09 Feb Stumbling Upon Moxi’s Pink Xanadu!
My relationship with California got off to a rocky start! Years ago, I visited during fashion week to help a friend show her collection. I was dismayed by all the pretentious parties, rude fashion people and horrific traffic. I wrote the state off, thinking I did not connect with Southern California. But after my latest trip, I’ve seen the light and realized that I LOVE Socal! I had an incredible time, met the most wonderful people had spectacular adventures.
My favorite CA adventure began when the super wonderful owner of the hotel I was staying at, , suggested I walk down to a cute little section of Long Beach to a street full of vintage shops! He gave me a map with the shops noted and I was off.
I arrived at the street where the shops were all marked with little dots. The map instructed me to go right, but as I began to turn, I had an incredibly strong premonition to turn left. And so I turned, knowing there was something very magical calling me to the left.
About a half a block down I found an adorable shop! It sold vintage treasures, tiki delights and cute jewelry. I left the shop satisfied that I’d found the magical destination which was calling me to the left. But again, as I began to turn right, something called me back to the left. There was something else.
I walked about another block down this street and then- I saw what had been calling me to the left! I could hardly believe my eyes! It was like a mirage of magic in a normal world. A bright pink store and a gigantic roller skate sign welcomed me like friends waiting at the airport for you to emerge from the arrival gate! I went into a slight state of shock as I saw the skates in the window and realized I was about to walk into the !
We sell Moxi’s gorgeous skates at the Lola Star Pop Up Boutique! In fact, my shop had just been on and the piece featured the Moxi skates (and furry hula hoops). I purchase the skates directly from the manufacturer, Riedell. I had a vague idea that some roller derby gal was behind the designs, and I had a vague idea that the had a shop somewhere in California but I had no idea that she was in Long Beach and no idea of the magnitude of awesomeness behind these skates! No doubt, they are the most fabulously incredible skates you’ve ever seen. I really didn’t think I could love them any more than I already did…. but then I met the girl behind the skates…… the incredible Estro Jen.
I walked into the shop still in a bit of shock. Estro skated up to me in hot pink roller skates and asked if she could help me! We began to talk and had endless entrepreneurial roller girl topics to discuss. Just like me, she had a vague idea about Lola Star and Dreamland Roller Rink but really had no idea either! It was like I’d met my roller business soul sister from the other side of the continent. We went to coffee and talked for hours about our victories and disappointments in attempting to reinvent roller skate fashion, culture and re-inject the modern world with it’s magic!
She is building an incredible which is sure to shine all across the world very soon!
Needless to say, I never made it to the vintage shops that were to the right! I stayed at Moxi for the rest of the afternoon chatting with Estro and Rage and meeting an endless stream of amazing skaters who rolled through the Moxi Skate shop! I was so inspired by the fact that, like me, Estro’s business is a manifestation of a . And when your love is pure, your dreams are invincible. I have to confess, that after the set backs of the past few years, loosing my
shop, then loosing the Childs Building where Dreamland Roller Rink was located, I started to forget and doubt that. But this fun afternoon at the Moxi skate shop and meeting the incredibly inspiring Estro Jen helped to restore my dreams.
Estro insisted that I borrow this fabulous pair of hot pink skates so I could skate back to the ! I skated back beaming…..on a path beside the ocean as the moon rose over the Pacific Ocean.
Hopefully one day roller-fabulous ladies like myself and Estro Jen will rule the world!! Stay tuned for a fabulous bi-costal party collaboration between the fabulous worlds of Lola Star and Moxi Roller Skates!!!