Business Beat: Retro Row’s Casa de Luxe gets new name, owners

One veteran store in Long Beach’s Retro Row — a commercial corridor along Fourth Street packed to the brim with kitschy vintage shops, locally owned restaurants, and more — has officially made some changes.

Casa de Luxe, a family-owned vintage shop offering a plethora of fun fids, has a new name and a new owner,  though the business is staying in the family.

Now, the business has dropped the “de Luxe,” and will be known simply as Casa, according to a recent news release — and ownership has been passed down to Xandria and Jade Guzman, the children of the store’s founders.

Elaine and Enrique Guzman founded, and have been nourishing the business on Retro Row, for nearly a decade.

But they’re ready to take a step back — and the next generation of Guzmans are ready to step in.

“I am so happy that my sister and I will be able to carry on our family business with all we’ve learned from my mother,” Xandria said in a recent statement. “One of the prime motivations we had for taking over the shop is working with my mom.”

Though the elder Guzman won’t own the business, she’ll still be involved and working at the shop nearly every day, according to Xandria.

The sisters, meanwhile, hope to inject fresh energy into Casa with some new vendors.

On Saturday, May 4, the family hosted a grand reopening ceremony for Casa to usher in the changes and  make them official.

“Although my name appears on the business license, I still regard this as a family business,” Xandria said in the news release. “I could not run the shop without the involvement of my parents, sister, best friend, and the vendors who’ve become part of Casa. In a sense, it’s been a passing of the torch.”

Casa is located at 1930 E. 4th St.

No house calls

MemorialCare Medical Group will celebrate the grand opening of a new health center in Naples on Friday, May 10.

The space, previously a mattress store and pharmacy, will provide comprehensive family medical services with an in-house laboratory.

Internal medicine services will also be available soon, according to MemorialCare’s website.

The event, at 5700 E. 2nd St., will kick off at noon Friday. Regular office hours at the facility will begin the following Monday.

Another grand opening

The long-awaited opening of the city’s newest fine dining eatery, dubbed 4Shore, will officially open on Friday, May 10.

Booking is now available via OpenTable.

No weasel

One employee at Chuck’s Coffee Shop, a Belmont Shore institution for more than 50 years, is celebrating quite a milestone.

Rickey Urartu has been working at Chuck’s for 40 years — nearly as long as the shop itself has been in operation. (Thanks to Grunion reader Les Smaltz for letting me in on the celebration).

Chuck’s signature dish, “The Weasel,” a breakfast concoction of scrambled eggs with cheese and chili, is, according to their past signage, “locally world famous.”

But the best part of working at Chuck’s for Urartu isn’t the food — it’s the people.

“I like everybody,” he said.

Cheers to another 40 years, Rickey.

Best beer

ISM Brewing, which recently celebrated its Downtown Long Beach grand opening in January, has won a prestigious award for one of its craft creations.

ISM’s Western Standard Time brew was named the Best West Coast Style India Pale Ale Beer during this year’s World Beer Cup, which got underway in late April.

The Las Vegas event hosted nearly 300 judges from around the world — who gave their ratings to around 9,300 different beers from 50 countries.

ISM owner and master brewer Ian McCall said that in about a week a new batch of the award-winning Western Standard Time should be ready to go.

Though ISM’s brewing menu is always changing, McCall said, the company’s two other award-winning beers — the bronze level Plough & Harrow and gold Calf Fiend — will also be available soon.

Women leaders

Several local business leaders will soon be honored for their achievements.

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and its Women’s Business Council will host a dinner celebrating four women who’ve demonstrated leadership in business, community, and education.

Yvonne Santos, vice president at Poppy Bank, will serve as the event’s moderator and will lead a panel discussion.

Brandee Raygoza, co-owner of Sala — a specialty coffee, and wine shop—  located in Bixby Knolls, will also be awarded a small business grant during the event.

Raygoza runs the business with her partner Derrick Montiel.

“This is the first grant we’ve ever received! It feels nice to shine a light on a Latina owned small business,” Raygoza said in an email. “I hope it brings more awareness and inspiration for those who are aspiring entrepreneurs.”

Sossi Crilly, the WFG National Title Insurance Company’s vice president of development, will receive the Outstanding Woman in Business Award for her high level service in the industry since 1986.

The Outstanding Community Leader Award will go to Alba Danely, CEO of nonprofit Our Generation Cares, which is dedicated to helping young people develop through mentoring.

California State University Long Beach lecturer Tasha Hunter will get the Outstanding Woman in Education Award for her work in that industry.

The event will kick off at Reef on the Water, 880 Harbor Scenic Drive, on Thursday, May 16 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets cost $125 for members and $150 for non-members.

For more about the event, visit lbchamber.com.