Bar taps, tacos and ice cream are just some of the options you can indulge in at new SteelCraft site in Bellflower
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“Come get some frosé!”
Trend-setting food-court maestro SteelCraft opened its second location on the corner of Bellflower Boulevard and Oak Street on Thursday, June 6 — and eager consumers poured in this weekend.
The brand combines trendy local vendors, live entertainment and an outdoor heavy-metal design.
SteelCraft’s trademark is their repurposed gray and red shipping containers, turning the former portside transport boxes into hip food-and-drink stalls.
The location is hosting these informal “soft” openings for its vendors until the grand opening, and ribbon cutting, on Thursday, June 13, according to Emma Taylor, co-owner of Ten Mile Brewing.
The family-owned brewing company has its home base in Signal Hill. But when SteelCraft approached them for the Bellflower location, they jumped on it.
“This is a way for people to discover new businesses, it brings a new crowd to us,” Taylor said. “People are excited to come here.”
The seating area is large, surrounded by green grass and tan gravel. It features an artsy/barnyard aura, a tribute to Bellflower’s dairy-country past.
On Saturday, couples mingled while toting mason jars filled with red liquid and glasses containing various amber hues of beer.
Children scurried around in the grass while others lounged in swinging chairs in the shade. It’s a real family affair.
“Bellflower wants to engage more with the community,” Taylor said. One of the art pieces read, aptly: “where you invest your love you invest your life.”
A small group of teens wearing tiaras sat at one of the wooden tables — Miss Bellflower pageant participants. Miss Teen Bellflower Emily Ruiz gave the new center her royal approval, applauding its varied food and drink options.
“It’s a melting pot of the local community, it’s also a prime location for business,” said Eden Hernandez, coordinator of the pageant. “Downtown hosts street fests often, movie nights, the Christmas tree lighting and car fests. They will get a lot of foot traffic in this spot.”
Bellflower’s downtown has enjoyed a mini-renaissance in recent months, with recently opened restaurants and the new Los Angeles County Fire Museum/Bellflower Mayne Events Center.
Hernandez heard about The Standing Room — a burger joint — from a friend, but it was all the way in Redondo Beach. Needless to say, she was pleased to see it was opening a location in Bellflower.
“It’s important to have a place where people can eat and hang out,” she said. “We like to support openings in the local community.”
Also to be featured at the Bellflower site:
- Off Duty Wine Bar;
- Long Beach Creamery;
- Solid Coffee Roasters;
- Fritzi Coop, a fried chicken restaurant helmed by Neal Fraser of Redbird;
- Philanthropy, featuring pho soups and entrees;
- Comfort food maker Prime by Shenandoah;
- And Cassidy’s Corner, specializing in breakfast;
Bellflower is SteelCraft’s second location, tapping the success of its debut in Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls neighborhood.
A third location is expected to open in Garden Grove this year. Updates for the Orange County location can be found by logging on to SteelCraft’s webpage.