This past weekend I drove up to Newport to not only explore the cute little shops, but most importantly to meet an entrepreneur and designer that inspires me so much: Clare of Clare V herself! Lido Marina Village is an adorable spot worth visiting if you’re in Southern California — while most people were wearing masks and all of the shops felt very COVID-safe, if you want to avoid crowds I’d visit during the week or earlier in the day. The shops and restaurants certainly got busier as the day went on.
These were some favorite moments and snapshots from the afternoon…
This is the Jenni Kayne store — I enjoyed being able to see and feel everything in person. And their store styling is so calming and beautiful. (My discount code Natalie15 is also valid in store, FYI!)
The Malibu Farm Home store is full of beautiful, unique home finds and so many natural textures.
I stopped inside Shoppe Amber Interiors for the first time — do you follow Amber Lewis on Instagram? Her content is so dreamy. The shop felt elevated, organic, layered and inspiring.
Aesop has a tiny little shop at Lido and every square inch of it is well designed. That black marble sink is so striking, and I love the use of the pegboards to hang shelves with product.
The exterior of Maxine stopped me in my tracks — that ivy!!
I’m a sucker for a cute little book shop and Lido Village Books did not disappoint. They also had a sweet children’s section with a mix of the classics and some unique finds I hadn’t seen before.
Herst Coffee is a perfect spot to grab a midday pick-me-up. I’m partial to their oat milk lattes — I definitely got one to enjoy on my drive back home — but they also have a full menu of espresso drinks, tea (including matcha), and pastries.
The Clare V stores are always a breath of fresh air — stepping into their retail spaces feels like a bright, cheery moment in your day. I especially enjoy seeing how they mix and match their bags and bag straps to create unique looks and more versatility.
I’ll end with the best part — meeting Clare in person for the first time was the highlight of my year so far, for sure! We met for lunch (along with her niece Frannie, who you may recognize from the Clare V photos) and had such a great time chatting and getting to know each other I never snapped a photo of our delicious food we grabbed from Circle Hook. We all ordered the Poke Bowl and it was one of the best ones I’ve ever had. Highly recommend if you enjoy seafood!
One of my ideal ways to spend my day is with people I love, walking around and exploring little shops and businesses, finding the best coffee, eating good food and basically only using my phone when I want to make a memory. What about you — do you explore the world this way?
So fun! Do you have any active Clare V codes? Or will you have any in the near future? 🙂
Love reading posts like this. Looks like a great day!
Oh gosh, you’ve inspired me to grab a girlfriend and do a day like this! I miss browsing and having a good lunch/coffee date with a friend. Thanks for the inspiration!
This makes me happy to hear! Enjoy!!
My husband and I have been in DFW for almost 2 years, and still love exploring all the “touristy” places. We love finding a new restaurant to go to followed by a local coffee shop, and ending our outing with a toddler friendly activity.
Yes — it’s fun to be a “tourist” in your own city.
I met CV in Dallas many years ago, and she was so kind and genuine. Her handbags are my favorites! Did you leave with a new bag?!
Ah, so fun! Clare gave me one of their new sweaters as a gift, and I also got a little something for my mom’s birthday.
This brings back very fond memories of visiting Newport with my sister a few years ago. Amazing spot! Loved Lido Marina. We rented bikes from our hotel & biked along the beach front and grabbed lunch, it was so nice.
So fun! Which hotel did you stay at?
I love this! It makes me want to visit Newport again so bad! I live in a touristy lake town in the Midwest and walking around the cute little shops and getting lunch or coffee and dreaming of living in the huge houses on the lake is one of mine and my husband’s favorite things to do in the summer!
Yes! I would do the same thing if I were you. Sounds like my kind of fun!
This looks like such an amazing day! I’m local and had no idea all of this was in Newport 🙈. I’m all for being present and just snapping the memories. I think quarantine made a lot of us appreciate being able to gather in person. I never want to take those moments for granted again.
Agreed! I think as things settle down and normalize, we’re all going to want to spend less time on screens and more time making memories and enjoying local businesses and restaurants (in person) again! Also, since you are local, highly recommend visiting Lido for a beautiful, refreshing day of wandering around 💛