Meet the January 2021 "Life is Great in the 908" Subscription Box!
Every three months our magazine delivers a "local" subscription box to residents all over Long Beach, showcasing awesome items from small businesses across the 908'!
You can sign up for the next one by clicking here!
The January 2021 box was a hit! Let's meet the owners of the six featured businesses and learn about what they included in the box!
Plantiitas
Beautiful and green indoor houseplants should be accessible to all! That’s the mindset behind Plantiitas, an exciting new nursery that opened on 4th street in 2020. Partners Anthony Diaz and Kevin Alcaraz were selling plants out of their apartment when business began to exceed storage limitations. They’re thrilled to now own a beautiful, lively, and green brick and mortar in their beloved community.Since moving here six years ago, Long Beach has been an amazingly friendly, diverse, and accepting place for the two to start their marriage, and to now grow a business.
Plantiitas carries a variety of house plants and receives weekly new arrivals. Anthony and Kevin don’t believe in a “green thumb” or “black thumb” instead they suggest giving your plant attention once a week and getting a feel for it! Houseplants also make a great gift if you feel there’s someone in your life that would enjoy the sparkle of this Croton Gold Dust!
In This Box
Croton Gold Dust is meant to place in your home or room and improve your mood this year. It’s an easy to care for plant- place near a brightly-lit place and water every 7-10 days just enough to keep the soil moist. Don’t overwater! Mostly listen to your plant, water when you see fit, talk to it if you want, and enjoy the natural beauty and life it represents!
In Their Words
“We saw how much plants helped our mental health. We saw the benefits and being 1st generation Mexican American (Anthony) and Mexican (Kevin), we wanted to make house plants accessible to everyone, from all backgrounds and incomes.” Says Anthony.
Learn more and shop at https://www.plantiitas.com!
Static Salon
RaChelle Daniels, owner of Static Salon, has created a popular community salon here in Long Beach based on the principles of culture, giving back, and being fiercely community driven. In the past she has been known for her charitable events such as haircuts for homeless and environmental fundraisers.
However, this year, like others in her industry, she is fighting tooth and nail to keep afloat. Through creativity, innovation and pure drive she is keeping her head and her employee’s heads up and also sticking to her “Aveda” roots by putting her world and her environment before herself.
She says it’s her Aveda sales that have truly kept her in business this past year during ordered shutdowns and she invites you to try Static Salon’s Aveda products and also invites you to schedule a haircut once they are open or buy a gift card from Static or another salon to help keep the industry afloat and independently owned.
In This Box
Static Salon is including one of Aveda’s flagship products, their Rosemary Mint Body Wash. An invigorating, refreshing, all-natural, ethical, and 100% vegan skin product.
In Their Words
“This pandemic has been extremely tough on a lot of people I know that first hand. Instead of a coupon, I would like to offer a full haircut, color, and style ($400 value) to someone who has been economically effected by this pandemic. Email me to nominate yourself or someone who could use this right now. I may even pick multiple winners. I know how hard this pandemic has been and what a positive boost a new hairdo can give to someone’s confidence!”
Learn more and shop at https://www.staticsalonandspa.com!
Romeo Chocolates
Circa 2007 Romeo Garcia was working in higher education, helping underserved students gain access to college. While he loved his job, he needed a creative outlet so he began attending chocolate culinary classes on the weekends. He completed all the classes he could find where he was living in San Francisco but he wasn’t done learning. He had fallen in love with chocolate.
So he hopped on a plane to Belgium, immersed himself in the school and culture of chocolate, memorized the tastes, smells, pairings, aesthetics, and romance of chocolate, moved to Long Beach in 2013 and opened up Romeo Chocolates. What we have access to on Pine Ave in our city is truly a wondrous playground for a growing craft chocolate movement that much like wine, can be crafted, sourced, paired, combined, and enjoyed in an infinite number of ways.
In This Box
Romeo’s “Emergency Chocolates” were created with the idea in mind, that sometimes you just need that mid-day emergency pickup. The turtle shape is inspired by Chef Romeo’s travels to Hawaii where he learned about the “Honu” which stands for prosperity, good luck, and optimism. The “Big City” Box also includes a “Bliss Berry Bar.” This bar is the perfect Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day gift. All Romeo’s favorite berries blended with semi-sweet Belgian dark chocolate balances perfectly together for “berry bliss.”
In Their Words
“Everything we want you to experience and discover with our chocolate is based on the roots of social justice and fair trade chocolate. Like wine from different regions, we know the different regions your chocolate comes from, how it is harvested, ethically sourced, and what the subtle differences there are in taste.”
Learn more and shop at https://romeochocolates.com!
Soapko Artisan Soaps
With a lifelong interest in natural products, Sokko began to research and practice the soap making process on many late nights, when she couldn’t sleep, after the passing of her mom in 2018. Pretty soon she started a home made soap business. “Soaps by Sokko” turned into “Soapko” and she began offerings from face and body soap, to body butters, sugar scrubs, and skin oil.
The big difference between what you get with Soapko as opposed to store-bought soaps is a variety of skin benefiting oils and butters that are used to make the soaps. Sokko was shocked to learn that the majority of store bought soaps are made with animal fat, and that some plant based soaps were actually made with cheaper, massed produced oils such as corn oil, or soy, as well as other added chemicals. Soapko soaps and products are made using generous amounts of organic or unrefined oils and butters such as shea butter, cocoa butter, olive oil, and coconut oils, all of which contain individual and amazing skin health benefits.
In This Box
Soapko has included a body bar and two honeycombs for facewash in the “Big Town” box and one honeycomb for facewash in the “Small Town” box, a customer favorite, which has a secret ingredient of honey!
In Their Words
“When you use the product I want you to breathe it in, feel the product, and then just relax,” says Sokko. “All our soaps are made with sustainable care, intention in products, and Long Beach love.” She invites you to check out her affordable collection on Instagram @soapko.a.s or in person at the Fair Trade Long Beach store in Parkview Village.
Learn more and shop at https://www.instagram.com/soapko.a.s/!
Long Beach Jerky Co.
The Long Beach Jerky Co. was founded by Alex Naticchioni and Richie Beckman in July 2013, but the roots of the venture go back 30+ years.
Alex’s grandfather “Gramps” (Albert Naticchioni Sr) perfected his recipe of beef jerky and made it once a year for family to enjoy. Every Christmas their stockings were filled with bags of jerky.
Wanting to continue the Christmas tradition, Alex began making his own beef jerky and teamed up with Richie in January 2013 in their small apartment kitchen in Long Beach as a hobby. The weekend event of jerky making and beer drinking turned into a business venture virtually overnight. After several trial runs of the original recipe, they started exploring other recipes and experimenting in the beef jerky world. They explored, tasted, researched and ate more beef jerky than you could imagine and now have 4 recipes … All USDA approved and packaged! Long Beach Jerky Co. was born.
LB Jerky Co uses choice ingredients in the making of their product and feel that simple is better. Following in “Gramps’” footsteps, this one time holiday tradition has turned into a local favorite and one that is meant to be shared by all. “Here’s to you, Gramps.”
In This Box
Enjoy a bag of the jerky that started it all. Gramps original recipe! “Big City” Box subscribers also get a fun extra flavor to try!
In Their Words
“Holding true to Gramps’ style, we use only 100% USDA Choice angus beef and put emphasis on the importance of the quality meat we use. We stay true to the old fashioned, thick cut style, but one that won’t rip your teeth out,” says Alex
Learn more and shop at http://lbjerkyco.com/home/!
Tenni-Moc’s Shoe Store
Tenni-Mocs Shoe Store specializes in comfort shoes and fitting. Their showroom on Spring Street is recently expanded and now beautifully displays their extremely large selection of comfort shoes for troubled feet! Owner Alex Maltezos took over the store from her grandpa who was in business for 5 decades! Some of his original customers still shop with Alex!
Tenni-Moc’s Shoe Store hopes you help them spread the word that them and other small businesses are STILL OPEN! Even during COVID they are finding solutions to help people who still like to touch and try their shoes before buying. From local delivery, to store appointments, to home-fittings, to online shopping at tenni-mocs.com, this local store is ready to help you and your family members. Just give them a call or a visit on their website! They are still here now and they will still be here when this all ends to help the population of people that craves the extra care and attention that comes with in-person shopping!
In This Box
The “reading socks” that Tenni-Moc’s Shoe Store is including in our box is their best selling gift each holiday season! Made out of hypoallergenic acrylic blend material, they have the little gummies on the bottom so you won’t slip around, they are non-binding so you wont get marks around the leg, and most of all they are warm and cozy to be used over and over this Winter!
In Their Words
“It’s always my goal to make comfort shoes more fashionable and less scary,” says Alex. “We try to apply lifestyle to comfort. Orthopedic shoes that your doctor would prescribe to you that you wouldn’t want to wear— we try to bridge that gap between comfort and fashion.”
Learn more and shop at https://tenni-mocs.com!
