Bixby Knolls is looking at a whole new lineup of stores these days.
Yesterday, the owners of the Fourth Street staple Twig & Willow announced the planned opening of a new store, to be called Twig & Willow General, in Bixby Knolls on November 6.
The new store, which will expand on the original Fourth Street location’s sale of bohemian clothing, jewelry and gifts, will be located on Atlantic Boulevard, next to the new Bixby Knolls location of Lola’s Mexican Cuisine.
“We’ll be selling the same clothing, but in a larger space,” said owner Karen Quimby Lobo, adding that it will allow them to sell more “giftables,” including houseware. Other new features of the location will include a men’s and children’s section in an open, loft-life building.
“It’s only been in concept for four weeks,” said Lobo, with a laugh. “We’re literally formulating things by the day.”
Twig & Willow General will share its grand opening with Lola’s on Bixby Knolls’ First Fridays event for November. The store is working with California State University, Long Beach and Long Beach City College in recruiting interns for the job—and allowing them to see what opening a new small business entails, Lobo said.
Other features include a larger space with more square footage, white walls and a “modern aesthetic.”
The grand opening will coincide with the anniversary of the Fourth Street location’s opening years ago, during the height of the Great Recession.
“People thought we were crazy when we opened our first store,” said Lobo. But they succeeded against all odds, as evidenced by their ability to open up a second location. “People in Long Beach really embrace small businesses. I feel that Long Beach is a unique culture.”
As for future stores? Lobo said definitely a possibility for the future, something they’re planning day by day.
“We’ve always had it in the backs of our minds that we’d expand someday,” said Lobo. “We were charmed by the whole [Bixby Knolls] area, and we thought, ‘Why not do it?’ We hope to open a few more locations.”
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