Meeschka Brings New Rock Style to Laguna Beach
For years, Laguna Beach, Calif., has been known as an artists’ colony and a tourist destination where the preferred looks have been surf clothes, Hawaiian shirts and stylish, premium denim.
But current Laguna Beach fashion might get a futuristic, rock ’n’ roll edge to it now that Meeschka reopened on Feb. 18 in the middle of this increasingly high-profile beach city.
The boutique, located at 219 Broadway St., started business in 2003 in the lightly traveled north part of Laguna Beach. Its initial clientele were rock ’n’ roll–loving Laguna Beach residents, said Meeschka co-owner Michelle Cohen. The rockers were attracted to the boutique because the store offered brands such as Great China Wall, with its vintage leather and denim looks, as well as DDC Lab, which sports a futuristic look.
Another reason for the boutique’s rock credibility is that the store is co-owned by James “Munky” Shaffer, guitarist for multiplatinum record–selling rock band Korn. Rock stars such as Taylor Hawkins and members of the band Papa Roach have shopped at Meeschka in the past. Cohen’s daughter, Sara Silverman, (no relation to the comedienne Sarah Silverman) is also a co-owner.
Since Broadway Street is a stone’s throw away from Laguna’s main beach, Cohen forecasted that business would double, thanks to new traffic coming from tourists who stroll up and down Pacific Coast Highway as well as side streets such as Broadway.
The main inspiration for the deacute;cor at Meeschka’s new locale comes from Shaffer’s imagination, Cohen said. Sections of metal, taken from an airplane wing, serve as shelving and benches at the 2,000- square-foot store. A white enamel autopsy table, manufactured in the 1920s, serves as a display table. A chandelier made out of scissors hangs from the boutique’s ceiling. The boutique also will feature a wall mural painted by Great China Wall designer Raymond Anderson.
If the deacute;cor sounds more industrial rock than beach art, which Laguna Beach is known for, Cohen said the town can handle the alternative looks. “We’ve proved that there’s a market here,” Cohen said. “But it was all local business. Now we’re going to capture the tourists as well.”
For more information, call (949) 376-2525. —Andrew Asch
