Venice Beach Boardwalk is always an interesting time. Many people with their own special skills…read morepost up their best talent for people to see and hopefully buy. There's a bunch of new restaurants and a few of the decades old characters still roaming the boardwalk.

WARNING: Aggressive "Free CD" Hustlers - DO NOT TAKE THE CDs!…read moreLocation: Right outside the Muscle Beach parking lot, near the outdoor gym. Be extremely careful if you are walking near the Muscle Beach parking lot. There is a group of three men claiming to be "up-and-coming musicians" running a very aggressive, coordinated hustle. Here is exactly how their scam works so you can avoid it: * The Hook: One guy will approach you and try to hand you a "free" CD. Even when we said no, he played on our sympathy, claiming it was his own music and asking us to just show some support for a starter artist. Out of politeness, we took it. * The Trap: He immediately offered to sign the CD. While we were distracted waiting for him to sign it, his two partners swarmed us and pushed their own CDs into our hands. * The Shake-Down: Once the first CD was signed, the "free" aspect completely disappeared. He demanded a donation and refused to accept small bills. When my husband took out a $20 bill to break it, the guy practically grabbed it out of his hand and walked away. * The Swarm: Then, the other two musicians cornered us, demanding money for their CDs. My husband gave one of them his last $5, and the guy actually complained that it wasn't enough. The third guy started whining about getting nothing. * The Intimidation: I tried to be nice and intended to give the last guy $5, but they started physically circling me, aggressively demanding $20. I felt incredibly uncomfortable and intimidated. I told them to just take the CDs back--we didn't even listen to that type of music and certainly weren't paying $60 for it. They refused to take them back, eventually lowering their demand to $20 to split between them. To get out of this threatening situation quickly, I handed over a $20 bill just so they would leave us alone. This whole experience was extremely upsetting. I would gladly give my money to someone genuinely in need, but being bullied and cornered into "donating" is completely unacceptable. It left such a bad taste for us, we ended up did not spend a dime in any of shops there. Not event a souvenir! Bottom Line: If anyone approaches you with a CD, do not make eye contact, do not engage, and DO NOT take the CD no matter what they say. Just keep walking!

This is a fantastic whimsical pop-up that hopefully finds a permanent mainstay locally. They…read morecreated a story of a sloth who wanders in Search of wanderlust, and he adorns cups, skatebaords, zines. There are pineapple bandits on posters, shirts, wallets, and 3d printed. There are 3d printed goodies for sale of random whimsical things. The woman who started this is from Kansas and seems like a spiritual woman who likes soul searching things. I look forward to buying more from them - especially the bandit pineapples.

From the owner: Pop-up shop through Aug 15 for a new creative lifestyle brand featuring limited edition designer…read moregoods (apparel, poster prints, home furnishings, creative tools, leather goods and bags) and on-the-spot maker experiences.

As someone who lives in Los Angeles, I have been to the Brooks Running - Venice Pop-Up multiple…read moretimes. The first time was for a shoe and bra fitting and that's when I found out there are weekly events hosted at the Pop-Up as well! Of course, I've been going back every single week, sometimes twice a week! Before I get into the events, let me just say that the space is incredible. There are three levels; the first of which has a variety of clothes/apparel and Brooks shoes. This is also where the shoe fitting takes place. The second story is where the bra fitting takes place, there's also a great seating area that I really just want to sit at all day and hang out. The third level is full of magic and you'll just have to experience it for yourself. Oh, and let me touch on the service... It's great! Of note, Steven, Natasha, and Juan have helped me on more than one occasion and greet me when I come into the store for events. They're so friendly and welcoming! Ok - the events. There is a weekly Brooks Run Club that meets on Tuesday evenings at 6pm and run around three miles or so. It's a great route created and led by Brad and Magena who are here in Los Angeles from Brooks HQ in Seattle! There's more magic that takes place after the Run Club that you'll again have to experience for yourself. There are also some events on Saturdays/Sundays including breathwork, yoga, jump-roping with a Grand World Champion jump-roper!, some conversations with amazing advocates, and even some runs hosted by Brooks Run Happy Team ambassadors. Get to Google "Brooks Venice Pop-Up," check the event schedule, and sign up today! Truly, the only bad part about the Brooks Running - Venice Pop-Up is that it is only going to be on Abbott Kinney until the end of October 2023. So, do yourself a favor and get yourself over to Brooks today!!!

Excellent service from Garrett as well as Yuri! Garrett…read moreexplained everything to me very thoroughly and he was very knowledgeable about feet and the correct fit of shoes. Thank you so much! I bought a pair of shoes and I am so happy with them!!

Hard to believe that this business is already open. We're not even in the middle of August, so…read morenothing is sacred anymore right? In any case well I didn't buy anything on this trip, I did mosey about and saw some pretty cool animatronics, along with the New York subway theme for this year. Spirit Halloween does put out a consistent product, and usually has something for everybody including the adults such as myself. If you're a fan of Halloween, I definitely suggest you roll through here or any of their other nearby locations. Lastly, I was greeted upon entry, so that in and of itself was somewhat refreshing considering they're still tearing down a thousand boxes and setting up the shelves.

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SHADY COMPANY. I paid for an item in cash in store and literally two minutes…read moreafter discovering a manufacturer defect on the product, I immediately returned it the very exact same time (same day). When I went in, I told the cashier about it and she asked me if I wanted to grab a different one. I told her no because I didn't want to deal with the same product discovering more problems later on. She asked "Do you have the card ending in..." as she was looking for it on my receipt I told her I paid in cash. She confused me and I thought I paid with my card so I told her to hold on and I went back to the car to get my wallet. As soon as I went back to the store I saw the cashier on the phone. Standing there confused I thought she was on the phone with a customer. It turns out she was talking to her manager MATT. I found it odd as I was standing there waiting for her to finish her conversation with the manager. She then tells me "Yeah we can't give you cash refund, we can only refund you back with any type of card" I told her "I literally just bought it a few minutes ago and I gave you cash" She goes "yeah I know but there's a lot of scams going on right now" So in my head either she thinks I was trying to pull a fast one on the store or both the manager and the employee is doing something shady. That detail on their return policy is not even indicated on the receipt or not mentioned when I check out. I tried to reason with her that I literally just bought it in cash she can just give me the cash I paid her with. If the store is worried about scammers then I don't understand her logic at all why she wouldn't just give me back my money. I had to give her any type of debit or credit card to get the money back. Now I had to wait for the stupid bank to clear to even get it. I was pretty upset and I told her "So now I have to wait for the bank to get the money?" She nonchalantly says "Yeah probably within 3-5 business days. Like wtf? Either the employees from that particular store are stealing HARD CASH in their registers, or this company is downright just taking HARD CASH payments and using the company credit to return refunds. This doesn't make any sense. This leaves a bad impression for the company brand. I have been a Spirit Halloween guest for many years and this is the first time I've ever heard of it. I understand there have been more scams over the years, but to insinuate that towards me while I'm returning a defective product on behalf of this store is unacceptable. I was just trying to return a pos product the store is selling so I can get my money back. But it turns out this company is full of greed. The staff needs to be investigated. It felt like I was the one that got scammed here. I found it really odd the cashier phoned the manager and discussed something when I briefly left and came back. What did she need to talk to him for? If this was their policy she should already know. Store should ONLY accept card payments NOT CASH--if refunding back to a card is your ONLY method of refunds. Put up a sign that says "Card Payment Only" or at least reference this to every guest that pays with cash every single time. When they check someone out paying with cash, tell them PRIOR that refunds can only be processed through a card.

Apple Doll is a pop up store along Abbott Kinney in Venice. It's not hard to find, thanks to the…read moreblack hand sculpture holding either a lipstick or a blush on. I went inside which was beautifully decorated. I really love the aesthetic and very organized merchandise. Today, June 6 is their first Friday open house. After 6pm, there's a mascara swap, a new DIY bedazzle bar, makeup tutorials, and a free photo strip from one of the oldest analog photobooths in LA. On Sunday June 9, visit the shop and get free apple doll merchandise customized with flash airbrush art. Check their instagram account for all future activities.

If you ever need anything engraved, go to Darius! I was in a huge time crunch and needed two pieces…read moreengraved last minute. He fit me in right away and had them beautifully engraved on the spot, within minutes!!!! I couldn't believe how fast and perfect they turned out! The quality is exceptional, exactly what I wanted, at such a good price. I get things engraved often, and I've officially found my new go-to guy. Amazing work -- thank you again, Darius!

Outstanding work with a fast turnaround. I have had a number of items made for myself and as…read moregifts. Great quality and attention to detail.

It's taken me far too long to write this review because I don't even know where to begin. Not only…read moreis Rivea a MASTERMIND, but she's also the SWEETEST person on the planet. From the moment we had our first call, I knew I had to have her on my wedding vendor team. Rivea has such a passion for what she does and truly cares about each one of her clients and bringing their vision to life. She handled all of my modifications and crazy requests with grace and poise and was so meticulous about making sure every last detail of my vision was executed flawlessly. From showing me exactly how to hold my bouquet to making sure the height of each lantern of our ceiling installation was perfect - she was there for me through it all. I simply cannot thank her enough. My wedding would have never been what it was without her. The pictures literally speak for themselves. Thank you, Rivea!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Choosing Portal Floral for our wedding was one of the best decisions we made. Rivea was so helpful…read moreand on point during the planning process -- she understood our vision to the T. Our florals turned out better than we could have imagined! Her and her team did a fabulous job, and it was such a pleasure to have them there on our special day. Highly recommend!!