Dexter Filming Locations: The Tooth Fairy's Self-Storage Facility
The
location: The Tooth Fairy's Storage Facility
Q.
What is it supposed to be on the show?
A. A self-storage facility.
Q.
Where is it supposed to be on the show?
A. Somewhere
in Miami.
Q.
When did we see it on the show?
A. In Episode 3, of Season 6, "Smokey and the Bandit",
when Walter Kenny (the aging serial killer known as "The Tooth Fairy") had Dexter drop him off there.
Dexter watches as Walter goes to one of the units in the back and opens the door.
Dexter is suspicious that Walter might be the Tooth Fairy, but needs evidence.
Later,
after Walter is gone, Dexter returns to the storage facility and breaks
into his unit. There, he finds a small box containing the
collection of teeth that Walter pulled from his victims.
Q.
What is it actually in real life?
A. A self-storage facility. Just not in Miami.
Q.
Where can I find it in real life?
A. This is Long Beach Stor-All, located at
2009 E. Pacific Coast Highway, in Long Beach, CA.
It's just east of the corner of PCH & Cherry Ave, on the north side of the street.
(That's right across the street from the location they used as Walter's pharmacy, and less than a mile southeast of Good Shepherd Auto Repair. )
They cheated a
bit when they showed Dexter watch from across the street as Walter
walks to the back of the facility. In reality, you can't see much
of the interior from the street - just a wall of units (see my photo
below).
Those shots representing Dexter's viewpoint were actually shot
from inside the facility.
The short bus stop
scene, where Dexter watches Walter get on a bus, was shot right in
front of this Stor-All facility. They just added a bench and a
fake sign to the sidewalk on the north side of Pacific Coast
Highway. (Not to be confused with the longer, night time scene at
another bus stop. )
I shot the photo below in September 2011 (looking north from PCH).
A. In previous seasons, I've
usually had to hunt down the locations after viewing the episodes,
using clues from the various scenes. By the 6th season, though,
I'd developed a small group of fans, spies & tipsters who kept an
eye out for Dexter filming in their neighborhoods, and would let me know
in advance when something was about to film there.
Between those reports, my own personal reconnaissance around town, and a
few new resources I discovered, by the time the first episode aired, I
already knew most (but not all) of the filming locations, and only
needed to watch the episodes and match up the scenes with the correct
locations.
This group of helpful fans includes Kerry, Rick, Ellen, Susan, Jason, Elaine, Joel, Julie, Geoff, Jeff, and others. My thanks to all of them.
Rick tipped me to this one, and Suzi also let me know that they were busy at PCH & Cherry. (Thanks, guys!)
