NORTHRIDGE : Pharmacy’s Mural Paints Picture of Hope

Where others saw drab pine boards, Barry Pascal saw opportunity.

After the owner of the Northridge Pharmacy lost nearly all his shop’s windows in the Jan. 17 earthquake, he covered the gaps with plywood, then commissioned a local artist to paint a mural on the boards.

Pascal, who owns what is thought to be the oldest continuously operating business in Northridge, said he wanted to turn his earthquake damage into a “rallying point for the community.”

The mural, which spans the length of his storefront, has a Wizard of Oz theme. Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow are accompanied by the inscription “There is STILL no place like home”--a defiant rejoinder to those who are fast fleeing Northridge for more stable ground.

Dorothy went to Oz because of a tornado, a natural disaster reminiscent of an earthquake, said Pascal. “We wanted to say that even though we have had all this catastrophe, there is still no place like home,” he said.

“Northridge is still a great place to live,” added his wife, Shirley.

Pascal said the mural has been a great success among customers who have been flocking to the store since the earthquake. “Incredible,” remarked one woman, who came to buy a paste used in mending cracks in counter tops.

The store remained open throughout the most chaotic period immediately following the quake.

Pascal said there was no way to close since the entire front of the shop was shattered.

The quake sent shelves of cosmetics flying, and destroyed untold numbers of decorative dolls and small porcelain objects.

This week, though, the Pascals managed to restore some order. The mural went up Tuesday, and the Valentine’s Day displays have been carefully arranged.

Pascal grew up in Encino, and bought the Northridge Pharmacy about 20 years ago. The store, one of a few remaining independently owned drugstores, dates back about 65 years, Pascal said. Pascal has been reluctant to replace the windows in front of his shop because of the frequent aftershocks. He says he may leave the mural up for a few months, and believes it is helping repair Northridge’s bruised confidence. Besides, he added, “it looks better than plywood.”