Cat Madrid-Barone has a vitality and vibrance about her that is unquestionably youthful and powerfully driven by a single force: to shift Long Beach into a better and more beautiful tomorrow.
And she does this through the two things she loves most—fashion and music.
“‘Is it a landscaping company?'” Madrid-Barone jokes of the origin of her boutique’s name, Moss & Rock. “No, it’s more stupid than that. I love Kate Moss and I love rock music. It just came to me and I knew it was right.”
This mix of mercantile-meets-music-hub—she consistently has live music shows in her store, admitting “sometimes I make money, sometimes I don’t; that’s really not the point”—has earned her a growing crowd of followers and admirers. She is exuberant about that crowd and also with everyone she meets. This community-oriented way of doing business is distinctly Long Beach, particularly given that there is no lack of authenticity about her love for both the people of Long Beach and the city itself.
“I don’t want to live in L.A. because Long Beach is honestly the best place to live. I could do L.A. but I choose not to. And I truly believe I can bring something here that’s different, that’s fun and—” She cut herself off, pointed at her shirt, laughing: an authentic tee from the “best little whore house in Nevada,” the Cherry Patch Ranch, that she found while meandering desert cities for vintage clothes. “People sometimes pass by, point, and think it’s a joke. And I’m dead serious when I say: ‘You wear it.'”
Moss & Rock, huddling near the corner of Broadway and Temple Avenues, is the type of forward-move Long Beach needs. It is refreshingly odd (she finds true vintage at random store stops in places like Ojai—yes, Ojai), impeccably styled (her Native American design print tees are simply fantastic and remarkably modern), and lacks the pretension that caters most of Los Angeles’ and Orange County’s hipster crowd. In more simple terms, it’s totally rad.
Madrid-Barone’s no-shame attitude is as infectious as your desire to throw away your closet in favor of a Moss-driven one when you walk into her store.
“I’m ready to change this city. Or at least make it look good while I try,” she says, smiling that mischievous smile that tells you once again, she is dead serious.
Moss & Rock is located at 2752 East Broadway | (562) 438-9354 | mossandrock.com
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