2:01pm | A group representing the interests of businesses and shop owners whose storefronts are situated along East Anaheim Street is installing a new string of light pole banners to spruce up the corridor while promoting its array of offerings and celebrating its roots.

The East Anaheim Street Business Alliance has been busy installing the new banners between Pacific Coast Highway and Junipero Avenue. They encourage visitors and residents alike to “Stop, Shop and Dine” in the business district. 

“These banners are another part of our effort to encourage the public to explore the many great restaurants, shops and professional services on Anaheim Street in Long Beach, which happens to be one of the busiest streets in the city,” said EASBA President Rod Wilson in a prepared statement.

The banners also pay homage to the historic Zaferia Village, the name of an early 1900s settlement located in the vicinity of what is today the Anaheim thoroughfare.

According to information provided by the EASBA, references to Zaferia date back as early as 1904, when the Pacific Electric Railway was being built. By 1913, Zaferia was a small but growing community with direct rail access to Los Angeles, downtown Long Beach and the cities of Seal Beach, Sunset Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.

Old Zaferia Way, a short street in the neighborhood bounded by PCH, Temple Avenue, Anaheim and Junipero, is a testament to the former village, and many in Long Beach refer to the neighborhood itself as Zaferia. Even an apartment complex, Zaferia Apartments, located there bears the former settlement’s name. 

“Zaferia Village has a pretty fascinating history dating back more than a century,” said EASBA Treasurer Ken Buck, owner of the famed Joe Jost’s, in a prepared statement. “We think the banners will be a great reminder of its storied past and our exciting future.”

A banner installation celebration is planned for Wednesday at noon in the parking lot at Omega Burger, 2641 E. Anaheim (on the northwest corner of Ohio Avenue and Anaheim). Councilman Patrick O’Donnell, in whose Fourth District the corridor is located, is expected to attend, as are many of EASBA’s members and board of directors. The public is invited, as well.