Memories of the Mermaid

06/18/2023

A friend of mine saw this and took a picture. It's currently on display at the Hermosa Beach Historical Society and Museum.

08/01/2022

Oh my, gone but not forgotten! No movement since 2021... where's the OLD STORIES?

Who was your favorite bartender and why?

07/26/2021

Thanks to Diana Albergate for this recent photo of the construction on the Merm. The siding is off and you can see the stucco underneath including the faint imprint of the lettering that used to be there saying among other things, charcoal broiled ribs. Here’s a comparison picture from circa 1954 to let you know what you’re looking at. this picture is from the 1912 days celebration.

06/24/2021

11/01/2018

1912 Days with the Mermaid in the background. Probably 1952-54. This is the temporary building erected after the fire that took the original building that stood in what later became the parking lot. You can’t tell in this photo but the building is white with blue trim and lettering.

10/27/2018

Looking to hear from customers and employees of the Mermaid from the 70's and the 80's. Who was you favorite employee and your favorite fellow patron?

08/18/2018

Thanks to John Whitley for this picture of the iconic Mermaid sign on the corner of Pier and Strand from 1981.

09/23/2017

The Mermaid, an iconic “dive bar” at the end of Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach, closed its doors just after Labor Day weekend with little fanfare.

09/23/2017

Even though a lot had changes down on the Strand since Killer Shrimp took over, it's still sad to see the Mermaid building abandoned. The property owner has a 30 day demolition clause, so there will probably be little or no notice before that iconic building comes down. Get down there to take your final pictures early! Love to all the people on this page who have kept the Memory of the Mermaid alive for all this time.

06/28/2015

Zucca's, forerunner of the Mermaid, standing in what is today the parking lot.

04/27/2015

The NE corner of Pier Avenue and the Strand (today the Mermaid parking lot) in 1912.

04/27/2015

Someone asked recently how Boots came to acquire the Little Mermaid. My Dad (Boots) married the daughter of the Mermaid, built on the site of Zucca's prior to 1947. He started out as a bartender, probably around 1949. After the marriage ended and the original Mermaid burned down (1953), he bought the "Little Mermaid", (the front half of the current building) in 1954. The front wall was the brick rear wall of the older Mermaid. Two years later his former father-in-law threatened to build on the parking lot up the his front door if Boots didn't buy the parking lot for $60K, an exorbitant sum in those days. My dad worked double shifts behind the bar, 10 am to 2 am, to be able to pay that off. Later he bought the coffee shop that became the new kitchen and the dance club that became the dining room. The original kitchen was the lounge area were the fireplace was.