Bauhausu owners celebrate their store’s grand opening February 8. Photos by Kris of longbeachstuff.com from Bauhausu’s Facebook.
Earlier this month, 4th Street welcomed handmade and vintage department store Bauhausu to its new home on the westernmost edge of Retro Row.
Bauhausu is the expanded and updated incarnation of the East Village boutique Bow-Tiki, which closed its tiny storefront last year in search of more space. Walking into the new store on the corner of Cherry Ave. and 4th St., the friendly, inviting atmosphere is immediately evident. There is a folky feel about the store; something unique and personal not found online or in a mall. From vintage dresses to edgy local paintings, every corner has something to look at.
After a successful grand opening that took place on February 8 (complete with a neck-tie cutting by 2nd District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal), owners Erin Guler and Alonso Garzon say they are excited to make Bauhausu a Long Beach staple. The couple spoke to the Post about their revival of “mom and pop” business, the value of networking and relationships, and their love of the Long Beach community.
How would you describe the layout of Bauhausu?
Erin: We’re like a collective department store. We have a men’s section, woman’s section, kid’s section, travel, gifts, accessories, furniture–we have a little bit of everything.
Alonso: People come in and they ask us “Are you a boutique? Is this a thrift store?” And we say, “No, this is a department store.” That’s what we are. Erin is the creator–laying everything out, creating this really nice flow that people feel comfortable in and everything is very inviting. Customers have told us “I really like your store, it feels good.” They really connect with us.
Where do you find the pieces you sell?
Erin: So most of our stuff is either hand-picked or handmade, and we have a relationship with everything we have in the store, so even if it’s from Peru, we buy them straight a gentleman who lives in Peru because we’d rather have that connection, not just buying off the internet or buying something from China. Blue Violet is our main infant line, and everything in that section is also handmade.
Alonso: People come in with the idea that they’re going to buy vintage, which we do, but we also show them new things people have made by hand. We have a guy who refurbishes furniture, wood. We have these “mom and pop” relationships. Old is “new” again. We try to make it personal. Erin always says that we’re treasure hunters, which we are, but we connect with the pieces and the people who held on to them, and we cycle those pieces into the store. And it’s not about money, it’s about showing people there are things that are really unique; we don’t need to buy new, we can buy used, and that’s okay.
Erin: There is a samurai suit made out of plastic buckets, shoe laces. It’s a repurposed piece. But not everyone likes to buy used or sometimes you want to buy something new and we offer that. We want to help people understand vintage. It’s a treasure, a one of a kind; it might even out live you.
Bauhausu was formerly known as Bow-Tiki. Why did you decide to open your own shop?
Erin: We love the idea of “mom and pop”, and that’s how the store first started. The economy was shifting, and I was living in Hawaii and worked with BMW as an advisor in financing. I was laid off, and I thought, I want to do something for myself. If I got laid off this time, it would be because of me, not the economy. Alonso and I thought we could take charge of our own destiny. A lot of people questioned why we were opening a store, but now that we’re here we hope we can make a name for ourselves.
When did you realize it was time to move?
Erin: This is was the place we wanted originally for Bow-Tiki, but it was already owned by a futon shop. So we found a place in the East Village area, and it ending up being the perfect stepping stone to where we are now. We kind of outgrew the size of being a boutique, so exactly a year after we moved into our old place, we moved into our new location.
How are the two of you reflected in the store?
Alonso: I think it was meant to be that Erin and I met, this was never planned. If someone would’ve told me you’re going to be the owner of a boutique, I wouldn’t believe it. I knew nothing about retail. I learned a lot from Erin; she’s a great teacher that knows what she’s doing. The store emulates both of us, so when people say, “I really love your store”, it makes me feel good because they’re talking about us.
Erin: I had a hoarding collection, and he had a collection. It was a new relationship, and he showed me these boxes of stuff. I said, “I have a collection, too!” The store is very Long Beach–a concrete jungle. And it’s reflective of us. The store is a fusion of our relationship. I love fashion, and Alonso is a phenomenal artist. When we opened up our first store we felt so vulnerable. We weren’t sure what people were going to think about the store and our taste. But it’s nice to have a chance to grow, and feel appreciated.
What is most important to you about owning this store?
Erin: Love is our focus. We love each other, we love Long Beach, and we love the people in Long Beach. We want our store and our neighborhood to be a place where people come just to experience it. I don’t want to sound cheesy, but we want to make other people feel like they’re part of it, too. We just had our grand opening, and despite the weather, the store was filled with people wall-to-wall. It felt really good because it was full of old friends, new friends, new customers, and people really went out of their way to be here. We want people to come here and bring their friends; we have chairs all over the store so you can just have a seat and be comfortable. We see people meet and blossom new relationships with each other. We’re fashion matchmakers, but it’s evolved into creating relationships. That’s something that we pride ourselves in.
Alonso: Everything in the store has meaning, not just the layout the store, but what it represents. For example, our logo is a Dandy with a bowler hat and he has tattoos on his face. He’s a traveling European man, just like this a traveling store. His name is Mr. Bow-Tiki and he’s primitive-sophisticated, and that’s what the store is: very primitive.
There are many paintings from local Long Beach artists around your walls. What is your relationship with them?
Alonso: We really support local artists because a lot of them are leaving Long Beach, or they live here and their works are elsewhere but Long Beach. But we tell them, “We’re here, don’t leave. The party just started.”
Erin: The reason we do this is to get to know people. We like being a networking center where we can meet someone and say “oh, you have meet so-and-so”. We’ve become a platform, like a middleman, for artists to get their work out there to the public. It’s fun to see people grow and make new friends along the way.
What plans do you have for Bauhausu in the future?
Erin: We’re planning to do an event next month, so like us on Facebook and you’ll get an invite. When we do events, we’ll have art, live music, and wine. I also hope to have art classes.
Alonso: We really want to bring back the old, “mom and pop” business back to Long Beach. Eventually we’d like to have an in-store tailor and cobbler.
Bauhausu is located at 1950 E. 4th St. (562) 726-1990. Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 12PM to 6PM.
Visit the store online at bauhausulongbeach.com or like them on Facebook. Erin, Alonso, and their dog Buster are eager to meet new customers and new friends.
{FG_GEOMAP [33.7716983,-118.16810670000001] FG_GEOMAP}