In addition to San Diego, Southern California cruise passengers can also embark for their voyage at the Port of Long Beach or Port of Los Angeles, depending on their cruise line. This Long Beach Shopping Guide covers the best spots in Downtown Long Beach, where the Port of Long Beach is owned and operated by Carnival Cruises and located alongside the legendary Queen Mary. During this visit, I explored retailers on the remarkable 4th Street Retro Row, culminating with a tour of the majestic Queen Mary.

Fourth Street Retro Row

Fourth Street Retro Row has become renowned for all things vintage, antique and collectible. Retro Row buzzes with local merchants, boutique clothing stores, vintage-inspired shops and one-of-a-kind boutiques offering a vast array of not only apparel, accessories and home décor from the 1940’s through 1970’s, but also contemporary and creative retail shop owners and designers. Each shop has a look and personality of its own, as well as unique retail most likely found nowhere else!

Native Sol

The first shop I visited was Native Sol, a self-proclaimed lifestyle shop and ARTelier. The shop is filled with handmade Long Beach apparel, jewelry and accessories, as well as redesigned and upcycled fashion created from vintage apparel. My favorite was a green caftan made from a darling quilt. This is really a fabulous little shop and perfect place to start your Retro Row journey.

The Hangout

Amazing. The Hangout is a beautifully merchandised 4,000 square foot historical brick building that strives to be more than just a store, but a place where the community and visitors can enjoy time together. In addition to featuring a curated collection of books, art, fashion, accessories, home décor, vintage collectibles and artisan products, The Hangout features a beautiful indoor and outdoor garden with living Things to buy, as well as a Market serving coffee roasting, gourmet snacks, wine, beer and charcuterie, where visitors can enjoy a taste of So Cal while surrounded by beautiful Things crafted and designed by eclectic, local artisans and designers. Here are just a FEW of the vignettes I loved.

Bel Canto Books

This woman and BIPOC-owned mini bookshop was founded by Jhoanna Belfer, a Filipinas-American poet. The colorful, creative vignette, located at the entry of The Hangout, offers a selection of fiction, nonfiction and children’s books organized around a theme of the month and celebrating books by women and people of color.

Golden Garden

Owner and founder Tanya Bartels has created an environment within The Hangout where gardeners and plant enthusiasts of all kinds can purchase pottery, gardening tools, books, seeds, dried florals, framed pressed flowers, watering cans, nature-based home décor, and yes, even live plants. (Although not allowed back on the cruise ship.) In addition to the innovative display in the front corner of The Hangout, there is a miraculous outdoor garden in the back of the store, which is filled with plants, yard décor and cute bistro tables where visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine.

House of Rituals

This soothing vignette provides an assortment of delicious herbal teas and natural healing compounds such as aromatherapies, body butters, balms, skin treatments and sustainable beauty goods, and most interestingly, ceremonial cleansing bundles of cedar and eucalyptus that can be smudged or used as décor in home or office spaces to uplift moods, foster calm or add energy. You can even book a sacred smudging workshop to learn more about this ancient ritual.

In addition to these unique concepts, additional local artistic Things featured at The Hangout include handmade hats by Wyeth Hats, functional ceramics and pottery décor by Sedona Ceramics, ethereal altars and magical home decor crafted of twigs, branches, shells, stones, herb and feathers by Crecent and Craft, unique jewelry designs and animal bone or preserved insect art and oddities created by Verse Collective and so much more!

Kitchen Lingo Books

What a unique discovery among the specialty shops! Owned by Matt Miller, Kitchen Lingo is a small bookshop centered around cooking, food and culinary culture. Books are fiction and non-fiction. The library features new and “seasoned” cookbooks and vintage food magazines that span decades. There’s even a copy of The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that dates to 1930.

My favorite collection was the Community Cookbook section featuring spiral bound cookbooks created and assembled by charity groups, schools, clubs and other organizations to sell as fundraisers. I bought my share of them back in the day! The owner, Matt, is a wealth of information in all aspects of culinary literature and food culture, who enjoys sharing his passion with other chefs, cooks, foodies and diners.

Third Eye Records

Collectors of all things musical will discover an array of new and used vinyl albums (including LP’s, 78’s and 45’s), 8 track tapes, and cassettes, from musicians over past decades and today. The collection of sounds spans all genres from Blues and Jazz to Country, and Classical and Rock to Hip Hop. In addition, Third Eye offers vintage turntables, posters, and music memorabilia found nowhere else.

Sneaky Tiki Boutique

You can’t miss finding this nostalgic, colorful shop specializing in 1940’s and 50’s vintage clothing. Owner Nick Barnes has been in business over 25 years and is renowned for his collection of vintage apparel, especially his island shirts and his vibrant western apparel, boots and belts, making these perfect Long Beach souvenirs.

Nick has also developed two reproduction lines called Evil Denims and Hollywood Rogue. Evil Denim reproduces 1930’s style buckle back jeans and Hollywood Rogue offers the best in classic American apparel from the 1930’s-50’s, which are reproduced from vintage patterns and original garments and fabrics.

The shop also showcases a fabulous collection of vintage and restored tiki lamps, which brought back lots of cool memories for me.

Lola’s Mexican Cuisine

Before leaving 4th Street, check out the dining options at local restaurants like Lola’s. The area is home to several craft brew pubs, and Lola’s serves authentic food with a modern, contemporary influence. The salsa is delish and I highly recommend one of their craft margaritas. I enjoyed the spicy watermelon flavor.

Further Exploration

For more shopping in Downtown Long Beach, head to Belmont Shore along famous Second Street or Bixby Knolls for coffee roasting and treats at Sweet Jill's Bakery. The East Village Arts District offers creative vibes, while The Pike Outlets provide major retailers to complement the one-of-a-kind boutiques.

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A Visit to Her Majesty, The Queen Mary

Speaking of beautiful, vintage Things…….whether your cruise ship berths at The Port of Long Beach or the Port of LA, be sure to spend some time going back through history aboard the majestic Queen Mary. This British vessel, owned by Cunard, sailed from 1936 to 1967.

When World War II broke out, she was converted into a military ship and transported soldiers during the conflict. After the war ended, the Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service until officially retired from service in 1967. She is permanently moored at the Port of Long Beach and welcomes visitors from around the world as a hotel, restaurant and historic attraction, with travel accessories available for modern cruisers.

As you tour the ship, you can imagine what life aboard was like in those days through historic photographs of celebrity passengers, exhibits and original artifacts, including the piano played by Liberace himself. For those of us who cruise regularly today, it is also amazing to see what the mechanics, communication and operating systems were like back then. The striking ballroom and bar, which is open to the public and for private events, showcase beautiful original art deco details and architectural designs.

I had the pleasure of meeting the “Commodore”, a stately gentleman who has worked aboard the Queen Mary since it was moored in 1967 and shares a wealth of the ship’s history and information with his guests. The Queen Mary continues to receive loving attention as the city of Long Beach and charitable organizations raise funds for ongoing maintenance, preservation, and restoration of the vessel to her original beauty as a magnificent luxury liner.

Love the artisan items featured here but can’t make the trip? Visit our SHOP page to discover similar Things handcrafted by artisans – delivered straight to your door!

Also, visit our SHOP page to discover workshops, tours, and classes that turn global travel into a hands-on, unforgettable experience!

Keep cruisin’ through life, discovering your own special Things!

CHEERS!

Port of Long Beach Shopping Guide: Best Places to Shop Near the Cruise Terminal