Local Business Highlight: Vine
Vine Interviewed by Lindsey Goodrow In early 2021, after 12 years in operation, Jim Ritson and Sophia Sandoval passed the epic torch of owning 4th Street on Vine over to Dustin Lovelis and Emily Rollins, a couple well-known in the Long Beach music scene. The new owners changed the name ever-so-slightly to Vine in order to freshen their appeal, as some bands are prone to do (such as The Beatles changing from The Quarrymen or Nirvana changing theirs from Fecal Matter). Vine, while simplified from its original name, does not take away from what it is: a wine bar that happens to play incredible local music almost every night. In order to learn more about how music has always been and continues to be the main feature of this local business, Whipple Group asked owner and musician Dustin Lovelis (The Fling) for some insight: Describe, to us, your business in your own words I like to think of Vine as a community center with free music, beer, wine and glizzys. How did you come up with the idea of opening up your business? What inspired you to open up shop in Long Beach? It wasn't really our idea. We built a strong relationship with the previous owners through playing shows and being regulars there (4th Street Vine). During the shutdown, Emily and I were both considering a career change. Jim and Sophia offered us the bar around the same time. It was our favorite place to hang out and watch music....so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. What goes into being able to play live music at your business? Why is it important to you to be able to play live music? What are your favorite bands? We do our best to give everyone a chance to play. Really, all it takes is being able to share some music with us beforehand so I can find a cohesive bill for the band/artist....and a little patience. We’re usually booked up 2-3 months in advance. There are a lot of amazing bands in town right now...I'd say my 2 favorites at the moment are Self Improvement and Nifegun. What are the rules and regulations behind playing live music? Is the neighborhood supportive of it? Weeknights we have a 10pm curfew for live music. 11pm curfew on Fri/Sat. Most of the neighbors are supportive. Got a couple grumps that don't support the arts nearby. What are some upcoming shows we should be aware of? Grudgepacker April 21, Tijuana Panthers April 22, Dear Nora May 1 What kind of wine do you serve? Old world? Natural? French? What are your favorite varietals? We carry natural wines from all over with a constantly rotating selection.Hard to pick a favorite, right now we have this gamay/pinot noir chilled red that is always a hit.Our best sellers are whatever pet nat and skin contact we are pouring at the moment. Do you serve food? What are your hours for selling alcohol/selling food?We heard you have popups. Are there specific vendors who sell food there? Do you host markets? We have hotdogs (glizzys) and burgerlords veggie dogs. We are open Mon-Thur 5p-11p, Fri 5p-12a, Sat 2p-12p, Sun 12p-12a. We only have food vendors on 4th Fridays (Vegan Bahn Mi Tao) and special occasions. We just had Hamburgers Nice for our 2 year anniversary with Mapache. Are there upcoming events/annual events we should be aware of? Live music almost every night. Tuesdays are local residency nights. $3 Thursdays with DJs and an open invite chess club on the patio (7pm). Ping pong on Sunday afternoons. What advice would you give to other small business owners, especially in your industry? For us having a reason to get people together other than just drinking. Live music is what keeps people coming back. Creating a space that feels safe for artists to share and socialize at the same time. There is a lot of talent in this city and we are elated that people choose Vine to showcase it. What can you offer that other wine bars in the area can’t?Do you feel that there is a level of competition between you and Art Du Vin?(Since it’s right across the street). In my opinion the more people on the street, the better. Art Du Vin offers things that we don't and vice versa. I don't see it as competition. That's for sports. What do you love about owning a small business in Long Beach? I've never felt more connected to the music scene that I do now, even as a local musician. I get to meet so many great local and touring bands on a weekly basis. It's like being on tour forever but I get to sleep in my own bed and not pay for gas. We couldn’t be more grateful for Dustin Lovelis and Emily Rollins taking over Vine and making it their own—our community is lucky to have a space where we can listen to and fall in love with new music every night of the week. For more information on shows coming up at Vine, check their IG page. While you’re at it, give your ears a treat and listen to Dustin’s music here or here.
Long Beach Landmark: The Port of Long Beach
The Port of Long Beach More than a century’s worth of rich economic history Written by Lindsey Goodrow Painting by Jamie Tablason The Port of Long Beach, also called the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach, is an impressive economic gateway that welcomes the world’s largest vessels to its breaches, serving 175 shipping lines with connections to 217 seaports in a multitude of different countries. That’s astounding! Despite its age (having turned 111 years old this year) the Port of Long Beach is dedicated to becoming one of the most state-or-the-art ports in the world, with efforts to move and handle goods as ethically and sustainably as possible. The future is green for our city’s port with plans to lead a $2.6 billion improvement project that will invest in modern and advanced marine facilities, enhancing reliability, safety and sustainability while also generating thousands of new jobs for our community. So what led the Long Beach port to become so massive and successful (ranked 6th largest port in the country and voted “Best West Coast Seaport” by industry peers), and what growth and success has our city seen because of it? We explore the history and prosperity of the Port of Long Beach below. Progress and Perseverance “To reach a port we must set sail – Sail, not tie at anchor Sail, not drift.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt In 1897, the federal government selected the San Pedro Bay over the Santa Monica for its harbor development, which would lead to the construction of the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. Before spanning a whopping 3200 acres and bragging 25 miles of seafront as it does now, the Port of Long Beach ranged a humble 800 acres. It began with the purchase of the Long Beach Harbor’s slough and salt marshes, followed by the construction of the San Pedro The United States Navy unofficially uses the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles as a hub for the Pacific Fleet starting in 1919 and then an economic boom occurs when oil is discovered in Signal Hill in 1921. As demand from the port increases, additional piers are constructed and improvements to the inner and outer harbors are made to accommodate the exponential growth. The Navy would end up acquiring 100 acres of land on Terminal Island from the city of Long Beach for a great deal of $1, establishing a naval station there. The complex employed more than 16,000 people at its wartime peak. In 1944, “A pontoon bridge is put in place as a temporary connector between Long Beach and Terminal Island. The floating bridge separates and is retracted when water traffic needs to enter or leave. Rising and falling tides make the trip across an adventure for local drivers, who occasionally drive off and end up in the channel. The temporary span is in place for nearly a quarter of a century before being replaced by the Gerald Desmond Bridge in 1968.” “Supply Chain Issues” If you were a resident of Long Beach at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, you likely bore witness to a surreal image when looking out to the ocean—of a sea full of ships as far as the eye can see. Ocean liners stacked practically on top of one another. We wanted more stuff at record-breaking levels. This pandemic-fueled boom in e-commerce ended up highlighting weaknesses in our ports’ infrastructure — including its contribution to the area’s disastrous air quality, which ranks among the worst in the country. Trailblazing Innovations World’s Greenest Container Terminal In order to address both the environmental and health impacts that the port has on Long Beach and surrounding cities’ residents, the implementation of the world’s greenest container terminal began in 2001 and was completed just recently in 2021. This impressive operation is a 300-acre mega-terminal with a host of automated, electric and near-zero emission equipment. The terminal can handle 3.3 million containers per year. Projects like this prove that the industry is capable of making smarter choices for our planet and our community. The Port of Long Beach serves a diverse economy, with sectors in manufacturing, services, oil refining, food processing, and marine research. According to the Port of Long Beach website, it “is the premier U.S. gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in innovative goods movement, safety, environmental stewardship and sustainability. The Port handles trade valued at $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million jobs across the nation, more than 575,000 in Southern California, and more than 50,000 jobs – or 1 in 5 – in Long Beach.” While port operations and waste from ships can have a significant impact on water and air quality as well as the health of marine and human life, we can only hope that a push for more green innovations will help offset the harm we’ve caused our planet. Images sourced from https://polb.com/
Local Business Highlight: Shady Grove Foods
WELCOME TO SHADY GROVE FOODS! Serving Gumbo So Good You’ll Want to Roll In It By Lindsey Goodrow When we entered Shady Grove Foods, the Long Beach BBQ joint that opened in August, we immediately spotted David, the patriarch of the family-owned business, sitting at the head of a table inside. He was looking toward the door and onto 4th Street much like a king surveying his kingdom would. His son, Dennis, was busy prepping and cooking for the oncoming rush of dinner patrons. Whipple Group sat down with David (with Dennis interjecting from the kitchen) to learn all about the restaurant’s opening on Retro Row, the challenges and surprises that occurred along the way, and the delightfully unique menu items that’ll kick you in the tastebuds. ORIGIN STORY While Shady Grove may be a new establishment on 4th Street, the fingerlickin’ good BBQ is no stranger to the Long Beach community—they have been serving up ribs, brisket, gumbo, and biscuits to lucky people for the past ten years at farmers markets and in front of businesses in Los Angeles and Orange County. Finally opening up a brick-n-mortar has allowed the business to expand on their Cajun influence like never before, with the space, time, and hands to create new menu items with impressively unique ingredients. Have you ever tried green curry seafood gumbo? Or fish sauce slathered sticky ribs? The restaurant’s menu is a conglomerate of Cajun family recipes and bold experiments with influences from Thai, New Mexican, Santa Maria BBQ, and French cuisine, to name a few. From pop-ups to a brick-n-mortar, David and Dennis Robicheau have “gained traction and expanded due to appropriate creativity, respect for tradition, and use of scratch-made products, such as their house cured bacon,” according to their website. “Their food and their love of Southern Hospitality will make you feel like part of the family.” LONG BEACH BBQ What is Long Beach BBQ? A Shady Grove specialty, this particular type of BBQ is the delicate blend of cultures that permeate in this wonderful city. It differentiates itself from, say, Texas BBQ by using different ingredients as its flavor base. Ingredients include but are not limited to BBQ chili garlic, fish sauce, caramel, and coca cola. DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE SPICE “Spice propels you to keep eating” David Robicheau tells us with a hearty grin on his face. It should be noted, as many of us tend to be sensitive eaters, that many dishes on the Shady Grove menu can kick you right in the tastebuds—in a wonderfully sensational way! Sensitive or not, your mouth will be watering and on fire at the same time, like while eating their famous Smoked Cajun meatloaf. The spices are so flaming good that you won’t be able to put your for down until the plate is completely empty. LET’S GET SMOKING! The original plan was to place the Santa Maria grill and smoker on the back patio, allowing Shady Grove Foods to serve up their famous Long Beach BBQ directly to patron’s mouths. As it turns out, moving forward with a big smoker caused big problems for the newly christened restaurant. The particular location, which is residential, makes it hard to obtain a permit for the smoker. But the Robicheau’s are hoping to get one soon and point to another BBQ spot— The Corner 10th BBQ, located on 10th street in the Rose Park neighborhood of Long Beach—as another example of a BBQ spot that received their smoker permit. The sooner they get this permit, the sooner they can stop BBQing off-site, which would be a huge relief to both patrons and Shady Grove owners and staff! For more information on Shady Grove Foods or to plan a delicious Cajun-and-Creole-inspired catering event, visit: www.shadygrovefoods.com and take a peek at some of the current menu items here: www.instagram.com/shadygrovefoods
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