Retro Row in Long Beach thrives with more to eat and drink

Although its quirky vibe, midcentury modern treasures and cool old stuff earned Retro Row its name, a different kind of variety is helping to fuel the Long Beach shopping district’s most recent renaissance: the craft beers and curated wine lists offered by a growing number of wine bars and restaurants along the 4th Street strip. There’s a sprinkling of (relatively) new or expanded stores to boot.

Robert Murphy, co-owner of the high-end design store Trebor Nevets, says the change has transformed the street into a gathering place. “At night,” he says, “it’s hipster central.” Sarah Benton, owner of the children’s shop Lil’ Devils, agrees. “We’ve got all these restaurants now. The Art Theatre is booming, the little wine bars are great and there’s live music. It’s changed a lot.”

Retro Row is also bigger. Chris Giaco, co-president of the 4th Street Business Assn. and owner of the vintage emporium inretrospect, says the organization expanded the boundaries of Retro Row by a few blocks (between Cherry and Temple avenues) to include a new restaurant, a record store, a surf shop and a Volkswagen repair service.

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Karen Slease of Gardena searches the racks of Far Outfit for costume possibilities.

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Robert Jackson, 70, of Long Beach, says he visits Far Outfit on East 4th Street in Long Beach often. The store features a wide variety of clothing.

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A selection of glasses frames from the 1970s and 1980s ranging from $20 to $45 are among the items on display at Far Outfit in Long Beach.

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Leather accessories, including a hand-tooled purses, cowboy boots, belts and wallets are among the items at Far Outfit on East 4th Street in Long Beach.

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Johanna Moynahan, owner of Far Outfit, which specializes in midcentury vintage clothing, sustainable clothing and eclectic furnishings.

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Edward Donald Miller, 63, of Long Beach walks past the Flea Espresso Bar on his way to a spot where he’ll play guitar.

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Meilin Munoz, from left, Michelle Filerman, Jonathan Mata and Mayra Pacheco take their lunch break at Social List. Its menu includes handmade sausages and fresh-baked bread.

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A display of colored glass from the 1950s and 1960s, including Murano and Blenko pieces, at Past & Present: Retroda.

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Georges Briard cocktail glasses are displayed along with other fancy mid-century barware at Retroda Past & Present on East 4th Street in Long Beach.

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A vintage kitchen set with Green Fire King mugs, Pyrex dishes, a recipe box and temperature thermometer are among the lifestyle items at Retroda Past & Present on in Long Beach.

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Snapshots costing $2 are among the more than 10,000 items for sale at Retroda Past & Present on East 4th Street in Long Beach.

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An iconic mid-century modern display, including a Plycraft chair, left, and dresser, greets shoppers at Retroda Past & Present.

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With more restaurants and bars coming in, Retro Row on East 4th Street in Long Beach attracts even more shoppers and diners.

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Friends Cyrielle Guy, left, and Irma Case of Long Beach window shop at Past & Present: Retroda on the way to the Art Theatre.

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Books, trophies and miscellaneous tchotchkes are among the more than 10,000 items for sale at Retroda Past & Present on East 4th Street in Long Beach.

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A midcentury hide-upholstered arm chair, a midcentury dresser and a vintage quarter-sawn oak magazine stand at Trebor/Nevets.

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Robert Murphy, co-owner of Trebor/Nevets, an upscale home and decor shop.

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A 1960s era Danish planter(right) by Lois Knudsen is displayed amongst a mixture of old and new items at Trebor/Nevets.

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“Love Is for All” pillows, part of the Trebor/Nevets private-label collection, are on display at the shop. The pillows are made of a mixture of vintage and new fabrics with reproduced photographs of couples.

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West German pottery decorates a tabletop at Trebor/Nevets in Long Beach. A set of four Eames Eiffel Tower chairs by Herman Miller sit around the table.

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Park’s Antiques and Moxi Roller Skate Shop are among the businesses populating Retro Row.

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A colorful display of assorted bangles greets shoppers at inretrospect, one of the largest shops on East 4th Street on Retro Row in Long Beach. The shop carries a little bit of everything: clothing, records, housewares, furnishings, books, jewelry and mid-century styling.

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Assorted wares on display at Inretrospect on Retro Row.

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Swivel-bucket chairs and works by David Weidman, whose art graced the sets of “Mad Men” at Inretrospect.

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Shiny Koike of East L.A. looks through a case at inretrospect, one of the largest shops on Retro Row. Clothing ranges from the 1950s to the 1990s.

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Vintage jewelry mingles with new in a display at inretrospect in Long Beach.

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Much of the clothing at Lil’ Devils Boutique on East 4th Street in Long Beach is made in California.

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Lil’ Libros, bilingual books for babies, are among the items sold at Lil’ Devils Boutique on East 4th Street in Long Beach.

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Lil’ Devils Boutique on East 4th Street in Long Beach sells children’s wear and gifts for ages newborn through 6.

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Line cook Matthew Naujunas prepares meals at Restauration on East 4th Street in Long Beach.

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Sneaky Tiki, one of many shops along Long Beach’s 4th street.

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Restauration is among the shops Retro Row in Long Beach.

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Edward Donald Miller, right in cowboy hat, passes the Art Theatre of Long Beach while walking along East 4th Street in Long Beach.

  (Liz O. Baylen/ Los Angeles Times)

What follows is a highly selective guide to some of Retro Row’s offerings:

Social List

Opened in 2014 by the same folks who brought us Lola’s Mexican Cuisine and the city’s first parking-spaces-turned-patio-seating area across the street. Social List’s offerings include handmade sausages and fresh-baked bread (and, yes, massaged kale is on the menul).

2105 E. 4th St., (562) 433-5478, thesociallistlb.com

4th Street Vine

This neighborhood bar recently added an outpost inside Long Beach Airport, but the good vibes and selections of wine and craft beer are classic Retro Row. There’s live music five nights a week and a menu of small plates — including a “lunch box” with pepperoni, cheese, smoked almonds and crackers and bread, and a charcuterie plate — for anyone who gets hungry while they’re shopping.

2142 E. 4th St., (562) 343-5463, 4thstreetvine.com

Past & Present: Retroda

Beautifully styled displays feature vintage finds, gift items and artisanal goods that come together as “little stories.” Think Midcentury Modern man cave, Hollywood Regency, “Leave It to Beaver” and “The Partridge Family.” The store also offers complimentary gift wrap and an old-fashioned candy counter

2001 E. 4th St., (562) 434-6464, www.facebook.com/retroda

Trebor Nevets

Trevor Nevets is an upscale home and décor shop that offers vintage as well as new and private label and custom furniture made in Los Angeles. It’s kind of like stepping into the super-swell apartment that’s on all your Pinterest boards. (Interior design services available.)

2116 E. 4th St., (562) 901-0600, TreborNevets.com

P3 Artisan Pasta

P-Cubed, as it’s called by locals, serves pizza, pasta and panadas (think empanadas), which is the basis for its name. Marble counters, silver fixtures and crisp white walls offer a cool, modern contrast to rustic, artisanal food, wines and microbrews.

2306 E. 4th St., (562) 439-8565, P3pasta.com

Lil Devils Boutique

If you’ve been searching for the perfect hand-knit lightsaber for the infant in your life, you’re likely to find it here. Pair it with a “The Force Is Strong in This One” onesie and you’re golden. The shop sells children’s wear and gifts for newborns to 6-year-olds; in this store, sophisticated-sassy trumps sugar sweet. Also in house: re-released Fisher-Price toys, such as the Chatter Phone, Xylophone and See-and-Say.

2218 E. 4th St., (562) 439-0555, lildevilsboutique.com

Aji Peruvian Cuisine

In July 2014, Mitto Barriga and Rosita Wang, the owners of P3, opened a second Retro Row restaurant next door to their first. An enormous wooden wine rack behind the bar anchors the space, and Peruvian cuisine is served nightly and for lunch on Sundays. Specials include papa rellena (shredded chicken breast inside a fried pocket of potato dough topped with aji amarillo peppers, ground walnuts and Parmesean) and lomo saltado (beef tenderloin wok-seared with tomatoes and onions).

2308 E. 4th St., (562) 439-8545, AjiPeruvian.com

inretrospect

Owner Chris Giaco says his store, one of the largest on the row, carries “a little bit of everything ... clothing, records, housewares, furnishings, books, jewelry and midcentury stylings from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s — and more recently reaching into the ‘80s and ‘90s as well.” Don’t miss the store’s “objects of coolness” and original works by David Weidman, whose art graced the sets of “Mad Men.”

2122 E. 4th St., (562) 433-6600, inretrospect.co

Restauration

Restauration’s large outdoor seating area comes with vertical gardens, handmade tables and repurposed lighting. Regulars praise the pizza and fries, to say nothing of the bottomless mimosas, Bloody Marys and peach sangria. Bonus: The patio is dog-friendly.

2708 E. 4th Street, 562-439-8822, restaurationlb.com

Far Outfit

Johanna Moynahan opened Far Outfit, which features midcentury vintage clothing, sustainable clothing and eclectic furnishings, in August, but the vibe is all ‘60s and ‘70s. “I loved learning about the history of the ‘60s,” says Moynahan, who was an American studies major. “The ‘60s and ‘70s were totally my bag.” Shop for 1970s maxi dresses, “Saturday Night Fever”-style disco dresses, butterfly-collared shirts and hats, vintage T-shirts and jewelry, men’s Hawaiian shirts and seasonal costumes.

1944 4th St., (562) 686-2707, www.faroutfit.com

Art du Vin

Adjoining the classic Art Theatre, this cozy Art Deco wine bar offers wine (and beer and cider) and small plates, such as charcuterie and cheese selections, from 5 p.m. to midnight. The heated patio attracts locals who love to people-watch.

2027 E. 4th St., (562) 286-4634, www.artduvinwinebar.com

And don’t forget about ...

Meow (for shoppers who love vintage): 2210 E. 4th St., (562) 438-8990, www.meowvintage.com

East 4th skateboard store: 2228 E. 4th St., (562) 856-3685, www.east4th.com

Port (contemporary clothing for men and women): 402 St. Louis Ave. (just off 4th), www.Facebook.com/portlbc

Sneaky Tiki (vintage and used clothing and consignment): 2234A E. 4th St.

Songbird (a gift store from the Sneaky Tiki folks): 2240 E. 4th St., www.songbirdboutique.com

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