How a man from Naples Island taught us all about wine

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Morry’s of Naples sells fine liquors, exotic cheeses and badger-bristled men’s shaving brushes—but it’s famous because three generations of the Rabin family have done one thing very well: sell wine. Seventy years ago, that was revolutionary.
When the store opened in 1938—later, the [...]

Around the city in eight erotic shops

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
As the old saying goes, when opportunity knocks, don’t blow it—strap it on. Or at least that’s what you do when given the chance to explore some of Long Beach’s kinkiest (and not so much!) sex shops. From Phat Toys and the Purple Onion to ConRev [...]

Merry’s makes your world a little bit smaller

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Thumbing the price tags at Merry’s (“Fashion With Passion”) is a lot like playing with a globe—eyes closed, index on the surface as it spins, as your seven-year-old self used to do—only here, your finger never stops on Paris, Pittsburgh or Perth. Instead, you land [...]

Bo’s Cigars offers a members-only setting with a porch stoop feel

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
On the northwest corner of Long Beach City College’s main campus, the unmistakable aroma of cigar smoke hangs in the air, a peculiar complement to the smell of fried rice from nearby Chinese and Thai restaurants. Do a little detective work and [...]

People watching and bargain hunting at the Long Beach Outdoor Antique and Collectible Market

PHOTO by ZACK PIANKO
There are swap meets, and then there’s the Long Beach Outdoor Antique and Collectible Market, which invades Veterans Stadium every third Sunday of the month. Unlike traditional swaps—where dudes with missing teeth sell bootleg CDs and potentially hot tools—the [...]

We all look awful in the morning. Ten Salon & Spa can help

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Last month, American-born screenwriter Tad Safran penned an opinion piece for London’s The Times in which he declared British women, compared to their Yankee counterparts, are “unkempt and lazy” when it comes to grooming. “I am a massive fan of [...]

Refurbished vintage record players are the gospel Retro Stereo’s John Karras preaches

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
John Karras—Dr. John Karras—spends his days at Cal State Long Beach, teaching college counselors of the future how to, well, counsel.
The rest of the time, he runs Retro Stereo—finding and refurbishing stereo components that are old enough to be your father’s, [...]

Shades of Afrika wages war against gentrification

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Some people love Long Beach’s downtown revitalization efforts. Shades of Afrika owner Renee Quarles isn’t one of them. The 47-year-old is one of many who are feeling the effects of a little thing called eminent domain. After thoughts of losing her business to redevelopment loomed over [...]

I’m old. Let’s golf

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Growing old is something everyone deals with in their own special way. I’ve seen hipster couples toting children in strollers and it makes me wonder why Mr. Tattooed Tight Pants and Mrs. Nose Ring chose such a lame way to usher in adulthood, but I’ve found an answer: These [...]

The iron-on ironia of Chicano Style

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Once you get past fact that Chicano Style is in the Lakewood Center mall—and not someplace funkier and less cookie-cutter, like, say, Retro Row—it’s easy to appreciate its mishmash of affordable Mexican-American apparel and Latin pop cult memorabilia.
The boutique’s best sellers are sarcastic Spanish language versions of [...]