Landmark Hermosa: Sol Baby

Now the children's clothing boutique sits at 124 Pier Ave., but years ago the site was part of Hermosa Beach's Either/Or Bookstore, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported the old landmark took "up most of a city block on Pier Avenue."

The building that creates six tenant spaces between 124 and 140 Pier Ave. was constructed and then added onto between 1915 and 1945, according to a that references Los Angeles County Assessor's Office records.

Either/Or opened within that building in October 1966. For 33 years the bookstore offered the Hermosa Beach community the world of literature. Its' name even references the same two words that have titled 19th century Danish philospher Soren Kierkegaard's writings: "Either/Or."

Hermosa essayist Garrison Frost is quoted in the book Spray Paint the Walls, written by music journalist Stevie Chick, as having said Either/Or "was where you could get your Charles Bukowski, your Noam Chomsky and your Anarchist’s Cookbook… this was where you could learn about Eastern religions, alternative medicine and erotic massage."

A Toy Jungle replaced Either/Or when it closed in 1999, according to Chick's book. Then Sol Baby opened in 2006, according to the Easy Reader, whose readers selected the store as last year's "best kids' boutique."

"If you're like us; love of life and nature, peace on earth, music and the sun shining are all things that move, inspire and influence you. We try to buy items that embody those feelings," wrote Sol Baby owners Gina and Dave Rothwell on the store's website. "Whether it's funky, cheeky, edgy, rockin', trendy, hip or just plain adorable, it has a place at Sol Baby."

Congratulations to for correctly guessing today's Landmark Hermosa. We'll have a new trivia next week.