Paul Solomon, owner of Sam First Bar, sits in his new jazz club located steps from LAX. (Nick Agro / For The Times)
Few iconic locations appear as proud of their bureaucratic acronym as the Los Angeles International Airport. Known globally as LAX, the main entrance to the airport on Century Boulevard features those three iconic letters standing 50 feet high to greet some 85 million weary passengers annually.
Less than 100 yards in front of that trio of letters, some of the swingingest jazz trios in Southern California have been setting up shop since late last year at Sam First, a sleek new club with an emphasis on potent cocktails and the hippest jazz calendar within walking distance of Economy Public Parking Lot C.
Owner Paul Solomon first made waves in real estate with the development of the Toy Factory Loft and the Biscuit Company Loft in the Arts District in the mid-2000s. Now he is head of Liminal Space, a real estate firm reinvigorating 6171 Century Blvd., a three-story office space on one of the busiest roads in Los Angeles. Of the 92,000 square feet of real estate space he was looking to fill, Solomon opted to take a couple thousand for himself and open a bar.
