Best of the Beach 2022: Gift Shop, Kids Boutique, Jeweler
Gift Shop
Gum Tree
Gum Tree owner Lori Ford survived the pandemic by pivoting. When she was forced to close her Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach stores, she moved her merchandise online. Her husband drove around town delivering orders. “It was a pretty scary couple of years,” Ford said. Her 13-year-old business survived and customers have flocked back to the shop for its highly curated items, which include Chan Luu jewelry, candles from repurposed gin bottles, and fleece-lined throws. Ford found at least one silver lining in the pandemic. “People realized that if you don’t shop small, there will be no more small to shop,” she said.
238 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach
gumtreela.com
Runner-up
Curious
128 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach
(310) 372-8452
curiousworkshop.com
Kids Boutique
Sol Baby
Sol Baby’s rock and roll themed onesies —ACDC, Guns N’ Roses, Steve Miller Band, Rush — will turn your newborn into the hippest baby west of Soho. And the tiny tees decorated with Hermosa landmarks, like the Mermaid, Poop Deck and End Zone will have him or her claiming their hood. “It’s our homage to Hermosa,” Sol Baby owner Gina Rothwell said of the popular tees. The baby boutique, housed in the iconic Either/Or Bookstore building, will be celebrating its 15-year anniversary in March. In a nod to the former bookstore, the store also carries children’s books by local authors.
124 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach
sol-baby.com
Runner-up
Bella Beach Kids
225 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 545-9990
wbellabeachkids.com
Jeweler
Seymours Jewelers
Nothing says “I love you” more than dog-themed jewelry. The Italian crafted, wrap-around dog rings with pugs, poodles, and cocker spaniels are a hot item at Seymour Jewelers. “They’re really popular,” owner Scott Seymour said of the silver rings and pooch charm bracelets. The family-owned business has been a Hermosa mainstay for 70 years. Don’t be alarmed by the neon banners that advertise a retirement sale, Seymour says he’s easing into retirement, but has a succession plan in place. That means a new generation can shop for dazzling diamonds, glittering gold and pristine pearls in the same place their parents and grandparents did.
SeymourJewelers
1212 Hermosa Ave.
Hermosa Beach
seymourjewelers.com
Runner-up
Morgan’s Jewelers
22200 Hawthorne Blvd.
Torrance
(310) 375-4472
morgansjewelers.com