Q. What is it supposed to be on the show?

A. A liquor store.

Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

A. The location isn't mentioned.

Q. When did we see it on the show?

A. In Episode 3  (of the third season) "The End of Innocence". Kirsten has been released from the Suriak rehab center, and has been staying with the conniving Charlotte. She has just received a sealed letter left to her by her dead father (Caleb).

Fearful of reading the letter (and of going home), Kirsten stops at a small liquor store at night and buys a bottle of vodka. She then takes the bottle to a cheap motel room and considers falling off the wagon. But, we learn later, she resists the temptation.

Q. What is it actually in real life?

A. A real liquor store.

Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. It is actually the Variety Liquor store, located at 4669 W. Imperial Highway, in Inglewood, CA., between Inglewood Avenue (on the west) and Hawthorne Blvd (on the east).

The location is only a block east of the cheap motel where Kirstin goes after buying the booze. It's also just two blocks east of the Strip Club where Matt takes Ryan (in Episode 9, season 3), and is only a few blocks northeast of the Mini-Mart that Johnny tries to rob (in Episode 10, season 3).

It appears that, for the third season, the O.C. producers have chosen a new area to film (the north Hawthorne/south Inglewood border, just south of the 105 Freeway) when they want to go for a grittier look...



I shot the photo below in 2010






Here is a map link to the exact location. Here is an aerial shot of the area.

[ Be warned that this isn't the safest part of the world - if you choose to venture there, exercise reasonable caution. ]

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A. The name of the store is visible (on a sign) in the night time scene when Kirsten comes out of the store. It was a simple matter of doing a Yellow Pages search, followed by matching the aerial photos with the screencaps.