Stay At Zeno Mountain Farm Venice For A Real Venice Vibe

I'm a major fan of Zeno Mountain Farm in Venice, and now travelers can stay there! The Venice location of this wonderful camp is now open for vacation rentals, and hosted by my lovely friend, Tawney, while they stay.

Zeno is a place where disabled people can go to have a blast, and you can get an inside glimpse of the place and their excellent work in the film that should have won Best Picture of 2014, Becoming Bulletproof. 

Zeno also has a camp full of tree houses in Vermont, so when the festivities are going off out east, the Venice location back west can be available for visitors to our beautiful town that want to have a truly real Venice experience.

I'm not a big fan of Air BnB, as I feel that it wrecks neighborhoods and takes the authenticity away. Venice has gotten so expensive that people have been forced to rent their homes just to keep them, so I get it from their standpoint, but it also does a lot of damage. Communities fall apart when you never see anyone you know anymore ... but that's why I can endorse THIS Air BnB listing. They WANT people to know and experience the real Venice.

To that end, rooms are named after beloved Venice places that are no longer around, like Stroh's, Abbot's Habit, and Equator Books. They want visitors to know what came before them, what places helped to make it a cool place to come.

The space is on Westminster, right behind the corner where YAS used to be on Abbot Kinney. That's steps from shopping on a pretty cool street (that used to be a lot cooler before chains $omehow sneaked in), a brief stroll to the sand and water, and guaranteed fun because you're in the very heart of Venice.

You're also helping to keep a very important and beautiful space alive by contributing to it financially. Seriously, one viewing of Becoming Bulletproof, and you're gonna want to get involved - even if it's just by staying in their sweet pad while they're away.

Check out their listing HERE, and we'll all hope to see you soon here in Venice!

Paint The Bushes!

Deviating a little from my usual route this morning, I saw something that I think is kind of great on Main Street and Westminster. The floral-painted building on the corner that houses a production company (Concrete Images/Durable Goods), went out and painted their hedge to match!

I'm not sure how great this is for the foliage, I'm not a botanist, but I can tell you that it is awesome and fun, and sort of makes you feel like in Alice In Wonderland when they all go out and paint the roses, just for fun. It also reminded me of a quote from that book/movie that fits for the parts and people that I love the most in Venice ... "You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."

Thank you for this entirely bonkers bush, folks. It made my day.

In Heroes We Trust - A Super Venice Shop

In Heroes We Trust is the (great) name of the great new shop I just discovered right around the corner from Abbot Kinney Boulevard on Westminster. You can't miss it because the street art on the sidewalks leads you right to it.

There may be artists right there on the sidewalk making their art when you stroll up, as there was when I did. That's because owner Neely Shearer wants her store to be an interactive experience, a place to see art and fashion and the people that make it.

Shearer, a native Californian, spent most of the 90's in Japan, living and working in design. When she returned, she had a store in West Hollywood called Xin (pronounced "sheen") for years, which she closed when that nasty recession hit. That enabled her to spend more time on her own (gorgeous) design company, Parade.

The itch to re-open a place of her own arose again, and she found the space for In Heroes We Trust on Westminster, and opened this past June.

The store is a wonderful mix of new and vintage designs, with her preferred decades of the 60's and 70's - right up my alley (as is the store!). The beautiful clothing, jewelry and art share the space with depictions of Heroes on the walls, all chosen and painted by local street artists like Chase, Isabelle Alford-Lago and Diana Garcia, just to name a few.

Heroes (the theme inspired by the David Bowie song) range from Mighty Mouse and Michael Jackson to Frida Kahlo and Nelson Mandela ... illustrating perfectly the point that anyone can be a Hero to anyone else. Each of these heroic designs will be showing up in Shearer's In Heroes We Trust t-shirt line coming soon. And you'll want one.

These aren't idols, they're heroes - there's a difference. Heroes are an example of what is GOOD, and we can all aspire to be that. Shearer mused that these days, street artists are heroes themselves, which is certainly true enough. "We're in a time where we really can do and be what we WANT," she explained, adding that some of her designers are single moms, working hard, but doing what they're passionate about. That alone is heroic, in my view.

Shearer told me that, like Venice itself, the shop is a creative vortex. People stop in all the time with instruments for impromptu jam sessions. Artists leave easels there to paint the next time they come by. Newcomers stumble upon the shop from Abbot Kinney and are surprised and delighted to make this discovery of their new spot. Friends came and went as we sat there chatting, and it wasn't long before a stylish friend of Shearer's came by with a bottle of champagne to pop, for no good reason other than being there together, like-minded people appreciating art, a great store, and a sunny day.

There will be a party/art opening/celebration of all things heroic this Thursday evening, December 4th. Music, hula hooping, live art, gift shopping, and fun is the occasion. A great time to stop by and make this wonderful discovery for yourself - a very Venice-minded shop in the heart of Venice. Exactly what we need more of these days.

Because, remember ...We can beat them, just for one day, We can be Heroes, just for one day. 

Or every day.



In Heroes We Trust
300 Westminster Ave.
Venice
310-310-8820
Inheroeswetrust.com
Facebook.com/inheroeswetrust
Instagram: Inheroeswetrust_venice

Zelda's Corner of Venice

I've been going to Zelda's Corner in Venice since the turn of the century (Old school!). They opened in 1999, and have been catering to Venice sandwich enthusiasts ever since from their delightful location on the corner of Speedway and Westminster.


It didn't take me too long to figure out that the owners, Laura Lee and Paul Svobodny ("It means 'Freedom' in Czech, and that's why I love Venice"), were also from Minnesota. There were some tell-tale signs, like the scores for the Minnesota Twins being posted on their bulletin board, but the real hint was their scrumptious mini donuts. Exactly like I grew up having at the Minnesota State Fair. Being a pretty regular customer, I soon introduced myself and found this darling couple did indeed hail from my same part of the world (MPLS!!), but it wasn't until now that I learned their whole story, and how they came to be such a treasure of Venice.

Though both Laura and Paul are from Minneapolis, they met in Chicago at a party on Christmas Eve. Laura was an actress and Paul had gone to law school and was then working in real estate. Laura got her SAG card, and soon found herself couch surfing in Los Angeles. Paul followed her a year later, and they settled in the Marina. That didn't last long, as they knew Venice was where they wanted to be, and they bought a place on Clubhouse in Venice.

When Laura first came to the Boardwalk, she immediately thought, "This reminds me of the Minnesota State Fair ... except way more diverse." Well, you can't have the Fair without Tom Thumb Mini Donuts. Between Laura's running around for acting, and Paul's commuting to his real estate job, they soon both realized they wanted to walk to work, and they didn't really want to leave Venice most days. The donut dream persisted, but a health department thing ruled out a cart, so the idea was on the back burner (fryer). Until the day Paul was out for a walk and saw a space open on Westminster (where Lidia's Pupusas is now). Laura called up Tom Thumb Donuts, found out you could purchase the same machines as the State Fair, and they were soon open for business, frying up a ton of donuts for the masses on the Boardwalk.

Their love for Venice grew, and so did their business. Paul and Laura would walk their dog, a Scottie named Zelda (after Zelda Fitzgerald, "She was crazy and half of Venice is crazy, so it was perfect" - Paul), down Speedway, and she would always stop in front of where their shop now is and refuse to move, until they dragged her away. The space in the cool old building became available, and Zelda's Corner was born. As Paul says, "We like a Village lifestyle. We wanted to do something WE like, so we don't have to get in the car to go get it" ... about as Venice-centric of a business plan as you can get. Paul comes from a farming family of 14 kids, so he knew about making a whole bunch of sandwiches ... so that is what they decided to focus on, along with those ridiculously delicious hot little donuts.


"We want to make sandwiches for people we like that they will enjoy", says Laura, and that's exactly what goes on every day except Wednesday, when they are closed to give themselves a mid-week break. Almost all their customers are regulars, who know that Paul is the sandwich stickler. It drives him nuts when people want to amend their special sandwiches ("A Cuban sandwich without pickles?! - I'm guilty and apologized to him), so he is most often found in the back of the place, making the sandwiches, and not mixing it up with the customers as much. Thus Laura "is the personality of the place", and both of them say that having their spot be a community center is the absolute joy that they get out of it. Sadly, Zelda the Scottie is no longer with us, but Ziggy the Scottie keeps it all real.

Paul is a jazz and blues fiend, so there is always good music playing and posters around from those genres. The front door is adorned with postcards from around the world that their loyal customers have sent them, perhaps missing their favorite sandwich when away from their corner. It's a close-knit corner too, as all the businesses in that little dead-end where Westminster meets the beach are friendly and look out for each other. They like to call it "Eat Street" since there are so many good dining options right there, from Zelda's to the Fruit Gallery and Groundworks on their side, and Sushi, Pizza, Tacos, Indian, and Sushi on the other.


Laura told a great story about how the cops like to ticket there if you're unloading your restaurant stuff from your cars, and one day she got ticketed as she was hauling sodas into Zelda's. She kind of lost it as it was just one of those days, and soon Courtney (who now sells gems on the Boardwalk, but at the time worked at the coffee shop) got all the people around to chant, "Stop wasting time, Start fighting crime!!" in what now stands as one of their favorite Venice moments. That part of Westminster is a great snapshot of Venice as a whole, as many of the business owners are immigrants, and the whole atmosphere is as multi-ethnic as it gets. They see the neighborhood kids grow up, they dine at each others' homes, they bring one another back gifts from travels, and the people have mostly stayed the same down there over the years.

Laura and Paul don't much like to go East of Lincoln, so they stick to Venice spots when they're off duty. They're big on Hinano's, La Cabana, Wurstkuche (it's the VENICE side of Lincoln, so it's ok), James Beach and The Fruit Gallery. Solid choices all. They think the Boardwalk is seeing more musicians and artists these days, since it's not all just vendors of downtown junk anymore. As far as the gentrification debate/reality, Laura says, "I think it's always going to be Venice". From her lips to God's ears, for sure, but I'd have to agree. Especially when you get people like Laura and Paul who love it here as much as they do, and strive to preserve and celebrate all the things we hold dear about it.


It's clear when you go in how very local a place it is. If you can't stroll down there, they'll deliver to you - via bicycle. I love to get the "Vermonster", the sandwich that I sometimes dream about (Turkey, Bacon, Vermont Cheddar, Granny Smith Apples - hold the Maple Mustard - Sorry, Svobodny!). The other day when I was in there, the nice guy working offered me a couple mini donuts as a snack while I waited for my sandwich to be pressed. I, of course, accepted his kind offer, and smiled to myself as I munched, that we have a little gem like this in our midst, and that the owners are both from where I'm from and now share the same big spot in our hearts for Venice. Home is where the heart is, after all, and there is a whole lotta heart in Zelda's Corner.

You too can be a regular at:

Zelda's Corner
9 Westminster
Venice
9:30-5:00 every day but Wednesday
310.314.6458 for takeout or delivery

Fastest, easiest ordering is via their Facebook page, under Zelda's Corner!

Fruit Gallery - The Greatest Wealth Is Health

I've been walking into the welcoming arms of the Fruit Gallery right off the Boardwalk in Venice for ages, and I just finally (because they're pretty much always busy serving up their healthy doses of natural goodness) had a chance to sit down and chat with the darling couple who own it, Nina and James Merced. When you're at the beach and need something to eat quick that's actually healthy, have a cold and specifically need a ginger shot, or that pesky hangover that won't go away until you crawl your way down there ... the Fruit Gallery fulfills that order for locals and tourists alike.


Nina grew up in and around L.A. and James is a Chicago guy. Nina graduated at the top of her class in high school, and wanted to get out of L.A,. as she was faced with friends turning into gangsters and placing her in danger. She also had to sort out how to pay for College, and was stressing out about that. Right at that time, she was wooed by a recruiting agent for the U.S. Navy who told her they would pay for her further education, and she'd get to travel the world. That sounded pretty good to her. Luckily, this was in the time gap between the Gulf War and the Iraq War, so she went to places like North Carolina and San Diego vs. the Middle East. While in San Diego, she met a dashing Marine named James ("I didn't know the different service branches really mingled?" - Me. "They mingle in Clubs!" - Nina), who she began to date right away. Neither one knew the other was in the Military for a while, as they were both kind of sick of dating within the ranks. Nina had a son (Alex) from a previous relationship, and James had a daughter (Diamond), and soon they became a unit of their own.

Then James' mother back in Chicago got ill, and he had to go back there to take care of her. Meanwhile, Nina was in a terrible accident where she and her baby boy were hit by a car and thrown through the air together, injuring both pretty badly. There really was no choice but to head to Chicago all together, where soon Nina and James had a baby son together, Jonathan. That stint in Illinois would last about a year and a half, before they were going back to Cali'.


Once re-settled in Riverside, Nina climbed up the corporate ladder at a sewing machine company (she's also a seamstress), and James was a real estate guy. Getting caught up in the work routine, and having stress from health problems with the baby, Nina's own health began to suffer. She had stomach problems and kidney stuff, and went to a bunch of doctors regarding both their son and herself, and was advised to improve her diet, cut out the soda, and take better care of herself.

She did as told, and her health (and the baby's) vastly improved. She soon fell back into old habits, as we do, and felt sick again. Once she connected the actual improvements and declines to what she was putting into her body, Nina's interest in natural foods and remedies grew along with her strength. She and James began thinking about doing for their work what they were doing for their bodies, and started looking into starting a natural juice/healthy food business.

It just so happened that the woman who owned the Fruit Gallery right off the Boardwalk on Venice Beach was selling her store. Nina and James came down one weekend and sat on the grass, watching the customers flow in and out the Fruit Gallery's door, and knew they could move to Venice and make a go of it.


And a GO they have. Business never skipped a beat, and has only improved. They are a vital part of the Venice community, and have the regulars and friends to prove it. The juices squeezed out of fruits and vegetables right in front of your face; the shots for whatever ails you (the cough one is a no-fail, and the ginger will snap you out of most anything); the delectable smoothies with fun names like The Hangover, Hawai'i 5-0, and Venice Peach; the filling and garden fresh wraps or perfect acai bowls, the fresh coconuts, whacked apart when you're done sipping so you can eat the meat ... all of it is a pure shot in the arm of health, with none of the pain.

It's not just about the foodstuffs either. It's more about how Nina and James have created a small town feeling in their square of Westminster. They truly care about their friends and neighbors. It's not just about knowing what Harry Perry likes to have and how he likes to have it each day, it's about seeing the area's kids born and growing up coming in with their parents for a healthy snack. It's not just about selling the idea of healthy living, it's about sharing it.


In that vein, Nina and James started "Feed The Beach" in 2007, where they invited the local homeless they'd come to know well to join them for a free Thanksgiving feast, served right there in the Westminster Square. Once they posed the idea to the surrounding merchants/friends, they actually had more offers of help and food than they even thought they could use! As Nina said, "You can't turn down that spirit, you can't turn that away. I had the idea, but so had 10 other people been thinking it ... you just have to start talking about it, and then do it." It turned out that they COULD use all the help and donated food, as from the first of the now annual events, the line of hungry homeless extended around the corner down the Boardwalk.

Even then, Nina said, "Everything we needed, came." That is the spirit of community that draws we who live and remain here together. That is the idea behind a place that is like no other, and why people come from all over to experience that electricity in the avenues. Underneath all the hoopla, people CARE here. That is personified by the Merced family, ask anyone.

There was a very cool attempt at having a THIRD Friday thing on Westminster to punch up business at the Boardwalk and have another fun thing for local shops, neighbors and visitors to mingle among each other and perhaps dance a little, but the Police were called out by a cranky neighbor for the big disturbance of music and fun, and that was that. Ahh, Venice ... it can't ever be too easy and great, but we keep trying.


Nina, James and I bonded over the fact that each of us, since we were little, little kids, always knew we wanted to live here. James and I from watching Sunkist Good Vibrations commercials in the Mid-West, and Nina from being brought here as a little girl. So here we all are. And we've all found each other. And we all love it, and appreciate every day of our Venice lives. Lives that are healthier, cheerier, and more neighborly because of places like Fruit Gallery, and people like the Merceds, again, that CARE.



Visit the Fruit Gallery and feel great at:

1 Westminster
Venice, 90291
310.452.3034