More Excerpts from Tenant Essays
Greetings Dave,
I just looked at your website. Your philosophy is seriously amazing. I really wish I knew about your site when I moved to L.A. four years ago. Next time I move I am going to contact you. I have a wacky performance art night I throw monthly... If you ever want to come down let me know and I'll put you on the guest list. You clearly seem to be supporting the arts so you are always more than welcome to come by my party.
Best Regards, J. Spinosa
Hi Dave,
Thank you so much for everything! You have been much more than a great landlord. Please know that I truly appreciate and value your words of wisdom. Though I always end up doing things MY way anyhow, your advice has not gone unheard. I'm like a sponge and retain more than you think.
I will always cherish the time we spent at 2nd & Fuller. You were absolutely right - it's one of the best neighborhoods in town! I admire your passion, integrity and love for what you do. Imagine, future generations will never know the beauty of Art Deco period, if not for people like you. You are a KOOK, but also an inspiration!
That said, we will miss you and 2nd & Fuller very much!
Fondly, Christine S.
I had spoken to you about a month ago and stopped by the Sycamore apartment with my VW-Passat-driving-Virgo boyfriend who thought it was too expensive... Remember me? Help - I need something good before my boyfriend makes me sleep on a futon.
Dear Mr. Goldstein,
I am elated, thrilled, delighted to have found a home in one of your lovingly restored apartments. Sight-unseen, with nothing to go on but some charming digitals, I know from our conversations that this is truly a wonderful fit for me. Thank you for allowing me to join what promises to be a great community. I can hardly wait to see my new space in person and all of its art deco detail. Here's to a serendipitous beginning.
Cheers, Melissa
WOW! (I'm sure they all start out that way!) There are a few places that I've visited in my life that had that particular calling... Vancouver, with its water and islands; Paris, with its centuries-old landmarks contrasted with the fifties' Coco Chanel chic, and Chicago with its energetic downtown, restaurants and pubs. I also get that same feeling when I see the places that you are preserving and making available.
Thank you! - Mark Askew
Dear Dave,
It's 4:06 Istanbul, Turkey time... Upon seeing your amazing website, I felt compelled to immediately write and apply. It was the Moorish style building that first caught my eye. I also just left you a phone massage, and also one for John.
Let's see, my name is Lynda and I am currently living in Istanbul. I've been here for the past year and a half. I live right on the Bosphorous in a beautiful 'Yalla', which is the name given to these big old Ottoman style homes that are directly on the sea. All of these homes are historical and are protected by the city - much the way historical buildings are in the States.
Alas, my time in Istanbul is ended and I'm returning to the USA. I'll be flying into Los Angeles to home-hunt, and would very much like to meet you and see your homes that are available.
Thank you, Lynda
From Rachel and James...
For three long months we've been looking at your website, green-eyed with envy, clicking and pining, as one beautiful apartment after another made her debut. Then, like snows of last winter, vanished into the vast ether. It became an obsession of ours, like a repetitive hypnotic beat that calls on your soul to move. Crisp, gleaming photos of cove molded hallways, Spanish tiled roofs and lazy shady palm trees set against the timeless landscape of L.A. called to us. I, much like the accidental Europeans who settled L.A., have found California a place to explore, create and develop.
Cheers!
My name is Elisa Green and I think you are awesome! I left a message on your answering service earlier today while out home hunting. Thank you for reassuring my husband and I that not only are there owners out there that have true pride of ownership, but care about the happiness of people as well - RARE.
To boot...the sight is beautiful and a pleasure to browse. I myself, have managed property here in L.A. for 4 years. I can honestly say, it is truly a shame about the jewels of buildings that are taken for granted and neglected by slumlords. You are a breath of fresh air.
Our best wishes to you,
Brian & Elisa Green
Dear Dave,
I've just spent a good 15 minutes perusing your website, falling in love with all of your beautifully appointed apartments, and now, am trying to lift myself up from the despair of my own current building/apartment by writing you this letter, filled with hope and longing!
Your buildings signal the incredible care you give them; they speak of home, serenity and beauty, and your philosophy of a beautiful home as nurturance for the creative soul is a dream come true for the person fortunate enough to become one of your tenants. I find it absolutely amazing to discover a landlord (not a slumlord) who is also an artist, who cares so deeply about his properties as well as who he chooses to inhabit them. Having searched for and viewed so many apartments in L.A. over the years, it has been disheartening to say the least to observe how people treat (or don't treat) their properties.
I won't bother sending you all my financial data, or letters of recommendation from past landlords until I know a chance at living in one of your buildings might be a possibility...or until my income increases! But nevertheless I did want to contact and compliment you on your properties and your process. Thanks for your attention, and again, I'm bowled over by the beauty and care apparent in your work. Ah, a girl can dream...
Signed, 'Dreamer'
Click Here for an Epiphany...
