company, and sold all of his denim at cost for awhile. But it wasn't enough to keep the store open.

"As a clothing retailer, we were bleeding — the same as all major retailers, like Macy's, JCPenney, Nordstrom and the rest," he said.

The store lost more than $100,000. Afshar signed over the lease on the 1,000-square-foot space to the building owners.

The struggle with the boutique pushed him full time into a profession he's pursued for 20 years. But here, Afshar said, he is just one more underappreciated and underpaid DJ.

"In Sacramento, they bring DJs from outside, but they never tap into local talent," he said.

A native of Iran, Afshar said he's finding that the industry is more stable in Europe and Asia than in the United States.

Now, he's traveling the world as a DJ. He said he makes it work by networking with other DJs and getting support from a booking agent and record label. People have listened to him spin music on his MySpace page and at clubs from Kuala Lumpur to Iceland. A CD for Salted Records is in the works, Afshar said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.