Eagle Rock's Mall of Manila

The L.A. Times finally finally picks up on the mainstream Eagle Rock Plaza's move to target the large Filipino community in the area -- something we've written about several times, including this post last year.

But the story doesn't dive in deep enough to describe the scope of the transformation -- no mention, for example, of Bench, a Gap-style clothing chain from the Philippines that filled a void at the mall; nor does it get into the long lines Jollibee created when it first opened -- or the fact that Chow King, a Chinese-oriented Filipino fast food joint, recently opened across the way.

Also the story doesn't discuss the mall's recent ownership change -- Westfield sold the shopping center last year to Pennsylvania-based Centro Watt. I would have loved to hear more from the mall owners about this unique strategy, and how they're managing to save what was a dying mall. The reporter does touch on the unusual juxtaposition of a mainstream mall -- with big anchors like Target and Macy's -- carrying so many chains that target a specific ethnic group. The fact that I can pick up items at Target, then share a halo-halo with Evan at Chow King (and snacks at Seafood City), is pretty cool.