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<\/a>Gone now are the landmark establishment that defined this Egyptian microcosm decades ago, such as Fox Theater and the Garden of Allah, but new businesses have cropped up in their place. Fox Theater has turned into the Atomic Bazaar. The Egyptian, an apartment complex, hangs relics of the area at its peak nearly a century ago. Walking Park Boulevard today, it\u2019s easy to spy several architectural oddities around the street: scarabs and pharaohs etched into the adobe walls of buildings.<\/p>\n
Another thing you\u2019ll notice today are the trashcans. They\u2019re painted in bright, eye-catching colors ordained with Egyptian scenes. These don\u2019t date back to the \u201820s; they don\u2019t date back two months ago. They\u2019re the sign of a revitalization of the area\u2014of the \u201cEgyptian Quarter\u201d as it\u2019s come to be called.<\/p>\n
This spur of effort was started about two years ago, shortly after Sam Khorish<\/p>\n
opened up Heat Bar & Grill, a lavish remodel of a building constructed in the \u201850s, which draws heavily on the Egyptian style for the restaurant\u2019s interior theme.<\/p>\n
It was around this time that a couple of the other soon-to-be Egyptian Quarter businesses began gathering in Heat to discuss their plans for the quarter. They all had the same thing in mind: getting people to the area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had to gather all the businesses, which some joined and some didn\u2019t. Many were discouraged and said, \u2018Oh, nothing is going to happen. You\u2019re wasting your time,\u2019\u201d Khorish recalled about the Egyptian Quarter\u2019s humble beginnings. \u201cBut some of us got together, with the help of Ben at the time, we slowly got things approved through the business association.\u201d<\/p>\n Egyptian Quarter businesses face a peculiar problem geographically. Lying between University & 30th and the heart of Hillcrest, several local business owners say that although they\u2019re not geographically isolated, they\u2019re often overlooked in the grand scheme of Hillcrest.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why when Khorish and several others on the street got together, they knew they\u2019d have to make things happen for themselves, at least initially. The small group began holding community meetings to talk about their idealistic plans\u2014about returning the iconic theme to the area. They organized their first event, \u201cTurn up the Heat,\u201d a fashion show at Heat Bar & Grill featuring clothes from Edith Ernestine Fashion & Lifestyle, a resale clothing shop down the street.<\/p>\n<\/a>