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MINNOW SWIM
The children’s swimwear brand opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in Lido Marina Village in October. by Chelsea Raineri
F
ormer Newport Beach resident Morgan Smith came up with the idea for a line of children’s swimwear while she was in London in 2016. Her family planned to go to the Amalfi Coast, which required her to find a pair of boardshorts for her son. “Everything I found had sharks or decals or slogans, and I was just looking for (something) very simple, very high quality, nothing crazy; it was bizarre to me how hard and challenging it was to find something like that,” Smith says. “When I came home from London, I knew I wanted to get to work on this and make what we call ‘boardies’ for my son and grow the brand from there.” In the midst of the pandemic, Smith decided to open Minnow Swim’s first and only boutique for children and their families to experience the brand in person. The resort-like store sells everything from the shorts the brand initially started with to clothing, rash guards, coverups, girls’ swimwear, and beach market items such as hats, towels, sunscreen, and more. Customers can also shop third-party, women-owned brands such as Poppy & Co.’s necklaces and bracelets. The store features a personal stylist and hosts events as well, such as bicycle decorating for Newport Beach’s Fourth of July bike parade. Stay tuned for a line of children’s sandals.
3505 Via Oporto Newport Beach 949-662-0107 minnowswim.com
S U N N Y D AY S
Kids’ sunglasses, $24 each 52 ORA NGE C O AST • July 2021
W H AT ’ S B L U E Girls’ one-piece, $64
TOTES CHIC Beach bag, $145
photograph by E M I LY J . D AV I S
