Mondo Video A-Go-Go will be a-gone-gone or around October 15. The funky, quirky video store on the sourth side of Melrose at Heliotrope, which was imported from Los Feliz a few years ago, let its lease expire and did not renew due to higher lease rates, according to a local businessowner.Replacing its space will be a 24-hour Armenian-owned coffeehouse (Armenian coffee is quite powerful, if you've ever tried it!). According to the same businessowner, another businessowner on the corner scoffed at the idea of a 24-hour establishment, but due to the vibrancy and streetlife of the Heliotrope-Melrose corner (a.k.a. "Hel-Mel"), it might just be the perfect addition to the 'hood. Perhaps not so for the owners of nearby City College Cafe (not the ones who scoffed), whose 8 p.m. closing time might cause customers to bolt across the street instead.
As for Mondo, it's rumored to be closing down for good. If you're into stocking up on eclectic VHS titles, run down to Mondo, pronto for some killer deals.
