In 1985, when the restaurant Cha Cha Cha opened at the corner of Virgil Avenue and
Melrose Avenue, the
Los Angeles Times questioned its location on Melrose Avenue and described the area as both "graffiti-splattered" and "shabby". Nine years later, in 1994, the
Times stated that Cha Cha Cha owner Mario Tamayo had started a "renaissance" in the area. Also that year,
Huell Howser visited the neighborhood as part of his PBS series
Visiting... with Huell Howser. In 1996, Virgil Village was one of seven Los Angeles neighborhoods to receive federal funding for improvements. Trees, street lights and bus shelters would be added to the community. The funds were disbursed through LANI and the improvements were focused on Virgil Avenue, the neighborhoods major thoroughfare. By 2007, panaderías, carnicerias and other small, local stores were being replaced with upscale businesses. In 2011, Virgil Village received additional funding from LANI for traffic calming. In 2014, bike lanes and new crosswalks were dedicated at a community event sponsored by Councilmember
Mitch O'Farrell. In the fall of 2016, after 30 years in the neighborhood, Cha Cha Cha restaurant closed and the name Cha Cha Cha was re-used for a condominium development that was built on the restaurant's site. In 2018, after a new landlord bought the building, Super Pan Bakery was given a 60-day notice to vacate. Community residents started a change.org petition to help the panadería. After 20 years in Virgil Village, the bakery relocated to
South Park in
South Los Angeles. The bakery was replaced by an upscale bagel shop. In addition to bagels, the owners also sell pandulce they pick up from the South Los Angeles location of Super Pan Bakery. ==Geography==