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 […]

Best of the Beach 2022: Men’s Fashion, Women’s Clothes

Men’s fashion Spyder Surf The fashion industry has long recognized Beach City surf shops as leading trend indicators. So it’s not a surprise that over the years, surf shops have increasingly expanded their clothing lines. Nowhere is this more evident than at Spyder Surf in Hermosa Beach. The south wall of the  100-foot deep store […]

Best of the Beach 2022: Door and Windows

Doors and window Cooks Doors and Windows It all started with Uncle Ed back in 1920. He was the first of the Cook family to leave Cedar Rapids, Iowa and try his hand in the South Bay lumber business. His company Tri Cities Lumber was located on Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach, where Learned […]

Best of the Beach 2022: Personal Trainer, Martial Arts, Neighborhood Gym

Best Personal Trainer Lou Sidella Body One Fitness bodyonefitness.com 201 Herondo St. #100 310-807-2737 Lou Sidella knows what it takes to help people transform their bodies as they push through obstacles, stay motivated, visualize success and expand their capabilities, because he’s done that for himself. Sidella had spent most of his life uncomfortable with his […]

Best of the Beach: Dog Walking, Dog Grooming, Veterinarian Hospital, Pet Store

Dog Walking Fancy Tails If you watch the reality TV show ‘Vanderpump Dogs’ on the Peacock Network, and you think you recognize a certain dog walker, she’s Tracy Robinson of the wildly popular Fancy Tails, locally owned and operated since 2003. Perhaps more importantly, Robinson is a celebrity in the Beach Cities, through customers’ word […]

Best of the Beach: New Electric Car Dealer

New Electric Car Dealer E3 Vehicles First there was the pandemic. Then war. Both were bad for most businesses, but not for  E3 Vehicles, which sells electric LSV (low speed vehicles). According to owner Amy Errett, her sales have benefited from people working, and not needing a car to drive to work. Gas prices topping […]

Best of the Beach 2022: Car Wash, Auto Repair

Car Wash Rock-n-Roll Car Wash The full service washing and detailing by Rock-n-Roll Car Wash, just like Madison WI car detailing, harkens to an era “when service was exceptional and quality was standard.” Throw in a fun and friendly atmosphere and nostalgic décor with memorabilia on the walls and rock on the box, and the […]

Best of the Beach 2022: Resort

Resort Terranea Resort If you’re not quite ready for a European vacation, a stay at the Terranea Resort may be the next best thing. Billed as an escape from the ordinary, the 102-acre property on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is surrounded by unparalleled natural beauty. When you’re paddle boarding along the Pacific, you’ll feel like […]

Best of the Beach 2022: Hotel

Hotel Shade, Manhattan Beach When Shade Hotel opened in downtown Manhattan Beach a dozen years ago, it did more than provide the area the first truly boutique hotel for visitors. Shade was the anchor for the Metlox project, a development 20 years in the making, and the hotel quickly became a gathering point for the […]

Best of the Beach 2022: Heating & Air Conditioning

Heating & Air Conditioning Rusher Air Conditioning Only some of the construction cranes popping up like an invasive species all over the beach cities, are hoisting Costello Climate Control and Rusher Air Conditioning HVAC units onto new home rooftops. Speaking of rooftops, Roeslers Roofing and Remodeling is one of the best companies there is for […]

Best of the Beach 2022: Dive Shop, Surf Shop & Skate Shop, Surfboard Shaper (Shop)

Dive Shop Dive N’ Surf When “Sea Hunt” began airing in 1958, Dive N’ Surf owners Bob and Bill Meistrell received a call from Lloyd Bridges, the show’s superhero SCUBA diver. Bridges wanted SCUBA lessons so he wouldn’t need to make up excuses for refusing dive club invitations. The story is recounted in Fits like […]