Kianna Hampton, 10, waits outside for Pedro Reyes to show up. Not necessarily an unusual scene on city streets across the country. But Kianna isn’t waiting for a ride, or a tutor, or something more pernicious in the projects she calls home. Kianna is waiting for art. She’s waiting for her chance to be a film producer, it’s what she does after school.

by Ann Simms

Mac Barnett is turning a shampoo bottle over in his hands. The liquid inside is viscous, the color of blood. “We haven’t gotten all the kinks out yet. But we’re close,” he says, grinning mischievously.

“Rasputin Baby Shampoo” is one ofthe 300 products that Barnett and his colleagues are developing for the Echo Park Time Travel Mart. (“El Dorado Solid Gold Scrubber Pads” and “Mammoth Chunks” soup are two more of the works-in-progress.) This store, once opened, will be the retail counterpoint to 826 LA, an educational wonderland for kids that’s been up and buzzing since March of 2005.