That MOTown Feeling

from Ojai Magazine Summer 2021

by Ojai Magazine

Mandala

Meiners Oaks, is a “beautiful alternative community of heart-centered people who openly support and love one another.”

By Alicia Doyle

Fondly referred to as MOTown, Meiners Oaks is a small, rural town surrounded by natural beauty and centered around an involved community that has a history of mom-and-pop-owned shops and restaurants, a focus on wellness with a free-spirited, and don’t-sweat-the-smallstuff attitude. There is nothing shiny about MOTown, but the affection of the people who inhabit it give it a glow. “Some of these establishments have been staples in the community for many years and have been able to survive through the various recent lockdowns from COVID, largely in thanks to the continued loyal supporters within this wonderful community,” said Tracey Moore, whose shop is located on East El Roblar Drive. She and her partner, David Blackman, first explored MOTown in the summer of 2019. “After seeing and experiencing this beautiful alternative community of heart-centered people who openly support and love one another, we instantly knew that this was a community that we would be honored to be a part of,” Moore said. They received so many comments from the community voicing how grateful they would be to receive their offerings of crystals and energy healings that soon thereafter they opened the doors of Starborn Healing, a crystal and metaphysical gift shop offering Reiki energy healings based within the established Hamsa Studio. “Since opening our business in 2019, and thanks to the continued support that we have received, Starborn Healing has since expanded beyond our dreams to become a complete wellness center,” said Moore, adding that their diverse center is concentrated on supporting the community through dance, movement, and alternative healing modalities. “MOTown is truly a hidden gem, located barely five minutes from Ojai … offering its own unique diverseness and magical qualities.” She added that many of the community staples have a broad reach outside of MOTown, including Farmer and the Cook, an organic market and restaurant that has grown a vast community of loyal followers over its years in business, similar to Papa Lennon’s, another long-term staple in town. “Both of these husband-and-wife- owned restaurants have gained a broad and loyal customer base, reaching to Los Angeles and beyond,” Moore said. While Meiners Oaks feels more casual than Ojai, it still boasts of fi ne dining for the past 70 years. Award-winning and intimate, The Ranch House restaurant has a storied past and exemplary locally sourced gourmet menu, highly enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Don Lalo’s Mexican eatery is yet another example of a long-term contributor with a loyal customer base anchoring the neighborhood. that MOTown feeling

“There seems to be a renaissance happening and MO is at the forefront of chartering new territories.”

“Meiners Oaks is an off-the-beaten-path enclave filled with unique businesses and an authentic eclectic community,” said Carly Blumberg, who moved to Ojai in October and opened her atelier in Meiners Oaks in December of 2020, “pretty much midpandemic.” “The shops and restaurants are all within walkable distance from each other,” noted Blumberg, whose shop, Carly Home, is located on West El Roblar, right next to Papa Lennon’s. “There seems to be a renaissance happening and MO is at the forefront of chartering new territories,” Blumberg said. “It is situated just close enough to Downtown Ojai but also, removed enough to hold its own. We have a great mix of dining, shopping, and wellness. It stands apart because it is just on the heels of discovery.” Blumberg grew up in New York and lived in Brooklyn for many years. After coming out west, she was craving a creative community that was grounded and authentic, “which is what drove us to explore Ojai. Besides the natural beauty, we were really drawn to the eclectic culture. It was a breath of fresh air and we felt inspired and just wanted to be a part of this community.”

Carly Home is her “design atelier, my workshop/design studio turned retail.” It is a place where she creates and paints original textiles, wallpaper, furniture, pillows, bedding, and more, and where she opens the doors on the weekends to welcome visitors and locals. Her brand, which she describes as “colorful, floral, and uplifting,” is inspired by many different cultures and aesthetics. “Magical and unexpected” “My biggest goal is to create things that bring happiness and color into your home,” Blumberg said. In addition to original designs, “a large part of what I do is incorporate found items that add to the aesthetic of Carly Home.” These items could be vintage sofas, antique tables, hutches, and unique ceramics, or even odd things like an antique beekeeper’s hat made out of an old feed sack that could now be repurposed into a lamp. “We were originally looking for a place to live in Ojai, but instead of finding a place to live — which thank goodness we eventually did find — I saw a corner retail location with a “For Rent” sign and I said to myself, ‘that’s my store.’ Especially after one heck of a year, I felt this pulse in MO that I experienced early on in Brooklyn before and during its renaissance. I wanted to be a part of that again, but here — on a tighter, smaller, unique scale.” She was drawn to Meiners Oaks “as it felt like a place to discover and I wanted people to have that feeling of discovery when they experienced my store/brand. MO is magical and unexpected and I love that!”

Meiners Oaks “is everything you love about a small town,” said Eric Baumgartner, owner of Alquimia Wellness along with his wife, Cheserae Scala. “It’s rough around the edges in all the right ways,” he said. “It’s gritty, it’s real, and it’s a beautiful patchwork of genuine, hardworking small businesses. It’s where the locals hide and hang out on the weekends. It has been a stronghold of Ojai’s working folks, and although things are shifting, I am optimistic that it will continue to be the epicenter and heart of what Ojai is really about.” He and his wife moved from the East End of town to the West End after about five years in the valley,

home away from home, and has become the same for many of our community members.” Their business is described as a new generation of wellness centers, where self-care meets community care, and Eastern medicine joins forces with Western functional medicine to provide a new level of holistic wellbeing. “and were amazed at the difference in the energy. We had always loved hanging out in MO, but living closer to the Ventura River and having this end of town as our neighborhood has been such a blessing.” Alquimia Wellness — located on West El Roblar halfway between Farmer and the Cook and Papa Lennon’s — “is our “We opened our business in September of 2019 knowing that Meiners Oaks was where we could best focus our services on reaching the locals,” Baumgartner said. “We love our downtown, but many of the businesses are tourist-focused, and with the weekend and seasonal swells, locals often prefer to avoid the crowds.” Their goal was to fi nd a place where they could really serve and collaborate with locals to create a new model for community care. “Self care is great, but it takes a village to really care for ourselves, and we just knew that MO was where we needed to be in order to create that space for locals,” Baumgartner said. “We cannot truly be healthy as individuals without creating health for our community, and the well-being of our community is connected to the greater wellbeing of our planet, so we are working to uplift and inspire our little corner of the globe for the benefit of all.” “Rough around the edges in all the right ways” “We enjoy the sense of belonging that only a small town can offer – and we are surrounded by the stunning ancient oaks and natural beauty of the Ojai Valley.”

**Addendum Books in the garden of Bookends Bookstore**

Unlike many small towns and communities, Meiners Oaks has resisted the lure of making itself over to emulate a city — and consequently, it remains unique and true to its origins, according to Marcia Doty and Celeste Matesevac, owners of BookEnds Bookstore & Curiosities, which is located in a 1943 renovated church on South Pueblo Avenue between ACE Hardware and Farmer and the Cook. While they are temporarily closed, they are selling online through AbeBooks.com. “We moved here when we purchased the building — we didn’t want to leave and are still here,” said Matesevac, adding that they were drawn to the building of the Church of Christ for years, and imagined that it could someday become a bookstore. That happened in 2011 when the church was for sale. The couple’s “reimagined” old church houses books from all traditions and of every description — new, used, and rare, as well as “curated curiosities” throughout, from vintage bookends to Vaseline glass. They also have two additional buildings on site: an Airstream brimming with books on travel and the great outdoors, and a tiny house behind the Airstream for all types of leisure arts and crafts for everyday living. “When the city energy wears you down, come share the unique, casual vibe of our special place — Meiners Oaks,” Matesevac said. “Stroll down quiet streets, smell the citrus, enjoy new food favorites at our unique restaurants, explore our one-of-a-kind shops” she added. “We enjoy the sense of belonging that only a small town can over and we are surrounded by the stunning ancient oaks and natural beauty of the Ojai Valley.” “Unique and true to its origins”