All roads lead to Retro Row

Retro Row in Long Beach, south of LA, was not in the guide book. We found out about it thanks to a tip-off from the concierge at our hotel (Vanden's - a boutique hotel rightly recommended by TripAdvisor members). It's a collection of shops with a loose vintage vibe, an excellent coffee bar and neighbourhood hangout, Portfolio Coffee House and one of the most fearsome barber shop signs I've come across.


Just five or six blocks from downtown Long Beach, Retro Row has a totally different feel to the modern and sanitised centre and rather dull shopping mall. The first indication that you're about to encounter somewhere different is the splayed out front end of a 1950 Chevrolet marking the corner of a scruffy public park. It ought to look as though the car was abandone; instead it fittingly denotes your entry into a 1950s or earlier nostalgia trip.


Pass the laundromat, mechanics offering deals on smog checks and the clothes exchange and retirement apartments and you'll see a tiny cinema that's been kept neat with regular painting but hasn't been prettified to be filmset-ready. California has preserved many of its striking art deco cinemas - this one feels as though it is simply still in the Fifties. 


Our favourite shop was a kids' gift store with a goth twist - a skull cake had pride of place in the window while a CD of death metal lullabies caught our eye. We couldn't resist buying one as a gift for our friends Neil and Ruth's baby. 

The modest shop signage and a lack of chain stores add to the period appeal of Retro Row. Unfortunately, we were there earlier in the day than the leisurely 11am or noon opening times for some of the stores. This meant we didn't get to go in and nose around the skate shop, so I wasn't able to fulfill my rollerchick fantasy and pick up pink legwarmers, skates and a twirly skirt in which to glide langorously along Venice Beach. (I'll plan my next Retro Row visit accordingly; weekends are clearly the main trading days here.)


We did hang out at Portfolio Coffee House though - a large corner establishment towards the far end of the four-block strip where students, business-y types and casual visitors like ourselves congregated. Its vast windows make it ideal for people-watching and we soon found ourselves relaxing with its chilled-out vibe. 


And lest you forget that California is about more than bikers, rollerskating chicks, surfer dudes and conspicuous consumption, there are several stores devoted to hippie fashion. Entering these is like walking on to the set of Tales Of The City. In fact, Retro Row in general reminded me of San Francisco. In one vintage store, we were greeted by an impossibly handsome, beautifully tanned male shop assistant with a tight bum and wide flares. The fashion itself was more than thrift shop chic, too - apparently set dressers from Hollywood regularly make the 30 minute ride down the highway to source vintage clothes from here. It's certainly well worth the diversion.