Your Life Is Under Construction - Expect Delays

Man, there's been so many times where I've been walking around Venice and I see just what I need to see in that moment. There's been a lot of frustration and delays for me lately, and sometimes you have to wonder what you're even doing where you are ... and then you get a little encouragement from the streets/the Universe to hang in there. Your life is under construction at all times - and you should expect delays.

No matter what is going on in your life, negativity never helps, so the flip side of this utility box adorned by that prolific street artist, Wrdsmth, tells you that "I'm pretty positiveno good will come from focusing on the negative." - and that is exactly what I needed to hear right then. If you're dealing with some lameness at the moment (and who isn't?), I hope this little pep talk will help you too.

Thank you to Wrdsmth, and to Venice, for setting me straight, and for the good vibes that are always here if you are looking for them. Chins up!

Another Venice Family Leaves ...

I was walking down Pacific Avenue yesterday, and got a lump in my throat to see that yet another Venice family is having to leave their house.  This great old beach house is on the corner of Clubhouse and Pacific, and you just know it's going to be torn down for yet another BUB.

I don't know the real story on this situation at all, but I can tell by looking at it that it meant a lot to the "Venice Beach Pontius Family" from 1965 - 2018. 53 years in a wonderful pad full of happy memories ... and I bet they didn't want to leave. I didn't know them, I don't think, but I'm still sad to see them go.

Oh, Venice ... we're doing our best to keep you real, but when will this housing madness end? How? Let's hope we are not reduced to merely a cautionary tale, and folklore about how cool it used to be here. There's still time, while there's still cool. I love you, Venice ... no matter what.

Café Collage - The Locals Hang

Café Collage has been taking care of Venice locals since 1993, and locals remain their focus. Amid all the change going down in the area recently, it's a consolation to walk into the doors of a place that has remained chill and unpretentious no matter what is happening around town. If you've been missing Abbot's Habit (and who hasn't been?), Collage offers the same relaxed neighborhood atmosphere, with the same affordability ... but with, ahem, better food and coffee. Just saying.

I have a long list of people and places that I want to write about in telling the stories of Venice, and Café Collage has been on it for years. It got moved up higher when I recently read Patti Smith's M Train, and she talks about sitting in our own Café Collage years ago, when a surfer ran in yelling, "Art is dead!" and ran out. I can't have Smith writing about a place in Venice that I haven't yet written about, so I bugged manager, Paul Evidente, until we finally sat down to chat about the wonderful spot there in the shadow of the Venice sign.

Collage will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2018, and locals have loved it the whole time, making it a welcome part of their daily routines. There have been four different owners in its lifetime, and current owner, Jennifer Park, has guided it to be the best it's ever been. The café got its name from the murals that used to be painted all over the ceiling, and has always been a place for local artists to showcase their work. Raymundo has been back there making your sandwiches since 1997, and always has a smile and a hello, no matter how busy working he is. There is a warmth extended to everyone from everyone, and it is both noted and appreciated every time I walk in.

Between serving the customers/friends coming in all morning, Evidente told me that he locals are the foundation, and that there is "no such thing as Venice Beach without the locals." Exactly. Whatever is left over at the end of every day is brought down to the beach and given to the homeless. There is never any trouble inside of Café Collage for exactly that reason, there is a mutual respect between everyone.

Having said that, it can also be crazy, and employees of Collage have pretty much seen it all. There might be a topless girl having her picture taken under the Venice sign. A homeless dude might be chopping wood outside to make a warming fire. There might be a "Running of the bulls" meeting up (a bunch of rollergirls being chased by one dressed like a bull). There might be a fight outside, but never inside. And if there is a fight, locals like Tonan will take care of it (as has happened). "If you take care of your locals, the locals will take care of your business," Evidente said, and that is fact.

Rachel Walker is a bright spot in my day when I walk into Collage and am so pleasantly greeted every time. She told me that she's tried everything on the menu, there's something for everyone, and every single thing is good. She's right. They update the menu all the time to stay current with the competition, but there really is no competition in the area when you can still get a drip coffee and something to eat for like $3.00. At a time when pricing of just about everything in Venice has become outrageous, it's awfully nice to be treated well and not break your bank over breakfast. They know their customers, and keep everything affordable, as a priority. "I just want to make sure every customer walks out happy and content," says Escalante, and you can truly feel the sincerity behind that statement when he says it.

He continued, "Venice is a small community, and we know all the faces. There's still a 60's, 70's, 80's feeling, and it's all about the people. I'm from Hawai'i, and I'll never go back. The fun, the drinks, the ladies ... that's why people want to come and be a part of it, every tourist's first stop is Venice ... everyone wants a piece of Venice." But for those who live here all the time, Café Collage is still for you most of all.

"We're here for everybody, from the homeless to the rich. We want to make you feel at home, give you quality, and leave happy so that you'll come back to us." Park nodded as Evidente told me this, and I can see them walking this talk every day. Please support this wonderful locals spot, as they have supported the community from 6:30 am to 7:00 pm (later on special events like the sign lightings!) every day for nearly 25 years.

Thanks and Happy (early) Anniversary to all the great people at Café Collage! Oh, and try the Palermo drink - espresso with orange peel, chocolate, and nutmeg. The holidays in a cup!

Café Collage
1518 Pacific Avenue
Venice
#310-399-0632

Life Is A Beach. Grab A Bucket!

Man, what a week. Sometimes you just need to go to the beach. So I did. On the way down, I saw this person pulled over in the broad daylight pasting something up on the utility box. I liked that they were so brazen about it, and looked forward to what it would be.

On the way back, they were done and gone. There was some new street art there by MegZany featuring Strawberry Shortcake, telling us that "Life is a beach. Grab a bucket." I love it. I was a big fan (as was my brother) of Strawberry Shortcake and her gang (particularly Orange Blossom and Apple Dumpling), and everyone knows I'm a big big fan of the beach. But I also like the sentiment. Yeah, times are hard, but you gotta do something about it. Grab a bucket.

It's a glorious Friday, gearing up for another glorious weekend at the beach in Venice. There is much to be grateful for. Life is a beach ... !

Great White Opens On Pacific Avenue - Get Bit!

A brand new spot just opened up in the space left vacant by Seed on Pacific, and Great White looks to be just what that little stretch of Venice needed - already.

Serving up healthy breakfast and lunch fare every day from 7 am to 6 pm, it's close enough to the beach that you can get both your pre and post-surf/beach day grinds on foot. It looks DELICIOUS - and I'm told IS extra delicious - with great service to top it off. It sounds like a home run right out of the gate, with unanimously positive reviews from all who have had the pleasure of trying it out in week one. Cheers to owners Sam Trude and Sam Cooper, Chef Alex Thomopoulos, all the staff, and to all in Venice that get to go here. Yum.

I presume they've named the place after the shark and not the band, and the beachy vibes are on theme. The drinks all sound incredible, and as it's an Aussie-owned venture, you absolutely will find a legit flat white.

There is no liquor license as yet, so they're only open for breakfast and lunch so far, but I can't wait to get back to town and try everything on both of those menus and chill on the breezy patio. Welcome to the neighborhood, Great White!

Great White
1604 Pacific Avenue (At Windward)
Venice
424.744.8403

*Photos courtesy of Great White. 

Venice Vs. Snapchat - Communities, Not Corporations!

Snapchat, the awful corporation currently trying to ruin Venice, is poised to go public with their IPO tomorrow, and our Venice community had something to say about it. A hastily planned protest went down yesterday on Market Street right out in front of Snap Inc's headquarters to let them know we're not at all pleased.

Venice locals and concerned members of our community gathered on Pacific and Market, armed with signs letting these tech jerks know exactly what we're thinking.

There was a pretty good turnout considering it was a Tuesday (Fat Tuesday, at that!) in the afternoon, and it was encouraging to see all the familiar faces we've known and loved around Venice for years come together in the name of preserving our bohemian beach town that we all deeply love. We live here because it's different - and we like that.

As citizens marched up and down the sidewalks in front of Snapchat, they chanted hilarious (and true) rhymes and waved their signs ("Evan Spiegel is the Trump of Venice!) for the news outlets gathered. Protest organizer, Jim Robb, was interviewed by USA Today here, letting the whole country know that we think they're lame if they choose to invest in a company that cares so little about one of the coolest places on Earth.

I added that the app itself is so lame that no respectable adult should be using that thing for flower crowns and animal faces, it's never made a profit, and basically, it's a stupid fad that we're not willing to give up on our town for. If you've ever enjoyed a visit to Venice, you shouldn't be supporting it or investing in it either. Period.

It was easy to tell who the Snapchat workers were - that dared to come outside, that is. They all wear the boring, Millenial tech worker bland uniform of neutrals with zero character. No flair. No personality at all. A couple of the corporate drone douchebags walked through the protest actually Snapchatting it, drawing our jeers and ire. The less brave peeked out the office windows and took pictures. It's all just SO not Venice, that it's hard to believe THEY even want to be here. They simply do not fit in. Nor do they even try. Why be someplace where you're so extremely unwanted? That's never a good feeling. The overarching sentiment of the day was really just Go Away, Snapchat! ASAP.

 With the Snap, Inc. IPO looming tomorrow, it stand to make this dumb company even more money, which would allow them to gobble up even more of Venice, displacing all the wonderful originality that made Venice a destination to begin with. Money and greed running all the cool out of town to create a corporate campus of rich, little brats that think life in Venice is all about them - which it plainly is not.

The Snapchat security (notoriously known to be dicks) skulked around the fringe, occasionally doing laps in their dumb little golf carts or plain cars, and we all just yelled louder. The cops on the scene were pretty chill, mostly staying out of our way unless someone tried to jaywalk outside of the crosswalk or march in the street instead of the sidewalks, which was mostly about just safety.  Cars would drive by and honk their support and solidarity, drawing louder cheers each time. The best was when a gang of motorcycles did laps around Market, revving their superloud motors right outside the front doors of Snapchat. I bet not that much got done in there yesterday. Good.

We all know how much Venice has already changed, and that change is inevitable. There is, however, a respectful way to implement change, and that is not the course being laid out by Snapchat. They release little statements about how they want to be a part of and give back to the community, but it's all b.s. They think Venice is their Snap world, and we're just living in it -while we still can afford it. We were there yesterday to let them know that the opposite is true. They are in OUR town, and we're not going anywhere. We can chant and protest every day. They can go somewhere else and be an office park in a place established for that, not turn one of the most beloved Southern California destinations into one.

Speakers chanted and orated about their love for Venice over a makeshift P.A., and a playlist of protest-appropriate jams blared in between. Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Rage Against The Machine ... a soundtrack for the resistance that we all sang and danced along with ... because Venice follows the Emma Goldman dictate of "If I can't dance, I don't want to part of your Revolution." Venice protests - like everything else - are fun. And that's what we're fighting for. We don't want to be a corporate playground, and no one that visits here wants that. We/They want that funky, unique, exciting, unpredictable Venice. Think about it. Mull it over, Snapchat, because you picked the wrong group of People to fight with. We won't go away.

We won't go away because of little dudes like our friend, Kingston, here. He was born and is being raised here in Venice, by parents that love it here and want a cool Venice to bring their son up in. No one wants to tell their kids that it USED to be hip here. Why would any company want to be responsible for that? Why would anyone support a company that would do that to a World landmark without a second thought? It's disgraceful.

Little Kingston felt it. He could not be contained, insisting on getting right out in the street with his tiny fist raised, all on his own. He is why we were there. We want to make sure he gets to be proud of his Venice. People don't move here or come here or stay here because they want to be like everywhere else. They're here because they felt that something special that is Venice, and don't want to be anywhere else. Chants like "Keep Venice Weird" kept up until after sunset, and as the rush hour traffic on Pacific grew, so did the noise. If I worked at Snapchat (which I never would), I'd be embarrassed. First, for adding nothing to society but a time-waster, and second, for working for a company that is so widely despised and unwanted here. Clearly.

We're all hoping this IPO fully tanks, and soon the unfriendly ghost of Snapchat will just be a bad nightmare memory here in Venice, and we can all go back to gathering in the name of good vibes. Venice vibes. No matter what happens with it, they can expect to keep hearing from the still very strong Venice community, loudly and proudly.

Resist! Keep Venice Weird!

Fiore Designs - Your Local Venice Flower Purveyor

"If someone loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows, in all the millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars ..." That has always been one of my favorite quotes from The Little Prince, and one that I think of each time I go to Fiore Designs, often to get a single blossom to love. There's something so nice about having a beautiful flower in a bud vase to look at whenever you need some beauty in your life. Which is pretty much always.

Fiore Designs is a Venice flower shop, founded and operated by Venice ladies, Jennifer Juhos and Nicole Renna. We've all been friends for ages, so it makes me so happy to see them realizing their dreams, right here in our own neighborhood - and beyond.

Juhos is an L.A. girl, born and raised, and as it's warm here most all year round (besides this week!), she was always surrounded by flowers. She loved flowers. She worked at flower shops, learning how to make gorgeous arrangements under their designers, and after graduating from USC, she started her own flower business out of her Dad's garage. The business grew fast, and soon Juhos had her Fiore Designs own real store in Studio City.

After 12 years of beautifying Studio City, Juhos met her husband, Colin (not him pictured above. That's my brother, Paul, cutting up), who lived in Venice. Which meant that she soon lived in Venice, and opened the new Fiore shop on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in 2010 (before it got as nuts as it is now). That darling little cottage was almost directly across the street from me, so I'd pop in there often, both to see my friends and to get myself a flower, or a party stopping bouquet to bring to a shindig. It was a great addition to the block, and friend-owned!

As Fiore became a full-scale operation, growing well beyond just bouquets, and on up into corporate events, creating large scale environments for events like conventions, weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, building sets for photo shoots, productions, storefronts, company gifting, and all the things in life that need flowers and greenery and lovely decor ... Juhos soon realized she needed someone to help her visions come to life. Maybe someone with a background in big productions. Maybe someone that already loved accompanying her downtown to the Flower Mart whenever she was in town. Maybe dear friend Renna, who was in the midst of changing careers and coasts - from film production in New York, to she didn't know what in Venice, just that it had to be Venice again. The timing was perfect for her to make the leap and join her friend as her partner in Fiore. And all this happened shortly after she told another friend how, "I just want to have like a flower shop in Venice or something." Bam. Stars aligned.

Soon thereafter, they expanded to the Pacific Palisades, which really brought both the ladies, and the business together. The Palisades location was relatively short-lived, as let's face it, it's not Venice, and they grew tired of running all over town to be everywhere at once, and got bought out to focus on all the events and the Venice shop. The Venice shop that would soon move to it's new, current location on Pacific Avenue and Brooks.

Abbot Kinney was going crazy (as we all know), and as locals don't even really go there anymore if we can help it (besides to the token few favorites remaining), the writing was on the wall, and the Fiore gals decided to cut out early and build their home base over on Pacific, even closer to the beach that they both love. Sharing the adorable block with the surf shop, General Admission, Fiore Designs opened in the new location last December, with an extra-fun mulled wine and champagne party that was so fun we almost forgot we were in a place of business ... except for all the exquisite floral arrangements that we partied amongst.

The new space has more of a Brooklyn or European vibe, with its exposed brick walls and high ceilings. The shelves are lined with wonderful gifts (including books, bath, candles, CHOCOLATE...) that Juhos and Renna curated from gift shows in Paris and London, gaining inspiration all along their trips from store windows to street signs. They carry products that they made sure were not available anywhere else in the United States, so that Fiore can be a truly unique destination (even online).

"Venice is our home. We want Fiore to grow here," explained Juhos, adding that they hear customers come in all day long from their office loft above the shop, all saying, "It's so nice to be in a real flower shop, right around the corner!" It feels cozy. It feels neighborhoody. It's right up the street from the beach, so you can smell the salty air and feel the sunshine as you walk home carrying your bundle of floral joy, and probably wave at a friend that you pass by. Because this place is part of a community, that as far as Juhos and Renna are concerned, still very much exists.

"When you go out to parties, restaurants, coffee shops, you still see people you know everywhere you go. People support each other and their businesses here, and no matter what, it's still an AMAZING community," Renna insisted, truthfully. Juhos added, "L.A. is so big, but this is still the one place left that still feels like a neighborhood." She explained that she and her husband's favorite thing to do on a day off is just get on their bikes and see where the day takes you ... the bike path, mimosas, bump into a friend, stop by their place, grab people for food, bike to the sunset ... those kind of perfect Venice days where anything can happen. I knew exactly what she meant (mainly because we've all been together on those kinds of days!).

The local businesses they support by patronizing, support them back by ordering flowers. Tasting Kitchen, Hourglass, James Beach ... all places they love, loving them back. That's how Community works. When we talked about longtime, beloved businesses and friends getting priced out of Venice, we all agreed that it's sad and wrong, but you can't give up on Venice. "What I love is the essence of Venice. It's not just one place ... my backyard is one of my favorite places, because you can feel that essence just in the air," Juhos told me. And she's right. You can also feel the love in the air, as the attention to detail and sheer beauty of the things they create can only be done with love. Just in time for Valentine's Day (for which the ladies are more than happy to assist you sometimes clueless gentlemen!)

You for sure get that Venice essence - and love - within the almost Boardwalk-adjacent Fiore at No. 907 Pacific ... where Renna invited everyone to "Come in! Visit! Feel the vibes! Smell the flowers! You are WELCOME."  Juhos added, "We put a little Venice pixie dust in everything we do." And you can feel it.

Fiore Designs
No. 907 Pacific Ave.
Venice
310.230.5007
Fioredesigns.com
Instagram: @Fioredesigns


*PS - When telling the ladies about my series of stories about taking cool classes in Venice, they said they can do flower arranging classes/workshops for groups (like you and your friend's birthday party), with wine, and cheese, and flowers, and skills. Yes! Contact Fiore to arrange.

Monarch Manor

Sometimes when things happen that are a drag, it winds up being even better than what you set out for. Like on Saturday, when I was running late to meet my friend for lunch, and found that all the bikes were jacked up in different ways, so I was going to be even later on foot. But by being on foot, I explored the canals and walk streets that I don't normally take on wheels. I decided to take Pacific over to check out a vacation rental my friends have booked for Spring Break, and that's when I stumbled across Monarch Manor.

Monarch Manor is a way station for Monarch butterflies, kind of like a HoJo's rest stop for butterflies as they travel along their migratory routes. A group called "Voice Of The Canals" created this sanctuary as part of www.monarchwatch.org, and it's been there since 2008. I had no idea!

As our eco-system is more fragile all the time, it's important to have awareness and efforts made to help keep everything functioning and beautiful. Butterflies, like bees, are a crucial part of our natural world, so we need to give them all a helping hand like this. Monarch migration season is November through February, so we're winding down for this year, but as I walked down the wooden steps into the habitat, I was delighted to see a dancing pair of monarchs, flitting happily all over, almost too fast to capture, but I did at the top of the frame below.

Monarch caterpillars feed only on milkweed, so that is what is being served here off Pacific Ave. It was so lovely to discover this butterfly oasis right smack in the middle of the weekend hoopla of life at the beach in Venice. Standing in the middle of all the foliage and butterflies, one could be anywhere. Anywhere super gorgeous and eco-friendly, that is.

I love it when people see a need or a wish, come together with their various resources, and make things happen. I imagine this came about through someone reading an article about vanishing butterflies, thinking they could help, talking to their neighbors and friends, doing a little fundraising, getting together on a weekend day like this one to plant and dig, and then it's done and butterflies have a little Venice respite on their long trek back and forth to Mexico.

This community project example was to help the butterflies, but it could be anything. Little Free Libraries, a beautiful new mural, a community garden, a street dance, movies in a yard, beach clean-ups, picnics, outdoor concerts ... what can your neighborhood get together and do? Every time you sit around the yard shooting the breeze ... what fun thing can you create together to make this place even cooler? I'll look forward to discovering it - and bragging about you guys - soon.


*And yes, I was even later for lunch, but it was completely worth it.

Organic Bling By Kiki Designs In Venice

Sisters Kiki and Kenna Pagador were born and raised on O'ahu (Mililani), and you can feel their Aloha Spirit the instant you enter their darling, golden-floored jewelry store, Kiki Designs, on Pacific. They have the Hawai'ian tunes playing, they welcome you with warm smiles and open arms, and the gems they work with all have that organic feel that comes from the love of nature the ladies developed growing up on the island.

They came to the Mainland for school, attending Santa Monica College and Loyola Marymount. At LMU, Kiki developed a non-profit called MAD IDEA (Making A Difference Initiating Dialogue on Equality for All), where she ran the program with speakers and panels discussing equality in race, gender and sexual orientation. I knew there was a lot going on with these girls from the moment I met them, but just now found out exactly how much.

 From the non-profit, Kiki went on to work at an Arts and Healing center in Santa Monica, and then when Kenna came over for school too, they both got jobs at Ritual Adornments, the late, great bead shop on Main Street (which has since moved to New Mexico, and is sorely missed). There, they learned the craft of jewelry making, as well as a deep knowledge of the various gem stones out there, and began making their own pieces. They would sell these at trade shows and through word of mouth. After repeatedly being accosted by ladies' boyfriends to meet them in alleys to buy the things their girlfriends wanted without them knowing, the Pagadors decided it was time to have an actual store front where they could sell their wares without the covert ops.

Kiki wrote in her journal about exactly what she wanted in a space ... small, foot traffic, cool neighborhood ... and just like that, she found a sublet space on Abbot Kinney in the half of Urbanic that wasn't being used. That is where I became friends with the sisters, after nearly fainting over their insanely gorgeous jewels, right from the beginning. Jewels like big hot pink agate rings that cover three knuckles. Necklaces made from stones with great names like "Aventurine." Some pieces are so big you might need a weight belt to counter them, like the one Kiki was wearing on this day (Rudilated Quartz, for creative meditation) ...

Like Kenna said, it's "Organic Bling," which couldn't be more perfect for the Venice of now. "We love our stones," she explained, and told me about their semi-annual trips to a master cutter in Arizona, and New Mexico, to find new gems to work their magic on. People often stumble upon Kiki Design, coming from the Boardwalk or wherever, and ask, "Is this a magical shop?" It certainly feels that way, with the sparkling gold floor and the glistening stones hanging all over the shop (from the creative displays that are Kenna's domain). There is even a "Gratitude Tree," that customers adorn with leaves indicating what they are grateful for.

The Pagador sisters are nothing if not grateful, a trait we talked about as perhaps being one's most important in life. "We're already living the American Dream ... to create, to create our own store, as minority women, doing what we love ... You really can't ask for more," said Kiki.

They're also grateful that their Abbot Kinney customers have followed them to Pacific, a move that happened when Urbanic decided to expand and Kiki Design had to find a new home. At their current location, pretty much next door to Mao's Kitchen, "It's a whole different crowd," laughed Kiki, to which Kenna added, "And I love them ALL!" That love is evident here, even if there wasn't a sign reading, "Shower Me With Love." Interestingly, the ladies said that they have had no theft here on Pacific, while it was always a problem on Abbot Kinney. Sociology, man. (To that end, they have a sign in the window that reads, "Steal from WalMart" - ha!) The "Crazy diversity of the People," is what makes them love the community that they now call home.

In their new neighborhood, they frequent all the close-by spots like Mao's, Cafe Collage, Larry's, Danny's, Nikki's, Barlo, Seed, and PokePoke on what they call their "Sumo Sundays." I love them.

I love them because they are talented and fun, but also because they're always trying to improve the world, particularly in regards to women. To that end, they host Women's Empowerment classes in their upstairs room on the first Wednesday of each month, and also on Sundays (see their website or call for more info). They have jewelry making classes up there, and private parties where you can create your own pieces with their guidance - with wine! "On Friday nights, we drink," invited Kiki, and it's not unheard of that the shop turns into a dance party on those nights, after hours. Because that gold floor was meant to be danced on.

But it always comes back to the jewelry. Friends that know the sisters well can tell who made what pieces, as Kenna leans more organic, and Kiki leans more bling. "Our pieces are little pieces of ourselves, and they're meant for whomever is drawn to them. They call to people, maybe because they're drawn to something in their life that's missing ...," mused Kenna. Interesting, because on this particular day, I kept picking up things made from a stone called "Chrysocolla," which is meant to give you inner strength ... which I can certainly always use, but maybe particularly now, which is why I was drawn to it. Makes sense to me, anyway.

If you need something special for an occasion, or a ultra-unique gift for someone special to you, these dears can create something custom just for you. Specialty stores are hard to come by in these days of homogeneity and corporate take-overs. A friend's baby was being baptized recently and Kiki wanted to give them a rosary. Finding that nearly impossible to locate, she made one herself. She can do that for you too.

"We're just really grateful to be here. We love what we do, everything from painting the floor to creating the pieces, to working with our customers. Love everything with us!"

In this lovely little magical shop, that is very easy to do. Aloha!!!

Kiki Designs
100 Market Street (but you really enter on Pacific)
Venice
#310.581.7940
www.kikidesignsla.com (where they have an online shop if you're reading this from Minnesota or somewhere ...)