947 N. La Cienega · 652-5916

Themis Boutique

Pamela Courson’s boutique, 947 North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles. Jim paid the rent. The shop phone is 652-5916. That number is how you read the classifieds.

The shop took over Inga’s Fashions of Hollywood in the same building. The address had already been a dress shop in 1965. In August 1968 the offices upstairs were already in the paper. Jim rented them for HWY: An American Pastoral. Themis ran 1969 into 1971. How the shop ended was a blank. This ad fills it: by 11 June 1971 someone else is in 947, a different name, a different phone. Not Jim, not Pamela, not Judy. Jim died in Paris three weeks later.

More of the boutique is at themisboutique.com.

Tere Tereba

Long before · 1965

Same address, four years before Themis. Paris V Fashions, 947 North La Cienega, just south of Santa Monica.

Paris V Fashions sale, 947 North La Cienega, 3 August 1965 — 3 August 1965 · Paris V Fashions
“PARIS V FASHIONS 947 NORTH LA CIENEGA BLVD. Just South of Santa Monica Blvd.” Final-days sale, dresses and gowns, phone OL. 2-0791. Not Pamela. The building.

Before Themis · Inga’s, 1968

947 N. La Cienega was already a dress shop. Inga’s Fashions of Hollywood advertised a grand opening for 27 April 1968, phone 652-5501 — same exchange, different line. The same week the shop itself was in the classifieds: must sell, best offer.

Inga’s Fashions of Hollywood grand opening, 947 N. La Cienega, 26 April 1968 — 26 April 1968 · Inga’s grand opening
“GRAND OPENING Saturday, April 27. Inga’s Fashions of Hollywood. Phone: 652-5501. 947 N. LA CIENEGA. Free Parking in Rear.” The building. Not Themis yet.

Dress shop Hollywood must sell classified, 26 April 1968 — 26 April 1968 · the shop for sale
“DRESS shop, Hlywd. Must sell. Best offer. 652-5501, 623-3521.” Same phones as Inga’s. Pamela later takes the address.

Dress shop with inventory Hollywood must sell, 8 May 1968 — 8 May 1968 · still for sale
“DRESS shop with inventory, Hollywd. Must sell. Best offer. 623 3521, 652 5501.” Two weeks after the opening ad.

Offices · August 1968

14 August 1968. Offices to let in the same building, a year before the shop ads. Jim took space here for the HWY office.

Offices to let, 947 La Cienega Blvd, 14 August 1968 — 14 August 1968 · offices, 947 La Cienega
“947 LA CIENEGA BLVD. Glamorous, air cond. offices $50–$90. Plenty free parking.” Same address as Inga’s downstairs, same address as Themis a year later. The paper is offering the rooms above. Jim rented them for HWY.

Broken mirrors · August 1969

Pamela placed wanted ads for broken mirrors. She was building a mosaic ceiling in the shop. 9–14 August 1969, 947 N. La Cienega, 652-5916.

Wanted ad, broken mirrors, 947 N. La Cienega, 9 August 1969 — 9 August 1969
“$ BROKEN MIRRORS $ 652-5916 947 N. La Cienega.” Same address and phone as the later Themis ads. Pamela is buying broken glass for a mosaic ceiling in the shop.

Wanted ad, broken mirrors, 947 No. La Cienega Blvd, 10 August 1969 — 10 August 1969
Next day. “$$ BROKEN MIRRORS $$ 947 No. La Cienega Blvd. 652-5916.”

Wanted ad, broken mirrors, 947 No. La Cienega Blvd, 11 August 1969 — 11 August 1969
Third day. Same line.

Wanted ad, broken mirrors, 947 No. La Cienega Blvd, 12 August 1969 — 12 August 1969
Fourth day. The shop is going in.

Wanted ad, broken mirrors, 947 No. La Cienega Blvd, 13 August 1969 — 13 August 1969
Fifth day. Address and number unchanged.

Wanted ad, broken mirrors, 947 No. La Cienega Blvd, 14 August 1969 — 14 August 1969
Sixth day, last of this run. The offices upstairs were already in the paper in August 1968 — HWY.

Sage · August 1969

Eleven days later the same number is on a lost-dog ad. Gold shepherd mix puppy, two months old, Santa Monica / La Cienega, $100. Sage — shepherd-Labrador mix. The shop phone is the identification. 25–31 August 1969. Seven days.

Lost dog classified, 25 August 1969, 652-5916 — 25 August 1969 · Sage
“$100 REW. Gold shep. mix. pup. 2 mos. Lost vic. Santa Monica/La Cienega. Ph. 652-5916 or 454-9362.” Eleven days after the last mirror ad. Same boutique number.

Lost dog classified, 26 August 1969, 652-5916 — 26 August 1969
Next day. Same puppy, same corner, same phones.

Lost dog classified, 27 August 1969, 652-5916 — 27 August 1969
Third day.

Lost dog classified, 28 August 1969, 652-5916 — 28 August 1969
Still looking.

Lost dog classified, 29 August 1969, 652-5916 — 29 August 1969
Fifth day. Same line.

Lost dog classified, 30 August 1969, 652-5916 — 30 August 1969
Sixth day.

Lost dog classified, 31 August 1969, 652-5916 — 31 August 1969
Last of that run. Seven insertions, seven days.

The Teske date

The ads are dated. Late August 1969: gold shepherd mix, two months old. Born around June. The Themis number is on them. Sage, shepherd-Labrador mix.

Teske photographed Jim and Pamela at Bronson Caves on 31 March 1969. That sitting is in his archive. Captions online put Sage in those pictures. A two-month pup in August cannot be in a frame from March. Either the dog in the Teske picture is not Sage, or the Sage print belongs to a later sitting — he also shot them in 1970 — and picked up the cave date because that session is the famous one.

The paper does not move.

Lease · February 1970

13 February 1970. A two-bedroom, sun porch, no pets. Phone 454-9362 — the second line on the Sage ads, not the shop. It reads like a place they were letting. The paper does not name them.

Apartment lease classified, 13 February 1970, 454-9362 — 13 February 1970 · S.R. lease
“S.R. lease. $250 mo. Incl. all utils. 2 bdrms., sun porch, breakfast nook, w/w, NO PETS. Adults. Patio & view. 454-9362.” The second Themis number. An apartment, offered. Not signed.

Sage · September 1970

A year on, Sage again: the paper says yellow Labrador, red flea collar, $200, Santa Monica and La Cienega. Same mix, a year older. 26–29 September 1970. Still 652-5916.

Lost yellow Labrador classified, 26 September 1970, 652-5916 — 26 September 1970 · Sage
“$200 REWARD For the return of yellow Labrador male. Red flea collar. Lost in vicinity of Santa Monica & La Cienega. 652-5916, OL.4-5815.” Sage — shepherd-Labrador mix. The 1969 ads said gold shep. mix. Same boutique number, same corner.

Lost yellow Labrador classified, 27 September 1970, 652-5916 — 27 September 1970
Same listing the next day.

Lost yellow Labrador classified, 28 September 1970, 652-5916 — 28 September 1970
Third day.

Lost yellow Labrador classified, 29 September 1970, 652-5916 — 29 September 1970
Last of that run. Sage. Shepherd-Labrador mix. The number is Themis.

VW · May 1971

16 May 1971. A ’67 Volkswagen, 37,000 miles, call 652-5916 after five. The boutique number, after hours. Jim died in Paris seven weeks later.

Volkswagen classified, 16 May 1971, 652-5916 — 16 May 1971 · VW ’67
“VW ’67, new tires & brks. 37,000 mi. Best offer. 652-5916 after 5.” The shop phone. Three weeks later the storefront at 947 is already PARR.

PARR · June 1971

11 June 1971. Same address. Not Themis. Tank trunks, groovy leisure wear, phone 657-4574. The boutique is already gone. A different shop has moved in. Jim still had three weeks in Paris.

PARR Tank Trunks advertisement, 947 N. La Cienega, 11 June 1971 — 11 June 1971 · PARR, 947 N. La Cienega
“TANK TRUNKS. PARR 947 N. LA CIENEGA W. HOLLYWOOD 657-4574.” Not Jim, not Pamela, not Judy. The address went to someone else, who started a different shop in the same room. Until this insertion, that hand-over was not in the paper.

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