Twig Of Laguna Beach Is Almost Ten Years Young

LAGUNA BEACH, CA—An emporium at 1045 S. Coast Highway called Twig of Laguna stocks vintage clothes that look new, and printed tees that appear vintage. The shop displays a great sense of humor in its eclectic offerings, while also supporting local makers. It may remind old-time Laguna shoppers of Chicken Little's Emporium, which was open on Coast Highway closer to downtown from 1970-2003.

Twig opened nearly ten years ago by Susan Elliott, with assistance from her spouse, David Richardson. Though neither had retail experience, they have adapted to changing times and mistakes made along the way. They survived 2020, had a great summer this year, and are ready to celebrate the anniversary in the lead up to the holiday season.

"We're looking at December 11 for the party," Susan says. "We'll probably have a local band inside, and give away free stuff like bags, hats, stickers and snacks. We did the same at our five-year party, and it was our biggest day ever."

After seeing a photo of the 1960s model Twiggy on Twig's Instagram, Patch was curious if the shop was named after the teen icon.

"We picked Twig," says Susan, "because we originally were going to restore lamps and sell them. Mostly the lamps were "tole," which is painted metal with leaves and flowers. So we picked a name that represented the leafy style of the lamps—Leaf and Sprig were also candidates. The lamps were really popular at the time, but then fell out of style. I realized quickly that wasn't going to work, so we switched to cards, gifts and
T-shirts."

Susan says the shop has continued to morph since it opened. But the retired software professional has met each challenge of the retail learning curve.

"The biggest thing I learned is you can't give up. Also, you have to pay attention. If something isn't working you have to fix it. Listen to what people say when they walk in the shop. Listen to people who know more than you. Except don't listen when they are wrong. How do you know? Good question."

She plugged along until finding some brands that fit the store perfectly. "We mix new with vintage, especially '80s and '90s vintage, which people love. We spend a lot of time going to flea markets and vintage warehouses and even peoples' storage units looking at vintage things, and now we know which things people are likely to fall in love with."

Susan and David have lived in Laguna since the early 1990s, and love it. The couple just had dinner at the recently reopened Hotel Laguna, and Susan got a kick out of seeing a "girl sitting across from us was wearing a big pink sweatshirt with cats on the front that I had sold her a couple days ago."

Now that she has 10 years of Laguna retail experience, the shop owner is ready to pass on some of what she's learned.

"If I had to give advice to people thinking of opening a shop in Laguna Beach, I would tell them it is essential to get to know the town. Look around. Sit at a coffee shop and watch people. Look at what they are wearing. Are they tourists or locals? Look at other shops. What seems to be working? Of course you want your own flavor, but it's a puzzle trying to figure out how to be unique but still fit in. That's the fun of it."

Twig is a great place to browse any day of the year. But save the date for December 11 to drop in during the party.