Is another Echo Park building going to the dogs?

It was only a few years when K-9 Loft converted a former clothing shop in a large Sunset Boulevard building into a chocolate-colored doggie day care center and store (business must be good because the business recently opened a Sherman Oaks outlet). A few blocks east on Echo Park Avenue, a large storage shed is being converted into another dog and pet center, Blue Collar. Back on Sunset Boulevard, word is that the Art Deco-style building that recently housed Sleep E-Z mattress will be occupied by a non profit, which several people said was involved with animals.

The approximately 80-year-old building, located at a point where Sunset Boulevard bends just west of Alvarado, sits amid a stretch that has seen the arrival of new boutiques, a wine bar and other shops. Many nearby merchants and residents have wondered what would happen to the building, a former auto showroom, when it was recently put up for sale.

Several people were spotted earlier this week inside the building, changing locks and taking a look at things. When asked if they were the new owners, one gentlemen said “I can’t say” and promised to get back to The Eastsider with details about the mystery nonprofit. Stay tuned.