The boutique also included homemade jams and even tasty limoncello
As one entered the gorgeously remodeled Point Dume Clubhouse on Nov. 23, he encountered an array of creative vendors cheerfully offering everything from intriguing art to clothing for all ages, jewelry, baked items, jams, cooking oils, and upcycled fashion.
“The Point Dume Residence Association puts on the annual PDC Holiday Boutique to support our local small businesses,” said Candace Bowen, a longtime Point Dume club resident. “We haven’t had our boutique since the Woolsey Fire and COVID occurred and our clubhouse was under construction for two years.”
The event, Bowen emphasized, “is not a fundraiser, flea market or farmer’s market. Rather, it’s a way of helping our small businesses that have been pushed out of local brick and mortar spaces because of high rents.”
Delighted attendees mixed and mingled, with many commenting about how they had missed the neighborhood’s annual holiday market tradition.
“The Point Dume Holiday Boutique is back!” exclaimed Sonya Randall, whose Smokin Bar-B-Quties catering company in Malibu is also coming back strong after the pandemic. “There are wonderful candles and lovely scarves and sweaters — and it is so organized and welcoming! It was perfect!”
Local gallerist Dirk Braun stood next to his colleague Justin Misch as they showcased a series of limited edition fine art prints from Albert Falzon’s legendary 1972 film, “Morning of the Earth.”
“I exhibit fine art photos at the intersection of cinema and aviation and surfing in my gallery, which is located on Malibu Road adjacent to the most storied and oldest cinema enclave, Malibu Movie Colony,” Braun explained. “I’mforever inspired by both surfing and flying — they are both individualistic endeavors that take a lot of effort and dedication to master and they are both beautiful and graceful.”
Agreeing, Misch added, “’Morning of the Earth’ is a national treasure in Australia and we had to retrieve the original negatives from the 16 mm film from Australia’s national archives — it is the Holy Grail of Surfing!”
The film stars some of the world’s most famous surfers, including Nat Young, Terry Fitzgerald, Michael Peterson, and Gerry Lopez, and the museum-quality framed photographs are from the newly preserved and remastered film.
“We spent three years meticulously restoring the old movie frame by frame at Origins Archives in LA,” Misch said.“There were a total of 150,000 frames lifting dirt, scratches and other matter — a lot of musicians refer to the album’ssoundtrack — it was the first Australian soundtrack to sell more than a million copies.”
Attendees leaned into view the beautiful photos, entranced by their composition and keenly interested in their history. If readers missed the exhibit at the boutique, they can view the exhibit at Dirk Braun Gallery until the end of the year.
Of course the boutique included an array of fashion items — cashmere sweaters from Crown, a locally owned boutique in Cross Creek and lovely comfy sweaters from 27 Miles and beautiful lace dresses that local women love from Jen’sPirate Booty.
“I love Candace’s idea of helping out small businesses during the holidays,” said Sasha Rondall of Crown. “All the small vendors sincerely appreciate it.”
The boutique also included homemade jams and even tasty limoncello, compliments of Garbrielle James and pickled onions and delicious pickles compliments of Gabrielle’s daughter, Charlie Solomon, whose Malibu Homegrown pickling company’s organic merchandise, including carrots, sweet cucumbers, and jalapenos intrigued many shoppers.
Wardrobe stylist and Malibuite Pia Malatesta sat next to items from her company, 2 Dye for Collection. “All of our clothing is dyed by hand and non-toxic and I’ve got something for all ages so no one is left out,” Malatesta said.
Gabby Godin displayed her Malibu Mom’s Club sweatshirts and zip-up hoodies and her “Heaven” sweatshirts, fashioned with a nod to the old Century City Mall’s Heaven, which was all the rage in the 1980s.
Twin sisters Janet Birch and Donna Hair showcased items from their company Twisted Sisters, including beautifully curated wood items ranging from small pieces for home decoration to utilitarian tall and statuesque hat holder stands.
Susan Mintz displayed her gorgeous homemade jewelry. “My jewelry is made in Malibu and this event is great because it provides local business owners to meet others with companies here and to meet our neighbors,” she said.
As the verses of “Here Comes Santa Claus” filled the festive air, a representative from Sweet Lady Elena, a Puerco Canyon-based company that exudes some of the most artistic confections in town. Zefir, a European fruit mousse dessert that is dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free and free of preservatives. The delicious rum, vanilla, strawberry, cranberry, and black currant desserts were gorgeously boxed and samples were delectable.
As The Malibu Times left the event, we made one last stop to Tifa Medina’s Bee Casa, where gorgeously homemade beeswax candles make for perfect holiday gifts.
“This has been a wonderful day of showing support — it’s been a big success,” Brown exclaimed. “We kicked off the holidays with a big bang!”
