Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:22):
She grew up with sand between her toes, salt in
her hair, and so Cow sunshine in her soul. Today
she's a businesswoman, a wife, a mom, and one of
the rare people who can actually say she was born
and raised right here on the coast of southern California
in Orange County. On this episode of So Cow with Val,
(00:44):
we're kicking off our flip flops and diving right into
the real life of a true native. Dana Fights grew
up in Huntington Beach, then to Long Beach, and now
calls that area her home, and she's raising her beautiful
young family in the same beat she'd playground where she
grew up. What was it like as a kid, How
has so call changed or even has it? And what
(01:08):
stayed really golden? Where does she and her husband go
to sneak away when it's just the two of them?
And where can families find hidden spots that make living
here so special when you want to go just someplace local?
Where do you go from weekend traditions and local favorites
to the charm and challenges of raising a family by
(01:29):
the beach. Dana is sharing her stories, favorite places and
why she can't imagine any place else and why we're
glad to have her close by. So stick around because
this episode is as local as it gets. Welcome to
so Cal with val. Thank you Dana for being with
us today.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Wow, that was amazing. Thank you Balm.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
You're so welcome. Glad to have you with us.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So you are a true California native, true Southern California
native born in Huntington Beach. What was child your childhood
like growing up by the beach.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I feel like one of the luckiest humans to be
able to have grown up, you know, on the sand.
So I learned how to swim before I could walk, basically,
so I was thrown into the ocean into the harbor,
is what my parents told me when I was probably
two years old, right, and just learned how to swim.
I loved living at the beach, So I did move
(02:28):
around a lot within Huntington Beach when I was a
little kid.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
My parents course, when I was about three or four
years old.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
But it kind of gave me it's okay, you know,
like I was able to live in so many different
places within Huntington Beach and a little bit.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Of Sunset Beach as well. And I spent. I spent
so much time on.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
The beach, and I truly believe that when you live
by the water, that it keeps you healthier for longer,
and that it helps you live longer one thousand percent.
So I feel super grateful that I was able to
be born. We're here and also still live not too
far from the water.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah, and you know, I try to convince myself that
if we lived someplace in another part of the country
where there's a different kind of scenery, that I would
be okay, where there's four seasons and where there's woods
and hills and paths.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
You know, between the trees.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
But there's just something to being close to.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
The water that's hard to beat. That's for sure.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
It's magical one thousand percent. So once you're a water baby,
some people can't leave and I definitely cannot leave.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Far from Well, that's okay, We're glad that you didn't.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
What were your favorite some of your favorite beach memories
as a kid. I mean, do you have anything that
really sticks out, any funny or unforgettable stories.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
So I think they actually still do this because I
believe I saw them do this when I was taking
the boat out recently, but when I would go to
this little baby beach in Huntington Beach, I would go
to a small beach over there, and they would bring
the like the fire boat. Right, So the fire department
they have their own boat that they could take.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Out for emergencies. Oh right, but yeah, fires and.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
They have a hose, right, and they just pull the water,
the ocean water out right and they could spray it.
But they would go to that baby beach and as
a kid, I remember getting so excited when they would
come because I'd run out into the ocean with all
the other kids and they would spray us with the
big hose, right, and it.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Was it was just a blast. I don't know. It
was the small things that make the biggest memories.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
So I can't even remember just being like three years
old and just take getting like a bucket of camfea
chicken and hanging out on.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
The beach in the sand with my family and.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Just making sand castles and all that jazz. So yeah,
I would say the boat that the firefighters have that
they take out and they spray the kids. They did
that when I was a kid, you know, thirty five
years They what.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
A wonderful memory. Yeah, what a great memory.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So and did you pretty much eyes hang around Huntington
did you go down to New Porter a doll or
did you go up to Sunset I mean it was
hunting In Beach kind of your place.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, so I went to Sunset Beach.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
Sunset Beach, I think is also kind of a hidden gem.
Not a lot of people go to Sunset Beach. The
parking is not as favorable in Sunset Beach if you're
not from there. But the positives to it is that
you don't have a lot of like, there's not a
lot of people, right, So there's not a lot of traffic,
there's not a lot of visitors, so you basically have
(05:26):
a whole beach to yourself. And I did live in
Sunset Beach for a while and so I got to
see it's not crowded, right.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
So if you.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Want to go to a beach around here where it's
not that busy and you have great waves too, I
would say Sunset Beach is definitely a great option for
you to go to.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Parking just might be a little bit shakier, but I
would go there.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
We got Huntington Beach often at some point in my life,
I did live a mile from the pier, right, so
I would.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Just ride my bike or walk down.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
That's when I was in college too, so it was
some of the best time, right going to the beach
almost every day, doing some classes online, and I was
a waitress at night, and I was tan. I was
naturally fit from swimming all the time and always got
to do go to happy hours and Huntington Beach off
on Main Street, so I didn't even need to make
(06:16):
a lot of money at the time serving and was
living the best life going down to the beach and
walking the pier. And yeah, I was lots of time
in Huntington, lots of time in Sunset.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Also spent some time in Syll Beach.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Back in those days they had rubies on the pier
on both of those piers, so as you probably know,
there's nothing on the Sill Beach pier right now burned down.
And then Ruby's is now a different restaurant which I
have not been to in Huntington yet. I can't remember
what it's called, but I do remember a lot of
rubies days, going down to the pier and getting my
little kid's meal like in a car shaped cardboard, a
(06:52):
little box holder back in the day.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
So what was so cal life like as a teen,
Like there were surf contest Did you have beach parties?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Did you have bonfires?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Because some of those things like fires on the beach
now are a little bit more controlled, but kind of
things cruising PCH. Did you cruise PCH in your cars
in high school?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah? I know those are all great.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
So I remember at the end of the year for school,
at least in high school, we would have these huge
bonfires and we would take all the stuff in our
backpack and we would just burn.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
All the paperwork, so like an end of the year sbang. Yeah,
so we had bonfires all the time.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
We had bonfires with friends constantly, you know, when you're
in Huntington near the Bolsa, Chica State Beach. And then
I my parents they each had convertibles, even though they
were divorced each they each loved convertibles and we would constantly,
especially with my father, we'd go up and down PCH,
(07:49):
like if he just needed to get a breather and
get out, we would go up and down PCCh and
Huntington Beach with the top down, get some fresh air,
look at the waves. And that was how we kind
of just like relaxed. You didn't need a lot when
you live by the ocean, you know, just drive down
look at the waves, and you just have this like
sense of peace and tranquility, you know. And then at
(08:10):
the same time you also feel a sense of energy
and inspiration because you see these like powerful waves, and
then you also think of endless opportunity. So I feel
so blessed to have been raised, you know, that close
to the water, because I would constantly have these you know,
feelings of just like peace, tranquility, inspiration. You know. I
was always a dreamer because I live by the water,
(08:31):
and you're constantly thinking of things that you can create,
things you can do, and so it's it's, uh, if
you ever need some inspiration or to feel calm or inspired,
I'd say you can always just take a drive down
the beach in Huntington. And yeah, we would do that
all the time constantly.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So what do you think that people who moved here
later in their life really misunderstand about growing up in
southern California.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
I'll just to be honest, a lot of people think, okay,
you were raised by the beach, that you must be
spoiled or stuck up or you know, some sort of.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Type of person.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
And I think that's the complete opposite, right, Like, I
know so many people that were raised near the beach
that are so laid back and so low key, and
I think there's a misconception there. And I think when
it was a smaller town, it was really just like
those were the people that were very tight together. And
now you're getting people from all over the country the
(09:27):
world that are moving in and buying properties and it's
kind of also changing that dynamic a little bit. But
I yeah, I just I think maybe just being raised
when there was just less people around. And I would
say Rubies was a huge staple for anybody that was
raised in Hunting to Beach, going to Rubies on the
(09:48):
pier with something that we I most of us enjoyed.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I would say that's no longer here.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
You can't just go down and see servers on roller
skates serving you food while you dine on a pier, right, Like,
that's pretty amazing or fun memories to have.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I would say, yeah, absolutely, well that's a good one
to bring up, that for sure. And also Jack's on
the Beach, right, was there Jack's I hang out on
the beach, like a burger place.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
There's there's like a Friend's right there on the corner,
Jack's shop, like you can buy like you know, surfing.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
What do you think is the biggest change you've seen
in the beach communities since you were a kid? Is
it the shopping you know that, you know, the commercialization
so to speak of main street.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
What do you think is the biggest change.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Yeah, So I actually live in Lakewood now next to
Long Beach, right, and I lived I have a condo
in Long Beach still and I lived there for you know,
five years, And I can say one of the big
differences and actually I'll be going to music experience in
Huntington Beach soon. I would say there's a lot more events,
a lot of music experiences and festival and they're trying
(11:00):
to bring more people down here. So in Huntington in
Long Beach, there are a lot of events that are
happening and I don't think there were as many back
in the day.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
And so there was.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
Warp Tour that just happened to last weekend, which a
lot of different basically a music festival. There's constantly things
that are taking place and movies on the Beach, right,
that you can do in Long Beach, which is something
great to do with your family or something of other
or your friends. I don't think they've had those forever,
(11:33):
but I feel super grateful to have so much to
do in this area and so many different events to
go to.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I know, when I was in Huntington, when I was you.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
Know, high school, college time, we always look forward to
the US Open, right, which still takes place for surfing,
and they would have bands then and events in the
surfing contest. But now, you know, I think they have
more more music events that they're mean to that area.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Are there any places there are still the same?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Captain Jackson is in Sunset Beach?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Does my dad at absolutely?
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
My dad's first job when he was like fifteen or sixteen,
he was a dishwasher and stays ano seafood, crab artic jokes,
all the good food, and it's still there and almost
the same, I believe, So I think that's something that's
remained untouched. And then Harbor House is over there in
(12:30):
Sunset Beach. That's been a staple for any like some
kind of dinerish type of food there, but it's off
of Pch and it's delicious, a great go to I've
been there many times and that hasn't really changed much either.
So I think those are those are a couple that
I can think of haven't changed.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Yeah, those are Those are fun and some of those
funky places along pch. If there's any one thing that
you are two things that you could say, I hope
that never changes.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
What would be?
Speaker 4 (13:01):
I just want people to be able to have accessibility,
you know, to the beach when they come and just
spend time and on the ocean and really just relax
and enjoy the sunshine, like.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Get in the ocean, go to the sand.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
I want everyone to have access to come here to
experience it right, to go to Sunset Beach, to go
to Huntington Beach.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
I know that when they're building all.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
These new complexes and apartments and condos and storefronts and everything,
it gets a little bit more difficult for people to
get down here easily. Right. So that's kind of what
my desire is is to make it accessible. I don't
want that. I don't want you to have to live
right there on the water in order to get there.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Oh that's nice, that's nice of you to think of
others that way, and we all hope that here as well.
So let's talk about family life. So now you've graduated
from high school and now you're a mom, right, You're
a mom of who you call Mini me, and she
absolutely is. For anybody who knows you has ever seen
you with your little girl, that little girl is absolutely
(14:04):
mini you all over the place.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
And she's just.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
About as cute as she could possibly be. She gets
a big grin on her face and she's just just
absolutely priceless. She's just so cute. So what are your
favorite kid friendly beaches and parks? What do you do
with your little girl?
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Yeah, so we actually just went to the beach at
the end of the peninsula, because again I live in
Lakewood right now, just close to Long Beach, So we
went to the peninsula, the beach at the end of
the peninsula, which is really close to the ocean, right
so it's the cleanest water you can get.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
It's constantly flowing right.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
There, and it's nice and convenient because it's near some
restrooms over there if you go to the end of
the peninsula. But it's just there's no waves, right, So
it's perfect for my toddler because she can hang out.
And she used a tiny little kayak yesterday for the
first time.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
It was so.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Cute, and then also sat on some paddle boards right
when she had some adults you know behind her assist
with that. But yeah, so we went to the peninsula.
There's also a place called the Horny Corner over here
in Long Beach that's over near Second Street that you
(15:18):
can and Belmont Shore that you can go and visit.
So that also has no waves, which is great for families.
When my daughter gets older, we'll be taking her more
to Sunset Beach and Huntington Beach, but those are big
waves too, Like I want her to be able to
hang out at the little beaches right where there aren't
(15:39):
huge waves for her right now.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
That's always you know, uh.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
If I were to go to Huntington, I would take
my daughter to the beach that's at the end of
Davenport or at the end of ed Inger. There's two
little beaches I used to always go to that are
still there again. That's where I used to go when
they would have the fire boats spray the hoses. But
those are all really good locations to go where there
(16:05):
aren't waves for your little little little kids. But if
they can swim confidently and swim underneath waves, then I
would go to either Sunset Beach or Huntington Beach.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
And your daughter seems to have an endless and excitable
I'll call it sense of adventure. She just seems to
enjoy doing new things, as most children do, but especially
your little girl.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
She just giggles.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
She has this biggest smile on her face, so anyone
around her would be infected by her happiness.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
That's for sure. So what's a perfect weekend with your child?
Speaker 1 (16:40):
If you have a weekend off, which I know you
don't always because you work on one day or either
Saturday or Sunday out with your clients.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
If you had a.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Weekend you could plan, what would you do? What's a
perfect weekend?
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Yeah, so you know we don't live I don't live
that far from Laguna Beach, but I really truly feel
like I need to spend more time there than I
do because Laguna Beach feels like you're somewhere very far away,
right Like their beaches just feel like look crystal clear,
So I feel like I'm in a different island with
(17:12):
clear blue water and a lot of the there's like
little kind of coves that feel private on the water
where you have kind of a private little beach that
you can find. So if I was recommending to somebody
that wanted to spend time at the ocean, that would
be something that I would love to do with my
daughter too, because there's places where the waves aren't too big.
(17:33):
Is spending a weekend over there in Laguna Beach finding
a private little cove right Usually there's little stairs that
take you down to this private little coves and you
have your little sanctuary and you'll see rock formations and
crystal clear blue water. That would be honestly, the perfect
weekend would be staying over there and spending time.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
I have, but it's been a long time.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
But speaking of and I don't know whether you're aware
of this data or not, but in Laguna Beach, in
the canyon is the Marine Mammal Association. It's a place
where they take the sea animals that are they're sick,
you know, a whale or a dolphin or even turtles,
and they cure them there. And I don't know whether
(18:22):
you've ever been there. It has a red barn if
you go through the canyon and they're rebuilding it, and
so I'll we actually that the director was on one
of our previous episodes, so I'll send you that information.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Because they also have special.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Programs for little children, so they can take them through
and show them, and special classes for them. They can
sit down and have a little class about whatever it is.
He was a great guess and it's a great place.
So if you like the the aquarium, you might like
that as well.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I love that.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
No anything that's to do with any animals and learning
and hands on and education all about that. So thank
you for offering to share that. It is always good.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
So let's talk about hidden gems. Tell us your secrets.
Are there any little hidden gems that you just wish
you could keep a secret?
Speaker 2 (19:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
I'm not a very secretive person. I share a lot
with others.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
When you go in and say, oh, I wish that
we didn't wish the tourists would never find out about
this place.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I mean, I I honestly spend.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
You know, what's really funny is that, like I think
that a lot of people still don't know about this
even though they're trying to promote it. But do you
know about like the water taxis in Long Beach. Have
you ever been on those?
Speaker 3 (19:50):
No, I haven't been.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
So there's a boat, right, there's boats and they take
you from different areas in Long Beach. So let's say
from like Ballast Point area so close to where Still
Beach is, all the way over there's a section that
can drop you off over by the Queen Mary. But
you used to take this water taxi. It's five dollars
each person each way. There's a bar on board too.
(20:16):
It's just like a great place if you don't have
a boat, right, like, go on the water taxi, spend
five dollars per person. Take your family, go on a
date like then you can go over you know by
the Queen Mary.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Walk around. I mean we I had used.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
That when I had my birthday party and just went
with a bunch of friends and just roamed around all
over Long Beach.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
And so pick where do you pick it up? Where
do you start it?
Speaker 2 (20:41):
So they pick up in different areas they they used
to have.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
They so they have one over by Ballast Point, sort
of next to Boatthouse on the bay, which is over
in Long Beach but right before Still Beach starts, and
so they will pick up over there and they have
a drop off that's near the Queen Mary area, and
I think they have one more. I can't remember where
(21:05):
the other one is, but they have several. And they
used to have another one that was near Bluff that
was near Belmont Brewing Company, but that one they haven't
had open for a little while.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
But they do have a couple stops.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
So if you go online, you can look up Long
Beach Water Taxi and it'll show you on to map
all the areas. But when I live down there, I
would pop on that thing all the time, And if
you're visiting, it's just a fun way to get around
and see the city from a different perspective, right from
the ocean. So affordable and very fun. And I feel
(21:36):
like a lot of people have no idea about it.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
I feel like it no no, So that could be
one of our big AHAs for this call. So thank
you very much for this episode. Are there any little
beaches or parks that are quieter if you want to
get it all way from if you don't want to
be with anyone, you want to go just get away
and read a book or just relax.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
Where's a good place for people to go?
Speaker 4 (22:02):
I would say again, Sunset Beach is the most open
areas that I usually see, right, so I just just
park in the neighborhood over there and just there's it's
just tons of open space. So if you want to
go somewhere that's quiet, that is where I would go
in order to have some like just quiet piece of mine,
you know, please to read a book over there.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
That's where I would recommend.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Let's go to date night, assuming that you get one
from time to time. I'd assume you have a grandma
and a grandpa who or a friend who loves to
have your little one over. And I'm sure everyone would
love to have her over when it's just you and
your husband.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Where's your go to date night?
Speaker 4 (22:42):
It's really funny you say that because we're trying to
do this more because we really don't go on dates.
But when we did go on dates, back when we
would ask grandma to watch her, which ye on, it's easier.
We would go actually to the improv in Irvine. So
we love comedy, so we would go watch comedy shows,
get some drinks. You can order food there, and that
(23:05):
is where we would love to go to watch comedy.
Is that the improvent Irvine? This park there walk it's
not too difficult to get there. And that's some really
good comedians that you can see there.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
And sometimes that is it the Hilton that's right on
the beach or on the on the Pacific Coas Highway.
They have some great events sometimes where you can go
for the weekend and and run a room and then
you can rent like a cabana in their pool, and
so it's a nice get away place.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Also.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
I know my family members go there from time to time. Yes,
there's the Hyatt Hyatt, Yeah, like.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
There's another there's another hotel over there too. It's called
like the Current or something. There's another hotel that's newer
that's near near those.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Or it starts with the Pee. I think.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Sah, I think it's.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
There.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
We go. That's absolutely you can rent to cavana there.
I do have some friends that I've rented rented the
cabanas there as well.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
And do you have a place where you go? I
know that some of them.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
You have business colleagues where you'll feel the need or
the opportunity to get together after work. Is there a
place where you go with your friends?
Speaker 4 (24:11):
I would say usually when there's just like events and
fun things to go to. Right, I'm going to go
see a concert at the OC Fair, Like if you're
around the area, Ludicrous and the Ying Twins place.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, we're gonna go.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
And speaking of the fair, the OC Fair is on
right now, right, So if any of our viewers and
listeners want to go to the fair, it's in cost
to Mesa.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Yep, it's in coast to Mesa. It's a blast, tons
of ride, fun food. They have the pig races, which
are always really fun and got your face painted and
grab some drinks and you know, not so good for
you food. Have a blast, and they have a lot
of concerts through the fair, So if you want to
go see some music, then it's a great way to
go have some fun with your family or with your
(24:55):
friends or your significant other as well. So it's a blast.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
I mean I go every year.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Will you go there with your little girl? Is it
a good family experience?
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (25:04):
We usually go during the day with our daughter and
we make sure that we see the pig races, which
she loves. We already did take her this year, so
I definitely highly recommend going. And they even have like
an animal section where there's a petting zoo. You can
go through the animals and you can also there's a
crop section to see you know, different vegetables being grown
(25:25):
and fruits, and then they have a whole section for
kids rides, so she went on a ton of rides.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
So we bought a lot of tickets.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
For mini roller coasters and just all these fun rides
for kids, so that she had a blast. I definitely
highly recommend taking your kid to the fair, and if
you want it to be less busy, you can go
during the day and during the weekday if you can.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Where's your favorite place to watch the sunset?
Speaker 4 (25:51):
My favorite place to watch the sunset so I anywhere
that's along the beach, you know. So if I could
go down to Huntington Beach and go on the pier
right or in a seal beach and go over by
the pier, then you have a whole three hundred and
sixty degree view over there.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
That's where I would enjoy watching the sunset.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
And we're so lucky because as you drive north on
Coast Highway through that area at sunset, you just have
a panoramic view at the end of Coast Highway right
as you drive north at sunset time, even if you
have to be driving, you can't stop and watch it.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
It's it's just absolutely breathtaking phenomenal.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
Yeah, and if you're on the boardwalk right, like it's
beautiful to see the sunset when you're taking a bike
ride or a walk, so you can see that any
of those boardwalks there in Huntington or Long Beach, it's
always beautiful to see the sunsets from there.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
It is, it is. We are so blessed here.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
So is there a local event or a festival that
you would never miss?
Speaker 4 (26:54):
A local event or festival, So we always go to
the OC Fair. If I was local, and if living
in Huntington Beach, I would say check out the US
Open if.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
You can go. It's always a very you know.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
Fun event. That's we're lucky to have it here. You know,
it doesn't happen anywhere else. So I would go to
the US Open. And I just like to go in
little things, the concerts in the park right and the
movies on the beach, like the take advantage of the
community events that you can go to.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
It's always a blast. So that's what I like to do.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Have you ever thought about leaving Southern California living somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I mean, so many people are moving out of state.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
Right. When I first got into the business in the
real estate world eight years ago, it felt like nobody
considered moving out of state, right, and as you know
about everybody, I feel like so many people think about it.
I have not considered it, especially because I love it
here and my husband is going to retire here with
a pension at like fifty eight, so we're not going.
(27:57):
We're not going anywhere now. And honestly, I highly doubt
would be able to leave the Ocean. Thought about it,
but I don't think it'd be really reality. I don't
know if I could ever really leave, So I want.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
To move closer to the absolutely absolutely. I think a
lot of us would.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Have this dream that we could have a home in Tennessee,
or a home in Arizona and one here too, right,
or home in Nevada and one here too, but that's
not always very realistic for many of us. What do
you hope your child gets out of growing up in
southern California.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
I just want her to have fun and enjoy like
the outdoor activities that we have here.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
She's in swim class at water safe, which.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
Has been around forever, and she's learning how to swim,
and I just want her to be able to use
go on the go in the ocean, have fun, float
in the ocean right, be able to relax and have
fun with her friends, and like you said, like have
the bonfires, right, go on the water taxis just experience
this type of life that so many others don't get experienced.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
I just feel very fortunate.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
And I want her to be able to go paddle
boarding or kayaking or go on duffy boat rides and
be able to do those things with friends too, writ
or maybe clients one day, and just be immersed in
the community around us. That's what I've her to be
able to do.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
Do you have Duffy rides in the Long Beach Aerriam?
Speaker 4 (29:26):
Yeah, yep. So there are daffy boats that are over here.
They have a couple different locations. There's one near Marina
Pacifica in Long Beach close to pch and then there's
another one that's close to Ballast Point over there in
Long Beach that you can rent them from.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
And again there's the gondola rides.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
Too, So yeah, there's a lot of Daffy rentals, or
you can get Duffy rentals in Newport, right, so I
take those some hometimes too. Yeah, there's a lot of
places to rent and you get group ons. So a
lot of us locals look for group group for Debbie rides.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Oh sure, yeah, don't forget about the group hons and
the coupons, right, all the other things. If you had
friends coming from out of state, you had a perfect
Saturday night, what would you do together?
Speaker 4 (30:14):
So I think it would depend on what their desires are,
what they like to do, right. I think there's so
many things that we don't take advantage of when we
live here, to be honest with you, right, because we
live still close to La So I think if there
was a sporting event that they wanted to go to,
whether it's an Angel's game or a Dodg's game, or
(30:35):
see a specific concert, or go what some kind of sport,
I'd probably taken them to some sort of event if
that's what they're into. Yeah, I would showcase in there.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
If they're kids. I know people feel differently right about Disneyland,
but let's be honest.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
If there's a kid that wants to see some magic,
then I think it's always a good idea to take them.
You know, my daughter what for the first time finally,
and literally she can't stop talking about it. So if
you're not from here, I'd recommend giving that experience.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Well, there's just nothing like Disneyland experience.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Once you're inside the Magic Kingdom, you're in a different world.
And there are so many people in this world who
will never get the opportunity to be at Disneyland, and
there's just something about that. Now, certainly, the good news
is we are so lucky that that's not the only
thing to do here. They think, we think when people come,
(31:35):
they all want to go to Disneyland, But I don't
think that's true.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
I think some of the things you've talked about.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Today, people never get to do a gondola ride, or
they never get to go to a rooftop restaurant in
Huntington Beach and look at the sunset the way that
we do, or to go to the parks and all
of the great things. And I didn't know about the
water taxi. So all of these are great. Okay, So
let's do some lightning around, let's have some fun, all right,
(32:01):
you ready, Okay, all right, Huntington Beach or Long Beach
for breakfast, Long Beach best pure for a stroll, Huntington Beach.
Flip flops or Tendis flip flops, tacos or Pokey tacos.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
But Pokey's not far behind.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
One so Cal myth that you would love to bust, but.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Not everybody can afford to live here. You can find places.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
That's nice of you to think that.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
Okay, three words get describe your So Cal life today.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Fun, exciting, enjoyable.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Great great words.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
If someone came here and wanted to live like a
local in Huntington or Long Beach, where would you send them?
Speaker 4 (32:49):
I would send them in Long Beach, I'd just I'd
send them to Second Street, go to the boardwalk, go
to Horny Corner for the beach, hang out, moose areas,
be immersed in the community.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Said from a true Southern California raised gl Dana, thank
you for taking us on your journey through Southern California life.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
This has been a real treat to see it through
your eyes.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
I love that you reminded us that this place is
more than just palm trees or just more than the surf,
but it's about community and family and the memories that.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
We get to build here.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
If you are our listeners and our viewers, If you're
listening today and you want to see some of Dana's spots,
just let us know. We'll have us a list on
our website and our YouTube channel for you. Maybe you'll
even bump into Dana and her family. If you buy
a house in this area, you may run into her.
That way, she may service you with your title needs.
(33:46):
And if you're a local, tell us about your hidden gems.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Where do you like to go?
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Where would you want to share with the other listeners
and viewers of our show. Thank you Dana very very much.
Until next time, keep your fl flop sandy, your coffee ice,
and your sunset's colorful. This is Valerie signing off from
SOCAW with val. We'll see you again next week. Thank you, Dana,
(34:11):
you so much. Did you know that for every dollar
spent at a local business, nearly seventy cents stays in
the community. Well, Today on SOCAW with val we're diving
into a new movement that's putting Long Beach makers on
the map literally. We're joined by Leanna, the creator and
(34:34):
founder of Seek It Long Beach, a brand new startup
that brings the convenience of online shopping think Amazon, but
with a meaningful twist. Every product is sourced locally. Seek
It is about discovering, supporting, and celebrating the creativity and
craftsmanship here in Long Beach, and we all know there's
(34:56):
lots of it, from handcrafted candles, an artisan reads, two
unique home decor and wellness goods. Seek It as creating
a digital storefront for the best of our city while
giving small businesses a powerful new way to reach customers.
In this conversation, Leanna will share the story behind the
(35:18):
platform how vendors can join in. So if you have
an idea or product, hold on that's going to come.
Turn up your volume, roll up your windows, and just
going to tell us why keeping it local isn't just
a nice idea, it's the future of sustainable shopping. So
let's jump in. Welcome Leanna, thank you so much for
having me.
Speaker 5 (35:37):
Mallorie.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
You are welcome.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
So we were told about you by one of your
friends in Long Beach and they said.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
You have to have this lady on your show.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
Let's get a little bit of background, because I've seen
your impressive background.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
You're an amazing lady and entrepreneur.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
And you've told us about your amazing family and how
you're inspired by other women, and you're in your family,
But what inspired you to come up with this idea
and why Long Beach?
Speaker 6 (36:05):
That's a great question, and part of how I ended
up here is the beauty of Long Beach and how
we all support each other. So the story came from
on Inauguration Day. I was watching and I just saw
the front row of all of the tech CEO billionaires,
(36:25):
and in my heart, I was like, I can't keep
supporting the consolidation of wealth and power for these few people.
And then so I decided at that point, Okay, I'm
going to cancel my Prime membership and I'm going to
move forward with shopping as I normally do, just without
(36:46):
the convenience of Amazon Prime. And then shortly after, their Target,
which was which was my haven, decided that they were
going to roll back all of their DEI policies. So
from there I was like, Okay, I'm boycotting Target along
with everyone. I canceled my Prime membership. How can I
(37:07):
shop as easily and conveniently?
Speaker 5 (37:10):
And sorry, go.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Ahead, no bad question.
Speaker 6 (37:15):
Yeah, So I was like, you know, it's hard for
you know, if you're used to the convenience of finding
something online and getting it delivered quickly, it's not convenient
for local stores oftentimes. You know, I'm not going to
go to every single one of their online shops, and
I'm not going to drive around town looking for the
same things. So I decided that I needed to have
(37:38):
a marketplace where I could shop and discover as easily
as I could on Amazon, and get it delivered as quickly,
if not quicker than Amazon as well.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
And you've been able to accomplish that apparently.
Speaker 5 (37:53):
Yeah, we're working on it right now.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
So those of us who are listening to you our thinking, well,
I mean, that's number one, a big undertaking, and.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Is it even possible?
Speaker 1 (38:03):
We know that many people dream of creating an alternative
to the monolith called Amazon, but they never follow through.
It's too big of a project or they just can't
get their hands around it. What made you take the
leap then into action and how did you see that
you could even possibly do this.
Speaker 6 (38:25):
I was talking to my community, a lot of other
moms and friends, and I presented the idea to them,
and almost everybody I talked to is you know, nobody
really feels great about shopping on Amazon, but it's what
they need to do because it's just the.
Speaker 5 (38:43):
Modern day convenience of everything.
Speaker 6 (38:46):
And so I you know, although you know, sure it's
Amazon style when you break it down into just like
the city limits right now, and that's what we're building
right now for our the first flagship model is just
within the city. It just feels a lot more digestible.
And then from there we can build this flagship model
(39:07):
that can then be replicated in other cities and run
by other cities in a way that feels much more
like native to the local communities.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
So for our listeners and our viewers, let's just be
clear about where you are.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
You're in the city of Long Beach, right, which is.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Pretty much the south on the coast of Los Angeles County, right, yes, right,
So it's just north of Orange County and on.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
The south side of.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Los Angeles County, right right on the coast.
Speaker 5 (39:44):
Correct.
Speaker 6 (39:44):
Yeah, We're still in Los Angeles County and where our
border is Seal Beach, so right on the border of
LA and Orange County.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
And Long Beach feels so uniquely Long Beach.
Speaker 6 (39:55):
It's definitely not La and it's definitely not Orange County.
There's a very community first spirit in the city.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
And it's a lot of beach vibe, right, but lots
of community. It's a university town, it's a VA hospital town, right,
It's a lot of heritage people that have been there
for a long time. You have the old, big old neighborhoods, correct,
big neighborhoods of large old not Victorian type, but you know,
(40:26):
the older homes. So it's got a lot of diversity
as well as the little beach communities like Naples and
places like that, plus the people inland.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
So it's a very diverse community.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
And that might be good for someone like you because
it gives you a lot of opportunities, right, it's not
just too limited. So how do you think that your
background prepared you for launching a platform like sekt. I
mean it's not only just there's so many elements. It's
a platform, it's the vendors, it's the technology what brought
you to the point where you thought you could do this.
Speaker 6 (41:00):
So I am chronically online because I own a digital
marketing agency and this year is my tenth year owning it.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
So I play by the way.
Speaker 5 (41:13):
Thank you So every day.
Speaker 6 (41:15):
I'm supporting small businesses, primarily our clients, our restaurants and hospitality.
We also do tourism and retail, So I am constantly
talking to everybody small businesses, and I understand the ins
and outs and the problems and the permitting and all
of that stuff. And I also carry with me like
(41:38):
the tech digital part, which most small businesses haven't modernized to.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
So I feel like it's the perfect.
Speaker 6 (41:49):
Blend of being able to understand where I can meet
small businesses and offer them something that they can easily
move forward in the modern tech age.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
So let's get into it. So what will the shopping
experience be like unseek it? Is it going to be
simply an app? Is it going to be web based?
Speaker 3 (42:09):
Going be both?
Speaker 6 (42:11):
So we're currently starting with and launching with the web
based platform and it will eventually become an app as well,
but we wanted to really like test the model and
make sure that there was a market for it before
we dive too deep into the app and additional development.
Speaker 1 (42:30):
And what kind of businesses or artisans are you currently
onboarding and what's your criteria?
Speaker 3 (42:35):
What are you looking for?
Speaker 6 (42:38):
So the criteria that we want is a Long Beach
based business with a business license, the proper insurance and.
Speaker 5 (42:46):
Goods like physical goods to start.
Speaker 6 (42:49):
Because the way that we're going to do the delivery
system is similar to what they call like Amazon's last
mile delivery, where they take it from the store and
then within a batch take it to We'll take it
to the person's residence. So it's not necessarily like a
Postmates where you pick it up from the restaurant and
you take it right to the person. It'll be more
(43:10):
of a batched delivery system. So in addition to business
license insurance, we also, I mean, we want everyone, like
in the true form of Amazon, we want all people
to be on there, if you're a home based business,
if you're an artist, if you're a hardware store, a
(43:33):
clothing store, all of it.
Speaker 1 (43:36):
So from the businesses standpoint, what challenge do they face
when they're competing with giants like Amazon? And how do
you help alleviate that challenge for the small business?
Speaker 6 (43:49):
So the challenge that they face is just reduced foot traffic.
Everybody is so used to being able to just order
something online, people don't really want to go into the
stores anymore.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
And I do feel like.
Speaker 6 (44:04):
And I do feel like that, like that personal element
is missing and my fear and what I want seek
It to help combat is the fact that you know,
I love restaurants, but a lot of like areas, shopping
areas and main streets are now just all bars and
restaurants because retail can't afford to be on main street
(44:25):
anymore because the margins are thin, and we lose that
third space of these places to actually go and shop
same day. And for me, it's it's about like supporting
their dreams the way that the community used to be
and keeping our dollar there.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
We had interviewed someone this week from the Los Angeles
Conservancy who talked about what happens when these restaurants or
these yeah restaurants have been there for fifty years and
then they disappear, you know, then what happens to them?
Speaker 3 (44:58):
And this is kind of the same thing.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
So in a city though that's always changing as much
as Long Beach does because it's always moving fast forward.
How do you see seek It being able to balance
scalability and how will you be able to grow and
still say folk, are you know folk local focus? Will
you be able to have we have like a franchise
(45:22):
or what will happen will you be able to grow?
Speaker 3 (45:25):
Is do you plan on just staying in Long Beach.
Speaker 6 (45:30):
So my plan for seek It is to build the
best possible product in Long Beach, which includes it's starting
with the Amazon style model, but I really want to
become a local hub for where you find out about
all of the events in the city because there's no
centralized place the same way that LA and OC Weekly
(45:50):
used to be able to go and be like, Okay,
I know everything that's happening.
Speaker 5 (45:53):
There's not that.
Speaker 6 (45:54):
Now you have to like follow individual businesses and stuff
to see what they post on Instagram. And I also
have a model built in in the future to support
restaurants in a way that they aren't currently being supported.
So the platform is going to expand into different verticals.
(46:15):
And what I would like to do is be able
to have that model that can be then licensed to
other cities run by other cities, because I always think
about if somebody were to take this model into Long
Beach that wasn't from Long Beach or didn't understand the culture,
it would fall flat.
Speaker 5 (46:33):
And so I think that.
Speaker 6 (46:36):
You know, giving other cities the tools to run a
successful model is going to be the secret.
Speaker 3 (46:44):
Sauce, and how do you make money?
Speaker 1 (46:47):
Make money when you advertise local events. Certainly that's a
service that we all would love to have, but how
does it make you a profitable business the.
Speaker 6 (47:00):
Event We're still working on the back end of the
event model, but you know, commissions through ticket sales becoming
a ticketing service, or you know, referral based on the.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
Back end, sure, and the same with restaurants and so forth.
Speaker 6 (47:16):
Yeah, same, A lot of these, a lot of the
already like built tech.
Speaker 5 (47:20):
For instance, open table.
Speaker 6 (47:22):
If you if you discover a restaurant on open table
and book from their site, open table gets a dollar
fifty for every reservation that's made, So a lot of
But if you go to a restaurant's website and you
book directly from their website, open table doesn't.
Speaker 5 (47:39):
Take a referral fee of course.
Speaker 6 (47:42):
So there's a lot of these like back end referral
fees and commissions that are already baked into the tech
that I think that we can help support on the
Long Beach hyperlocal side.
Speaker 3 (47:55):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
And then there are some people, of course who are
going to want to work with you because they they
believe as you do that.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
Why wouldn't I.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
Want to support local business, right? And they're either the
reach the vendors, or the owners, or the employees, or
just people like you who think it's the right thing
to do or the best thing to do. And certainly
in places like Long Beach that have been such an
established city for so long, there's just something about going
back to that store that's been there for fifty years. Right,
(48:24):
So what's the criteria for who your people will be?
What you said everything, But if someone's as artisan or
they don't have a store, can they participate also?
Speaker 6 (48:36):
Yeah, So I had had this conversation with another woman.
She's a ceramic artist, and you know, she hadn't fully
heard of the delivery side of things, and she was like, oh,
I would love to be able to deliver my work
because she doesn't have a storefront. And it got me
thinking that we're also going to allow the sellers to
(48:58):
self deliver if they want to. So if you're if
you know, if you work from home or you have
a studio from home and you don't feel comfortable with
a delivery service coming, you all be able to dispatch
the own like those shop owners to go deliver to
their own customers.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
And will you be a membership based program kind of
like Amazon Prime.
Speaker 5 (49:23):
Yes, So we're going to have two different memberships.
Speaker 6 (49:27):
One will be for the shoppers and one will be
for the sellers as well, and both of them are
tiered systems. So for sellers, it was very important for
me to have a no upfront cost option for them.
So the base here is zero dollars and basically you
(49:48):
only pay the commission based on what you sell. So
it's important in a marketplace to really build up the
supply and I wanted people to I wanted there to
be very low barriers to entry. And on that note,
the way that we're building out the marketplace is that
if you have an existing Shopify or Square account, it
(50:11):
sinks to your store automatically, including the inventory. So it's
almost like a one click onboarding process for the shops.
Because that to me was very convenient because I know
the shops are overwhelmed with all kinds of things to do.
Speaker 1 (50:27):
Sure, absolutely, so this is really exciting. What are some
of the businesses and vendors that you've already signed up
and that have given you their commitment to be on
your platform.
Speaker 6 (50:39):
I have not gotten there yet I've had over thirty
sellers that have signed up.
Speaker 5 (50:45):
I am. I'm currently working with the Four.
Speaker 6 (50:49):
Street BID and i BID is a business improvement district,
So I do the marketing for four Street and have
for several years. And so the executive director has slated
me for the agenda to start using all of the
four Street Long Beach businesses to start onboarding.
Speaker 1 (51:10):
How exciting, How exciting? And you don't have any limitation
to the type of product, right, It can be anything
that someone would find online anywhere else they could find unsecret,
is the plan right?
Speaker 2 (51:23):
Correct?
Speaker 3 (51:24):
Yes, this is really exciting. It's very exciting.
Speaker 1 (51:27):
This is amazing that you've been taking this on and
what keeps you motivated when you must have some hard days?
Speaker 6 (51:35):
I for this project in particular, it was one of
those things I'm just this isn't about me on any level.
It's just something that I feel like it's my duty
to the community. Because of my skill set, I feel
like I'm the perfect person to get this going. And
(51:56):
you know, like my developer a good friend, have a
relationship with him ready with my digital marketing agency, so
and I have a marketing background, so I don't need
to hire another marketing agency. Everything is just like right
in my lap, and it feels like my my duty
to execute it.
Speaker 1 (52:15):
And where do you see seek It in five years?
What's your plan?
Speaker 6 (52:20):
I would love to see seek It Chicago and Austin
and expanding into other cities.
Speaker 1 (52:28):
What would you like our listeners and our viewers to
know about you or anything you'd like them to take
away from this?
Speaker 6 (52:34):
And remember, I would like them to take away the
idea that you know, every day they are voting and
making choices with where they spend their money. And if
you can spend your money, you know, locally and with.
Speaker 5 (52:50):
Small business, it makes such a difference.
Speaker 6 (52:52):
And if we're not continuing to invest in these businesses,
they will go away and then we will all end
up with the same things.
Speaker 1 (53:02):
And I'm sure that your supporters are all all in
and they're so excited for you as well. This is
in it so inspiring and so exciting, how one woman's
vision can not only uplift an entire community, but can
really make a difference in how things are done, how
cities are promoted, how small business can make it.
Speaker 3 (53:22):
And actually, let's just.
Speaker 1 (53:24):
Realize that we are all this is a small business country.
Speaker 3 (53:27):
I'm a small business. You're a small business.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
You know you've got a background a small business, and
we're it not for small business, where would be be
and we need to continue to support that. So if
you're a maker, a creator, a small business in Long Beach,
see it might just be of the platform that you
have been waiting for. And if you're a local shopper
looking to buy better, shop smarter and support the heartbeat
of the city and you've been wishing you've had a
(53:51):
way that you could shop local and go against you know,
the big big box, so to speak, this is your opportunity.
So to sign up, either as a buyer or as
a vendor, visit seek it lb dot com that's s
e e k e t l b dot com and
follow them on Instagram at sekt lb that's at s
(54:13):
e e k e t l b. Leanna, thank you
so much for joining us and for creating a space
where local truly means something. And do our listeners. Remember
the community has built one choice at a time. As
she said, vote with your dollars, Shop with your dollars.
Until next time, I'm Valerie, van is over and this
is so cow with val We'll see you next Friday afternoon,
She grew up with sand between her toes, salt in
her hair, and so Cow sunshine in her soul. Today
she's a businesswoman, a wife, a mom, and one of
the rare people who can actually say she was born
and raised right here on the coast of southern California
in Orange County. On this episode of So Cow with Val,
(00:44):
we're kicking off our flip flops and diving right into
the real life of a true native. Dana Fights grew
up in Huntington Beach, then to Long Beach, and now
calls that area her home, and she's raising her beautiful
young family in the same beat she'd playground where she
grew up. What was it like as a kid, How
has so call changed or even has it? And what
(01:08):
stayed really golden? Where does she and her husband go
to sneak away when it's just the two of them?
And where can families find hidden spots that make living
here so special when you want to go just someplace local?
Where do you go from weekend traditions and local favorites
to the charm and challenges of raising a family by
(01:29):
the beach. Dana is sharing her stories, favorite places and
why she can't imagine any place else and why we're
glad to have her close by. So stick around because
this episode is as local as it gets. Welcome to
so Cal with val. Thank you Dana for being with
us today.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Wow, that was amazing. Thank you Balm.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
You're so welcome. Glad to have you with us.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So you are a true California native, true Southern California
native born in Huntington Beach. What was child your childhood
like growing up by the beach.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I feel like one of the luckiest humans to be
able to have grown up, you know, on the sand.
So I learned how to swim before I could walk, basically,
so I was thrown into the ocean into the harbor,
is what my parents told me when I was probably
two years old, right, and just learned how to swim.
I loved living at the beach, So I did move
(02:28):
around a lot within Huntington Beach when I was a
little kid.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
My parents course, when I was about three or four
years old.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
But it kind of gave me it's okay, you know,
like I was able to live in so many different
places within Huntington Beach and a little bit.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Of Sunset Beach as well. And I spent. I spent
so much time on.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
The beach, and I truly believe that when you live
by the water, that it keeps you healthier for longer,
and that it helps you live longer one thousand percent.
So I feel super grateful that I was able to
be born. We're here and also still live not too
far from the water.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah, and you know, I try to convince myself that
if we lived someplace in another part of the country
where there's a different kind of scenery, that I would
be okay, where there's four seasons and where there's woods
and hills and paths.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
You know, between the trees.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
But there's just something to being close to.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
The water that's hard to beat. That's for sure.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
It's magical one thousand percent. So once you're a water baby,
some people can't leave and I definitely cannot leave.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Far from Well, that's okay, We're glad that you didn't.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
What were your favorite some of your favorite beach memories
as a kid. I mean, do you have anything that
really sticks out, any funny or unforgettable stories.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
So I think they actually still do this because I
believe I saw them do this when I was taking
the boat out recently, but when I would go to
this little baby beach in Huntington Beach, I would go
to a small beach over there, and they would bring
the like the fire boat. Right, So the fire department
they have their own boat that they could take.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Out for emergencies. Oh right, but yeah, fires and.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
They have a hose, right, and they just pull the water,
the ocean water out right and they could spray it.
But they would go to that baby beach and as
a kid, I remember getting so excited when they would
come because I'd run out into the ocean with all
the other kids and they would spray us with the
big hose, right, and it.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Was it was just a blast. I don't know. It
was the small things that make the biggest memories.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
So I can't even remember just being like three years
old and just take getting like a bucket of camfea
chicken and hanging out on.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
The beach in the sand with my family and.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Just making sand castles and all that jazz. So yeah,
I would say the boat that the firefighters have that
they take out and they spray the kids. They did
that when I was a kid, you know, thirty five
years They what.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
A wonderful memory. Yeah, what a great memory.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So and did you pretty much eyes hang around Huntington
did you go down to New Porter a doll or
did you go up to Sunset I mean it was
hunting In Beach kind of your place.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, so I went to Sunset Beach.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
Sunset Beach, I think is also kind of a hidden gem.
Not a lot of people go to Sunset Beach. The
parking is not as favorable in Sunset Beach if you're
not from there. But the positives to it is that
you don't have a lot of like, there's not a
lot of people, right, So there's not a lot of traffic,
there's not a lot of visitors, so you basically have
(05:26):
a whole beach to yourself. And I did live in
Sunset Beach for a while and so I got to
see it's not crowded, right.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
So if you.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Want to go to a beach around here where it's
not that busy and you have great waves too, I
would say Sunset Beach is definitely a great option for
you to go to.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Parking just might be a little bit shakier, but I
would go there.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
We got Huntington Beach often at some point in my life,
I did live a mile from the pier, right, so
I would.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Just ride my bike or walk down.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
That's when I was in college too, so it was
some of the best time, right going to the beach
almost every day, doing some classes online, and I was
a waitress at night, and I was tan. I was
naturally fit from swimming all the time and always got
to do go to happy hours and Huntington Beach off
on Main Street, so I didn't even need to make
(06:16):
a lot of money at the time serving and was
living the best life going down to the beach and
walking the pier. And yeah, I was lots of time
in Huntington, lots of time in Sunset.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Also spent some time in Syll Beach.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Back in those days they had rubies on the pier
on both of those piers, so as you probably know,
there's nothing on the Sill Beach pier right now burned down.
And then Ruby's is now a different restaurant which I
have not been to in Huntington yet. I can't remember
what it's called, but I do remember a lot of
rubies days, going down to the pier and getting my
little kid's meal like in a car shaped cardboard, a
(06:52):
little box holder back in the day.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
So what was so cal life like as a teen,
Like there were surf contest Did you have beach parties?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Did you have bonfires?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Because some of those things like fires on the beach
now are a little bit more controlled, but kind of
things cruising PCH. Did you cruise PCH in your cars
in high school?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah? I know those are all great.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
So I remember at the end of the year for school,
at least in high school, we would have these huge
bonfires and we would take all the stuff in our
backpack and we would just burn.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
All the paperwork, so like an end of the year sbang. Yeah,
so we had bonfires all the time.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
We had bonfires with friends constantly, you know, when you're
in Huntington near the Bolsa, Chica State Beach. And then
I my parents they each had convertibles, even though they
were divorced each they each loved convertibles and we would constantly,
especially with my father, we'd go up and down PCH,
(07:49):
like if he just needed to get a breather and
get out, we would go up and down PCCh and
Huntington Beach with the top down, get some fresh air,
look at the waves. And that was how we kind
of just like relaxed. You didn't need a lot when
you live by the ocean, you know, just drive down
look at the waves, and you just have this like
sense of peace and tranquility, you know. And then at
(08:10):
the same time you also feel a sense of energy
and inspiration because you see these like powerful waves, and
then you also think of endless opportunity. So I feel
so blessed to have been raised, you know, that close
to the water, because I would constantly have these you know,
feelings of just like peace, tranquility, inspiration. You know. I
was always a dreamer because I live by the water,
(08:31):
and you're constantly thinking of things that you can create,
things you can do, and so it's it's, uh, if
you ever need some inspiration or to feel calm or inspired,
I'd say you can always just take a drive down
the beach in Huntington. And yeah, we would do that
all the time constantly.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So what do you think that people who moved here
later in their life really misunderstand about growing up in
southern California.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
I'll just to be honest, a lot of people think, okay,
you were raised by the beach, that you must be
spoiled or stuck up or you know, some sort of.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Type of person.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
And I think that's the complete opposite, right, Like, I
know so many people that were raised near the beach
that are so laid back and so low key, and
I think there's a misconception there. And I think when
it was a smaller town, it was really just like
those were the people that were very tight together. And
now you're getting people from all over the country the
(09:27):
world that are moving in and buying properties and it's
kind of also changing that dynamic a little bit. But
I yeah, I just I think maybe just being raised
when there was just less people around. And I would
say Rubies was a huge staple for anybody that was
raised in Hunting to Beach, going to Rubies on the
(09:48):
pier with something that we I most of us enjoyed.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I would say that's no longer here.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
You can't just go down and see servers on roller
skates serving you food while you dine on a pier, right, Like,
that's pretty amazing or fun memories to have.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I would say, yeah, absolutely, well that's a good one
to bring up, that for sure. And also Jack's on
the Beach, right, was there Jack's I hang out on
the beach, like a burger place.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
There's there's like a Friend's right there on the corner,
Jack's shop, like you can buy like you know, surfing.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
What do you think is the biggest change you've seen
in the beach communities since you were a kid? Is
it the shopping you know that, you know, the commercialization
so to speak of main street.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
What do you think is the biggest change.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Yeah, So I actually live in Lakewood now next to
Long Beach, right, and I lived I have a condo
in Long Beach still and I lived there for you know,
five years, And I can say one of the big
differences and actually I'll be going to music experience in
Huntington Beach soon. I would say there's a lot more events,
a lot of music experiences and festival and they're trying
(11:00):
to bring more people down here. So in Huntington in
Long Beach, there are a lot of events that are
happening and I don't think there were as many back
in the day.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
And so there was.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
Warp Tour that just happened to last weekend, which a
lot of different basically a music festival. There's constantly things
that are taking place and movies on the Beach, right,
that you can do in Long Beach, which is something
great to do with your family or something of other
or your friends. I don't think they've had those forever,
(11:33):
but I feel super grateful to have so much to
do in this area and so many different events to
go to.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I know, when I was in Huntington, when I was you.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
Know, high school, college time, we always look forward to
the US Open, right, which still takes place for surfing,
and they would have bands then and events in the
surfing contest. But now, you know, I think they have
more more music events that they're mean to that area.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Are there any places there are still the same?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Captain Jackson is in Sunset Beach?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Does my dad at absolutely?
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
My dad's first job when he was like fifteen or sixteen,
he was a dishwasher and stays ano seafood, crab artic jokes,
all the good food, and it's still there and almost
the same, I believe, So I think that's something that's
remained untouched. And then Harbor House is over there in
(12:30):
Sunset Beach. That's been a staple for any like some
kind of dinerish type of food there, but it's off
of Pch and it's delicious, a great go to I've
been there many times and that hasn't really changed much either.
So I think those are those are a couple that
I can think of haven't changed.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Yeah, those are Those are fun and some of those
funky places along pch. If there's any one thing that
you are two things that you could say, I hope
that never changes.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
What would be?
Speaker 4 (13:01):
I just want people to be able to have accessibility,
you know, to the beach when they come and just
spend time and on the ocean and really just relax
and enjoy the sunshine, like.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Get in the ocean, go to the sand.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
I want everyone to have access to come here to
experience it right, to go to Sunset Beach, to go
to Huntington Beach.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
I know that when they're building all.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
These new complexes and apartments and condos and storefronts and everything,
it gets a little bit more difficult for people to
get down here easily. Right. So that's kind of what
my desire is is to make it accessible. I don't
want that. I don't want you to have to live
right there on the water in order to get there.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Oh that's nice, that's nice of you to think of
others that way, and we all hope that here as well.
So let's talk about family life. So now you've graduated
from high school and now you're a mom, right, You're
a mom of who you call Mini me, and she
absolutely is. For anybody who knows you has ever seen
you with your little girl, that little girl is absolutely
(14:04):
mini you all over the place.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
And she's just.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
About as cute as she could possibly be. She gets
a big grin on her face and she's just just
absolutely priceless. She's just so cute. So what are your
favorite kid friendly beaches and parks? What do you do
with your little girl?
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Yeah, so we actually just went to the beach at
the end of the peninsula, because again I live in
Lakewood right now, just close to Long Beach, So we
went to the peninsula, the beach at the end of
the peninsula, which is really close to the ocean, right
so it's the cleanest water you can get.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
It's constantly flowing right.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
There, and it's nice and convenient because it's near some
restrooms over there if you go to the end of
the peninsula. But it's just there's no waves, right, So
it's perfect for my toddler because she can hang out.
And she used a tiny little kayak yesterday for the
first time.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
It was so.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Cute, and then also sat on some paddle boards right
when she had some adults you know behind her assist
with that. But yeah, so we went to the peninsula.
There's also a place called the Horny Corner over here
in Long Beach that's over near Second Street that you
(15:18):
can and Belmont Shore that you can go and visit.
So that also has no waves, which is great for families.
When my daughter gets older, we'll be taking her more
to Sunset Beach and Huntington Beach, but those are big
waves too, Like I want her to be able to
hang out at the little beaches right where there aren't
(15:39):
huge waves for her right now.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
That's always you know, uh.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
If I were to go to Huntington, I would take
my daughter to the beach that's at the end of
Davenport or at the end of ed Inger. There's two
little beaches I used to always go to that are
still there again. That's where I used to go when
they would have the fire boats spray the hoses. But
those are all really good locations to go where there
(16:05):
aren't waves for your little little little kids. But if
they can swim confidently and swim underneath waves, then I
would go to either Sunset Beach or Huntington Beach.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
And your daughter seems to have an endless and excitable
I'll call it sense of adventure. She just seems to
enjoy doing new things, as most children do, but especially
your little girl.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
She just giggles.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
She has this biggest smile on her face, so anyone
around her would be infected by her happiness.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
That's for sure. So what's a perfect weekend with your child?
Speaker 1 (16:40):
If you have a weekend off, which I know you
don't always because you work on one day or either
Saturday or Sunday out with your clients.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
If you had a.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Weekend you could plan, what would you do? What's a
perfect weekend?
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Yeah, so you know we don't live I don't live
that far from Laguna Beach, but I really truly feel
like I need to spend more time there than I
do because Laguna Beach feels like you're somewhere very far away,
right Like their beaches just feel like look crystal clear,
So I feel like I'm in a different island with
(17:12):
clear blue water and a lot of the there's like
little kind of coves that feel private on the water
where you have kind of a private little beach that
you can find. So if I was recommending to somebody
that wanted to spend time at the ocean, that would
be something that I would love to do with my
daughter too, because there's places where the waves aren't too big.
(17:33):
Is spending a weekend over there in Laguna Beach finding
a private little cove right Usually there's little stairs that
take you down to this private little coves and you
have your little sanctuary and you'll see rock formations and
crystal clear blue water. That would be honestly, the perfect
weekend would be staying over there and spending time.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
I have, but it's been a long time.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
But speaking of and I don't know whether you're aware
of this data or not, but in Laguna Beach, in
the canyon is the Marine Mammal Association. It's a place
where they take the sea animals that are they're sick,
you know, a whale or a dolphin or even turtles,
and they cure them there. And I don't know whether
(18:22):
you've ever been there. It has a red barn if
you go through the canyon and they're rebuilding it, and
so I'll we actually that the director was on one
of our previous episodes, so I'll send you that information.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Because they also have special.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Programs for little children, so they can take them through
and show them, and special classes for them. They can
sit down and have a little class about whatever it is.
He was a great guess and it's a great place.
So if you like the the aquarium, you might like
that as well.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I love that.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
No anything that's to do with any animals and learning
and hands on and education all about that. So thank
you for offering to share that. It is always good.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
So let's talk about hidden gems. Tell us your secrets.
Are there any little hidden gems that you just wish
you could keep a secret?
Speaker 2 (19:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
I'm not a very secretive person. I share a lot
with others.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
When you go in and say, oh, I wish that
we didn't wish the tourists would never find out about
this place.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I mean, I I honestly spend.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
You know, what's really funny is that, like I think
that a lot of people still don't know about this
even though they're trying to promote it. But do you
know about like the water taxis in Long Beach. Have
you ever been on those?
Speaker 3 (19:50):
No, I haven't been.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
So there's a boat, right, there's boats and they take
you from different areas in Long Beach. So let's say
from like Ballast Point area so close to where Still
Beach is, all the way over there's a section that
can drop you off over by the Queen Mary. But
you used to take this water taxi. It's five dollars
each person each way. There's a bar on board too.
(20:16):
It's just like a great place if you don't have
a boat, right, like, go on the water taxi, spend
five dollars per person. Take your family, go on a
date like then you can go over you know by
the Queen Mary.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Walk around. I mean we I had used.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
That when I had my birthday party and just went
with a bunch of friends and just roamed around all
over Long Beach.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
And so pick where do you pick it up? Where
do you start it?
Speaker 2 (20:41):
So they pick up in different areas they they used
to have.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
They so they have one over by Ballast Point, sort
of next to Boatthouse on the bay, which is over
in Long Beach but right before Still Beach starts, and
so they will pick up over there and they have
a drop off that's near the Queen Mary area, and
I think they have one more. I can't remember where
(21:05):
the other one is, but they have several. And they
used to have another one that was near Bluff that
was near Belmont Brewing Company, but that one they haven't
had open for a little while.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
But they do have a couple stops.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
So if you go online, you can look up Long
Beach Water Taxi and it'll show you on to map
all the areas. But when I live down there, I
would pop on that thing all the time, And if
you're visiting, it's just a fun way to get around
and see the city from a different perspective, right from
the ocean. So affordable and very fun. And I feel
(21:36):
like a lot of people have no idea about it.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
I feel like it no no, So that could be
one of our big AHAs for this call. So thank
you very much for this episode. Are there any little
beaches or parks that are quieter if you want to
get it all way from if you don't want to
be with anyone, you want to go just get away
and read a book or just relax.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
Where's a good place for people to go?
Speaker 4 (22:02):
I would say again, Sunset Beach is the most open
areas that I usually see, right, so I just just
park in the neighborhood over there and just there's it's
just tons of open space. So if you want to
go somewhere that's quiet, that is where I would go
in order to have some like just quiet piece of mine,
you know, please to read a book over there.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
That's where I would recommend.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Let's go to date night, assuming that you get one
from time to time. I'd assume you have a grandma
and a grandpa who or a friend who loves to
have your little one over. And I'm sure everyone would
love to have her over when it's just you and
your husband.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Where's your go to date night?
Speaker 4 (22:42):
It's really funny you say that because we're trying to
do this more because we really don't go on dates.
But when we did go on dates, back when we
would ask grandma to watch her, which ye on, it's easier.
We would go actually to the improv in Irvine. So
we love comedy, so we would go watch comedy shows,
get some drinks. You can order food there, and that
(23:05):
is where we would love to go to watch comedy.
Is that the improvent Irvine? This park there walk it's
not too difficult to get there. And that's some really
good comedians that you can see there.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
And sometimes that is it the Hilton that's right on
the beach or on the on the Pacific Coas Highway.
They have some great events sometimes where you can go
for the weekend and and run a room and then
you can rent like a cabana in their pool, and
so it's a nice get away place.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Also.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
I know my family members go there from time to time. Yes,
there's the Hyatt Hyatt, Yeah, like.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
There's another there's another hotel over there too. It's called
like the Current or something. There's another hotel that's newer
that's near near those.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Or it starts with the Pee. I think.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Sah, I think it's.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
There.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
We go. That's absolutely you can rent to cavana there.
I do have some friends that I've rented rented the
cabanas there as well.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
And do you have a place where you go? I
know that some of them.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
You have business colleagues where you'll feel the need or
the opportunity to get together after work. Is there a
place where you go with your friends?
Speaker 4 (24:11):
I would say usually when there's just like events and
fun things to go to. Right, I'm going to go
see a concert at the OC Fair, Like if you're
around the area, Ludicrous and the Ying Twins place.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, we're gonna go.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
And speaking of the fair, the OC Fair is on
right now, right, So if any of our viewers and
listeners want to go to the fair, it's in cost
to Mesa.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Yep, it's in coast to Mesa. It's a blast, tons
of ride, fun food. They have the pig races, which
are always really fun and got your face painted and
grab some drinks and you know, not so good for
you food. Have a blast, and they have a lot
of concerts through the fair, So if you want to
go see some music, then it's a great way to
go have some fun with your family or with your
(24:55):
friends or your significant other as well. So it's a blast.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
I mean I go every year.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Will you go there with your little girl? Is it
a good family experience?
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (25:04):
We usually go during the day with our daughter and
we make sure that we see the pig races, which
she loves. We already did take her this year, so
I definitely highly recommend going. And they even have like
an animal section where there's a petting zoo. You can
go through the animals and you can also there's a
crop section to see you know, different vegetables being grown
(25:25):
and fruits, and then they have a whole section for
kids rides, so she went on a ton of rides.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
So we bought a lot of tickets.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
For mini roller coasters and just all these fun rides
for kids, so that she had a blast. I definitely
highly recommend taking your kid to the fair, and if
you want it to be less busy, you can go
during the day and during the weekday if you can.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Where's your favorite place to watch the sunset?
Speaker 4 (25:51):
My favorite place to watch the sunset so I anywhere
that's along the beach, you know. So if I could
go down to Huntington Beach and go on the pier
right or in a seal beach and go over by
the pier, then you have a whole three hundred and
sixty degree view over there.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
That's where I would enjoy watching the sunset.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
And we're so lucky because as you drive north on
Coast Highway through that area at sunset, you just have
a panoramic view at the end of Coast Highway right
as you drive north at sunset time, even if you
have to be driving, you can't stop and watch it.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
It's it's just absolutely breathtaking phenomenal.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
Yeah, and if you're on the boardwalk right, like it's
beautiful to see the sunset when you're taking a bike
ride or a walk, so you can see that any
of those boardwalks there in Huntington or Long Beach, it's
always beautiful to see the sunsets from there.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
It is, it is. We are so blessed here.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
So is there a local event or a festival that
you would never miss?
Speaker 4 (26:54):
A local event or festival, So we always go to
the OC Fair. If I was local, and if living
in Huntington Beach, I would say check out the US
Open if.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
You can go. It's always a very you know.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
Fun event. That's we're lucky to have it here. You know,
it doesn't happen anywhere else. So I would go to
the US Open. And I just like to go in
little things, the concerts in the park right and the
movies on the beach, like the take advantage of the
community events that you can go to.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
It's always a blast. So that's what I like to do.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Have you ever thought about leaving Southern California living somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I mean, so many people are moving out of state.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
Right. When I first got into the business in the
real estate world eight years ago, it felt like nobody
considered moving out of state, right, and as you know
about everybody, I feel like so many people think about it.
I have not considered it, especially because I love it
here and my husband is going to retire here with
a pension at like fifty eight, so we're not going.
(27:57):
We're not going anywhere now. And honestly, I highly doubt
would be able to leave the Ocean. Thought about it,
but I don't think it'd be really reality. I don't
know if I could ever really leave, So I want.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
To move closer to the absolutely absolutely. I think a
lot of us would.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Have this dream that we could have a home in Tennessee,
or a home in Arizona and one here too, right,
or home in Nevada and one here too, but that's
not always very realistic for many of us. What do
you hope your child gets out of growing up in
southern California.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
I just want her to have fun and enjoy like
the outdoor activities that we have here.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
She's in swim class at water safe, which.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
Has been around forever, and she's learning how to swim,
and I just want her to be able to use
go on the go in the ocean, have fun, float
in the ocean right, be able to relax and have
fun with her friends, and like you said, like have
the bonfires, right, go on the water taxis just experience
this type of life that so many others don't get experienced.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
I just feel very fortunate.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
And I want her to be able to go paddle
boarding or kayaking or go on duffy boat rides and
be able to do those things with friends too, writ
or maybe clients one day, and just be immersed in
the community around us. That's what I've her to be
able to do.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
Do you have Duffy rides in the Long Beach Aerriam?
Speaker 4 (29:26):
Yeah, yep. So there are daffy boats that are over here.
They have a couple different locations. There's one near Marina
Pacifica in Long Beach close to pch and then there's
another one that's close to Ballast Point over there in
Long Beach that you can rent them from.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
And again there's the gondola rides.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
Too, So yeah, there's a lot of Daffy rentals, or
you can get Duffy rentals in Newport, right, so I
take those some hometimes too. Yeah, there's a lot of
places to rent and you get group ons. So a
lot of us locals look for group group for Debbie rides.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Oh sure, yeah, don't forget about the group hons and
the coupons, right, all the other things. If you had
friends coming from out of state, you had a perfect
Saturday night, what would you do together?
Speaker 4 (30:14):
So I think it would depend on what their desires are,
what they like to do, right. I think there's so
many things that we don't take advantage of when we
live here, to be honest with you, right, because we
live still close to La So I think if there
was a sporting event that they wanted to go to,
whether it's an Angel's game or a Dodg's game, or
(30:35):
see a specific concert, or go what some kind of sport,
I'd probably taken them to some sort of event if
that's what they're into. Yeah, I would showcase in there.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
If they're kids. I know people feel differently right about Disneyland,
but let's be honest.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
If there's a kid that wants to see some magic,
then I think it's always a good idea to take them.
You know, my daughter what for the first time finally,
and literally she can't stop talking about it. So if
you're not from here, I'd recommend giving that experience.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Well, there's just nothing like Disneyland experience.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Once you're inside the Magic Kingdom, you're in a different world.
And there are so many people in this world who
will never get the opportunity to be at Disneyland, and
there's just something about that. Now, certainly, the good news
is we are so lucky that that's not the only
thing to do here. They think, we think when people come,
(31:35):
they all want to go to Disneyland, But I don't
think that's true.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
I think some of the things you've talked about.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Today, people never get to do a gondola ride, or
they never get to go to a rooftop restaurant in
Huntington Beach and look at the sunset the way that
we do, or to go to the parks and all
of the great things. And I didn't know about the
water taxi. So all of these are great. Okay, So
let's do some lightning around, let's have some fun, all right,
(32:01):
you ready, Okay, all right, Huntington Beach or Long Beach
for breakfast, Long Beach best pure for a stroll, Huntington Beach.
Flip flops or Tendis flip flops, tacos or Pokey tacos.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
But Pokey's not far behind.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
One so Cal myth that you would love to bust, but.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Not everybody can afford to live here. You can find places.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
That's nice of you to think that.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
Okay, three words get describe your So Cal life today.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Fun, exciting, enjoyable.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Great great words.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
If someone came here and wanted to live like a
local in Huntington or Long Beach, where would you send them?
Speaker 4 (32:49):
I would send them in Long Beach, I'd just I'd
send them to Second Street, go to the boardwalk, go
to Horny Corner for the beach, hang out, moose areas,
be immersed in the community.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Said from a true Southern California raised gl Dana, thank
you for taking us on your journey through Southern California life.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
This has been a real treat to see it through
your eyes.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
I love that you reminded us that this place is
more than just palm trees or just more than the surf,
but it's about community and family and the memories that.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
We get to build here.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
If you are our listeners and our viewers, If you're
listening today and you want to see some of Dana's spots,
just let us know. We'll have us a list on
our website and our YouTube channel for you. Maybe you'll
even bump into Dana and her family. If you buy
a house in this area, you may run into her.
That way, she may service you with your title needs.
(33:46):
And if you're a local, tell us about your hidden gems.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Where do you like to go?
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Where would you want to share with the other listeners
and viewers of our show. Thank you Dana very very much.
Until next time, keep your fl flop sandy, your coffee ice,
and your sunset's colorful. This is Valerie signing off from
SOCAW with val. We'll see you again next week. Thank you, Dana,
(34:11):
you so much. Did you know that for every dollar
spent at a local business, nearly seventy cents stays in
the community. Well, Today on SOCAW with val we're diving
into a new movement that's putting Long Beach makers on
the map literally. We're joined by Leanna, the creator and
(34:34):
founder of Seek It Long Beach, a brand new startup
that brings the convenience of online shopping think Amazon, but
with a meaningful twist. Every product is sourced locally. Seek
It is about discovering, supporting, and celebrating the creativity and
craftsmanship here in Long Beach, and we all know there's
(34:56):
lots of it, from handcrafted candles, an artisan reads, two
unique home decor and wellness goods. Seek It as creating
a digital storefront for the best of our city while
giving small businesses a powerful new way to reach customers.
In this conversation, Leanna will share the story behind the
(35:18):
platform how vendors can join in. So if you have
an idea or product, hold on that's going to come.
Turn up your volume, roll up your windows, and just
going to tell us why keeping it local isn't just
a nice idea, it's the future of sustainable shopping. So
let's jump in. Welcome Leanna, thank you so much for
having me.
Speaker 5 (35:37):
Mallorie.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
You are welcome.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
So we were told about you by one of your
friends in Long Beach and they said.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
You have to have this lady on your show.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
Let's get a little bit of background, because I've seen
your impressive background.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
You're an amazing lady and entrepreneur.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
And you've told us about your amazing family and how
you're inspired by other women, and you're in your family,
But what inspired you to come up with this idea
and why Long Beach?
Speaker 6 (36:05):
That's a great question, and part of how I ended
up here is the beauty of Long Beach and how
we all support each other. So the story came from
on Inauguration Day. I was watching and I just saw
the front row of all of the tech CEO billionaires,
(36:25):
and in my heart, I was like, I can't keep
supporting the consolidation of wealth and power for these few people.
And then so I decided at that point, Okay, I'm
going to cancel my Prime membership and I'm going to
move forward with shopping as I normally do, just without
(36:46):
the convenience of Amazon Prime. And then shortly after, their Target,
which was which was my haven, decided that they were
going to roll back all of their DEI policies. So
from there I was like, Okay, I'm boycotting Target along
with everyone. I canceled my Prime membership. How can I
(37:07):
shop as easily and conveniently?
Speaker 5 (37:10):
And sorry, go.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Ahead, no bad question.
Speaker 6 (37:15):
Yeah, So I was like, you know, it's hard for
you know, if you're used to the convenience of finding
something online and getting it delivered quickly, it's not convenient
for local stores oftentimes. You know, I'm not going to
go to every single one of their online shops, and
I'm not going to drive around town looking for the
same things. So I decided that I needed to have
(37:38):
a marketplace where I could shop and discover as easily
as I could on Amazon, and get it delivered as quickly,
if not quicker than Amazon as well.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
And you've been able to accomplish that apparently.
Speaker 5 (37:53):
Yeah, we're working on it right now.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
So those of us who are listening to you our thinking, well,
I mean, that's number one, a big undertaking, and.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Is it even possible?
Speaker 1 (38:03):
We know that many people dream of creating an alternative
to the monolith called Amazon, but they never follow through.
It's too big of a project or they just can't
get their hands around it. What made you take the
leap then into action and how did you see that
you could even possibly do this.
Speaker 6 (38:25):
I was talking to my community, a lot of other
moms and friends, and I presented the idea to them,
and almost everybody I talked to is you know, nobody
really feels great about shopping on Amazon, but it's what
they need to do because it's just the.
Speaker 5 (38:43):
Modern day convenience of everything.
Speaker 6 (38:46):
And so I you know, although you know, sure it's
Amazon style when you break it down into just like
the city limits right now, and that's what we're building
right now for our the first flagship model is just
within the city. It just feels a lot more digestible.
And then from there we can build this flagship model
(39:07):
that can then be replicated in other cities and run
by other cities in a way that feels much more
like native to the local communities.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
So for our listeners and our viewers, let's just be
clear about where you are.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
You're in the city of Long Beach, right, which is.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Pretty much the south on the coast of Los Angeles County, right, yes, right,
So it's just north of Orange County and on.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
The south side of.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Los Angeles County, right right on the coast.
Speaker 5 (39:44):
Correct.
Speaker 6 (39:44):
Yeah, We're still in Los Angeles County and where our
border is Seal Beach, so right on the border of
LA and Orange County.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
And Long Beach feels so uniquely Long Beach.
Speaker 6 (39:55):
It's definitely not La and it's definitely not Orange County.
There's a very community first spirit in the city.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
And it's a lot of beach vibe, right, but lots
of community. It's a university town, it's a VA hospital town, right,
It's a lot of heritage people that have been there
for a long time. You have the old, big old neighborhoods, correct,
big neighborhoods of large old not Victorian type, but you know,
(40:26):
the older homes. So it's got a lot of diversity
as well as the little beach communities like Naples and
places like that, plus the people inland.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
So it's a very diverse community.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
And that might be good for someone like you because
it gives you a lot of opportunities, right, it's not
just too limited. So how do you think that your
background prepared you for launching a platform like sekt. I
mean it's not only just there's so many elements. It's
a platform, it's the vendors, it's the technology what brought
you to the point where you thought you could do this.
Speaker 6 (41:00):
So I am chronically online because I own a digital
marketing agency and this year is my tenth year owning it.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
So I play by the way.
Speaker 5 (41:13):
Thank you So every day.
Speaker 6 (41:15):
I'm supporting small businesses, primarily our clients, our restaurants and hospitality.
We also do tourism and retail, So I am constantly
talking to everybody small businesses, and I understand the ins
and outs and the problems and the permitting and all
of that stuff. And I also carry with me like
(41:38):
the tech digital part, which most small businesses haven't modernized to.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
So I feel like it's the perfect.
Speaker 6 (41:49):
Blend of being able to understand where I can meet
small businesses and offer them something that they can easily
move forward in the modern tech age.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
So let's get into it. So what will the shopping
experience be like unseek it? Is it going to be
simply an app? Is it going to be web based?
Speaker 3 (42:09):
Going be both?
Speaker 6 (42:11):
So we're currently starting with and launching with the web
based platform and it will eventually become an app as well,
but we wanted to really like test the model and
make sure that there was a market for it before
we dive too deep into the app and additional development.
Speaker 1 (42:30):
And what kind of businesses or artisans are you currently
onboarding and what's your criteria?
Speaker 3 (42:35):
What are you looking for?
Speaker 6 (42:38):
So the criteria that we want is a Long Beach
based business with a business license, the proper insurance and.
Speaker 5 (42:46):
Goods like physical goods to start.
Speaker 6 (42:49):
Because the way that we're going to do the delivery
system is similar to what they call like Amazon's last
mile delivery, where they take it from the store and
then within a batch take it to We'll take it
to the person's residence. So it's not necessarily like a
Postmates where you pick it up from the restaurant and
you take it right to the person. It'll be more
(43:10):
of a batched delivery system. So in addition to business
license insurance, we also, I mean, we want everyone, like
in the true form of Amazon, we want all people
to be on there, if you're a home based business,
if you're an artist, if you're a hardware store, a
(43:33):
clothing store, all of it.
Speaker 1 (43:36):
So from the businesses standpoint, what challenge do they face
when they're competing with giants like Amazon? And how do
you help alleviate that challenge for the small business?
Speaker 6 (43:49):
So the challenge that they face is just reduced foot traffic.
Everybody is so used to being able to just order
something online, people don't really want to go into the
stores anymore.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
And I do feel like.
Speaker 6 (44:04):
And I do feel like that, like that personal element
is missing and my fear and what I want seek
It to help combat is the fact that you know,
I love restaurants, but a lot of like areas, shopping
areas and main streets are now just all bars and
restaurants because retail can't afford to be on main street
(44:25):
anymore because the margins are thin, and we lose that
third space of these places to actually go and shop
same day. And for me, it's it's about like supporting
their dreams the way that the community used to be
and keeping our dollar there.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
We had interviewed someone this week from the Los Angeles
Conservancy who talked about what happens when these restaurants or
these yeah restaurants have been there for fifty years and
then they disappear, you know, then what happens to them?
Speaker 3 (44:58):
And this is kind of the same thing.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
So in a city though that's always changing as much
as Long Beach does because it's always moving fast forward.
How do you see seek It being able to balance
scalability and how will you be able to grow and
still say folk, are you know folk local focus? Will
you be able to have we have like a franchise
(45:22):
or what will happen will you be able to grow?
Speaker 3 (45:25):
Is do you plan on just staying in Long Beach.
Speaker 6 (45:30):
So my plan for seek It is to build the
best possible product in Long Beach, which includes it's starting
with the Amazon style model, but I really want to
become a local hub for where you find out about
all of the events in the city because there's no
centralized place the same way that LA and OC Weekly
(45:50):
used to be able to go and be like, Okay,
I know everything that's happening.
Speaker 5 (45:53):
There's not that.
Speaker 6 (45:54):
Now you have to like follow individual businesses and stuff
to see what they post on Instagram. And I also
have a model built in in the future to support
restaurants in a way that they aren't currently being supported.
So the platform is going to expand into different verticals.
(46:15):
And what I would like to do is be able
to have that model that can be then licensed to
other cities run by other cities, because I always think
about if somebody were to take this model into Long
Beach that wasn't from Long Beach or didn't understand the culture,
it would fall flat.
Speaker 5 (46:33):
And so I think that.
Speaker 6 (46:36):
You know, giving other cities the tools to run a
successful model is going to be the secret.
Speaker 3 (46:44):
Sauce, and how do you make money?
Speaker 1 (46:47):
Make money when you advertise local events. Certainly that's a
service that we all would love to have, but how
does it make you a profitable business the.
Speaker 6 (47:00):
Event We're still working on the back end of the
event model, but you know, commissions through ticket sales becoming
a ticketing service, or you know, referral based on the.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
Back end, sure, and the same with restaurants and so forth.
Speaker 6 (47:16):
Yeah, same, A lot of these, a lot of the
already like built tech.
Speaker 5 (47:20):
For instance, open table.
Speaker 6 (47:22):
If you if you discover a restaurant on open table
and book from their site, open table gets a dollar
fifty for every reservation that's made, So a lot of
But if you go to a restaurant's website and you
book directly from their website, open table doesn't.
Speaker 5 (47:39):
Take a referral fee of course.
Speaker 6 (47:42):
So there's a lot of these like back end referral
fees and commissions that are already baked into the tech
that I think that we can help support on the
Long Beach hyperlocal side.
Speaker 3 (47:55):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
And then there are some people, of course who are
going to want to work with you because they they
believe as you do that.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
Why wouldn't I.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
Want to support local business, right? And they're either the
reach the vendors, or the owners, or the employees, or
just people like you who think it's the right thing
to do or the best thing to do. And certainly
in places like Long Beach that have been such an
established city for so long, there's just something about going
back to that store that's been there for fifty years. Right,
(48:24):
So what's the criteria for who your people will be?
What you said everything, But if someone's as artisan or
they don't have a store, can they participate also?
Speaker 6 (48:36):
Yeah, So I had had this conversation with another woman.
She's a ceramic artist, and you know, she hadn't fully
heard of the delivery side of things, and she was like, oh,
I would love to be able to deliver my work
because she doesn't have a storefront. And it got me
thinking that we're also going to allow the sellers to
(48:58):
self deliver if they want to. So if you're if
you know, if you work from home or you have
a studio from home and you don't feel comfortable with
a delivery service coming, you all be able to dispatch
the own like those shop owners to go deliver to
their own customers.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
And will you be a membership based program kind of
like Amazon Prime.
Speaker 5 (49:23):
Yes, So we're going to have two different memberships.
Speaker 6 (49:27):
One will be for the shoppers and one will be
for the sellers as well, and both of them are
tiered systems. So for sellers, it was very important for
me to have a no upfront cost option for them.
So the base here is zero dollars and basically you
(49:48):
only pay the commission based on what you sell. So
it's important in a marketplace to really build up the
supply and I wanted people to I wanted there to
be very low barriers to entry. And on that note,
the way that we're building out the marketplace is that
if you have an existing Shopify or Square account, it
(50:11):
sinks to your store automatically, including the inventory. So it's
almost like a one click onboarding process for the shops.
Because that to me was very convenient because I know
the shops are overwhelmed with all kinds of things to do.
Speaker 1 (50:27):
Sure, absolutely, so this is really exciting. What are some
of the businesses and vendors that you've already signed up
and that have given you their commitment to be on
your platform.
Speaker 6 (50:39):
I have not gotten there yet I've had over thirty
sellers that have signed up.
Speaker 5 (50:45):
I am. I'm currently working with the Four.
Speaker 6 (50:49):
Street BID and i BID is a business improvement district,
So I do the marketing for four Street and have
for several years. And so the executive director has slated
me for the agenda to start using all of the
four Street Long Beach businesses to start onboarding.
Speaker 1 (51:10):
How exciting, How exciting? And you don't have any limitation
to the type of product, right, It can be anything
that someone would find online anywhere else they could find unsecret,
is the plan right?
Speaker 2 (51:23):
Correct?
Speaker 3 (51:24):
Yes, this is really exciting. It's very exciting.
Speaker 1 (51:27):
This is amazing that you've been taking this on and
what keeps you motivated when you must have some hard days?
Speaker 6 (51:35):
I for this project in particular, it was one of
those things I'm just this isn't about me on any level.
It's just something that I feel like it's my duty
to the community. Because of my skill set, I feel
like I'm the perfect person to get this going. And
(51:56):
you know, like my developer a good friend, have a
relationship with him ready with my digital marketing agency, so
and I have a marketing background, so I don't need
to hire another marketing agency. Everything is just like right
in my lap, and it feels like my my duty
to execute it.
Speaker 1 (52:15):
And where do you see seek It in five years?
What's your plan?
Speaker 6 (52:20):
I would love to see seek It Chicago and Austin
and expanding into other cities.
Speaker 1 (52:28):
What would you like our listeners and our viewers to
know about you or anything you'd like them to take
away from this?
Speaker 6 (52:34):
And remember, I would like them to take away the
idea that you know, every day they are voting and
making choices with where they spend their money. And if
you can spend your money, you know, locally and with.
Speaker 5 (52:50):
Small business, it makes such a difference.
Speaker 6 (52:52):
And if we're not continuing to invest in these businesses,
they will go away and then we will all end
up with the same things.
Speaker 1 (53:02):
And I'm sure that your supporters are all all in
and they're so excited for you as well. This is
in it so inspiring and so exciting, how one woman's
vision can not only uplift an entire community, but can
really make a difference in how things are done, how
cities are promoted, how small business can make it.
Speaker 3 (53:22):
And actually, let's just.
Speaker 1 (53:24):
Realize that we are all this is a small business country.
Speaker 3 (53:27):
I'm a small business. You're a small business.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
You know you've got a background a small business, and
we're it not for small business, where would be be
and we need to continue to support that. So if
you're a maker, a creator, a small business in Long Beach,
see it might just be of the platform that you
have been waiting for. And if you're a local shopper
looking to buy better, shop smarter and support the heartbeat
of the city and you've been wishing you've had a
(53:51):
way that you could shop local and go against you know,
the big big box, so to speak, this is your opportunity.
So to sign up, either as a buyer or as
a vendor, visit seek it lb dot com that's s
e e k e t l b dot com and
follow them on Instagram at sekt lb that's at s
(54:13):
e e k e t l b. Leanna, thank you
so much for joining us and for creating a space
where local truly means something. And do our listeners. Remember
the community has built one choice at a time. As
she said, vote with your dollars, Shop with your dollars.
Until next time, I'm Valerie, van is over and this
is so cow with val We'll see you next Friday afternoon,
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