Happy Place, Candytopia pop-up galleries shut down by Los Angeles city department

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Happy Place face plastered on the outside of the Downtown L.A. Arts District warehouse is still smiling, but recent customers are not.

The pop-up selfie gallery has been shut down by the city's Department of Building and Safety, and now ticket holders are complaining online that Happy Place took their money for tickets but has not issued refunds.

But Happy Place isn't the only pop-up attraction with a problem opening its doors.

Candytopia, set up in a warehouse at L.A. Hangar Studios, has not been allowed to open its doors for business. A publicist for Candytopia told Eyewitness News city inspectors shut it down for a lack of appropriate permits.

A Department of Building and Safety official confirmed that both attractions are barred from opening because temporary-use permits were not issued.

Eyewitness News reached out to Happy Place for comment, but has not heard back. Its operators, though, posted an apology on its Instagram account.

"We understand your frustration and are greatly sorry for your inconvenience," the statement said, in part. "The last thing we want is to let anybody down. We look forward to this being quickly resolved in the coming days and are thankful to the City of Los Angeles and their coordination with us to correct this matter."

Candytopia also apologized for its shuttering with a written statement emailed to Eyewitness News.

"We are disappointed that Candytopia was not able to open as planned due to last minute obstacles that we are tirelessly working with the City of Los Angeles to resolve," it said. "We are truly saddened by this sour turn of events."

Both Happy Place and Candytopia are promising refunds to those ticket holders who've missed their reserved dates and are still offering to sell tickets for future dates.

Building and Safety Department officials said Candytopia is currently working with the city to acquire the appropriate permits, but Happy Place has not even applied for a use permit yet.