New Events Just Added -1st Fridays in Venice Beach, June 1

 June starts out the month with 1st Friday! The Abbot Kinney 1st Fridays Blog started 4 years ago to help launch this event to support the community and worked with the businesses on Abbot Kinney, the Venice Neichborhood Council and Venice Chamber of Commerce to make thisa successful event going from about 30 in attendance to well over 1000 people! We encourage you to check out all the unique shops, galleries and restaurants open late for the event and please tell them you found out about it here!

You can start your first Fridays with an invigorating Zumba Dance class at 9:15 am or 6pm at the newest dance/yoga studio, Venice Movement Arts Center for $15 a class. Also Yoga classes at 3, 4:30 and 8:30pm Friday and a Hip Hop class at 7:15. 122 Lincoln Blvd. # 105  across from Whole Foods.  Free street parking on Lincoln. See Website for details: http://www.venicemovement.com/

Altered Space and M Herrington Galleries are in the same building, which will make it easy for you to check out. They are at the west of of AKB closer to Westminster with openings between 5-8pm and 7-10pm respectively at. 1220 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

While you're at that end of AKB you may want to check out Joe's Restaurant at 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd for live music on the patio with jazz singer Judy Wexler starting at 7pm - music is free, must order dinner to be seated.

Head down to the other end of AKB for Very Venice Gallery at 1629  Abbot Kinney Blvd. from 6-9pm for their opening featuring a stable of talented local artists.

Here's a cool event off AKB that's just a short walk from it. Art Opening & Music at 1320 Main featuring artist Isabel Alford Lago and others, plus a few bands to liven it up from 7-11pm.

Check out this Abbot Kinney Live/Work Space in Venice!

This hip/modern Abbot Kinney live/work space is a perfect for your home, gallery, studio or office space! 

Situated in the heart of Venice, this Eco-friendly, flexible artist loft designed by James Gelfat of Equinox Architecture creates interaction to the vibrant Abbot Kinney lifestyle. 

Complete with 3 Bedrooms/3 Baths, this space is infused with natural light and encompasses architectural elements and details throughout. Open floor-plan and beautiful custom built-ins, solar panels, polished radiant concrete & bamboo floors, spacious kitchen with high-end appliances. Every picture tells a story, on Abbot Kinney, tell yours. 1212 Abbot Kinney #C - $2,700,000 View Listing

Featured Event: Yoga & Dance Studio Opening on Saturday - Free Coupon for Complimentary Class

You're Invited to the Opening of Venice Movement Arts Center this Saturday,
May 26 from 1–5pm! Complimentary Appetizers & Drinks! Meet the Instructors!

The Venice Movement Arts Center studio features ballet, zumba,yoga classes and meditation workshops plus kids classes in yoga and ballet. The instructors are a combination of established yoga and zumba instructors and new ones starting to build their practice. Meet the instructors at the opening of the newest community hotspot in Venice! Come in and get a coupon to try your first class absolutely free!

Venice Movement Arts Center Opening: Saturday, May 26 from 1–5 pm:
122 Lincoln Blvd. # 105 (ground floor)
Located across from Whole Foods. Free street parking on Lincoln.
Website: www.venicemovement.com

Fabulous Starter Home in Venice from Pardee Properties

Fabulous starter home nestled in Venice or an amazing development opportunity! Currently a sweet single family home with three bedrooms and one bath. 

Open and bright floorplan, hardwood floors, laundry room, and adorable open kitchen. 5200 square foot lot with a multi-elevation yard; keep the single family or build the three units this property has entitlements for. Don't miss out on this opportunity! 728 Indiana Avenue $825,000  See Property Listing >

Boys and Girls Club of Venice Needs Sponsors for Event this Sunday, May 27 at the Beach

The Boys and Girls Club of Venice are hosting the California State Championships Sunday, May 27  and would love to have your business as a sponsor: cash or in kind sponsorships for food are available. 

Equipment needs to be purchased for their newest sports program, the boys and girls competition grappling team.  This is USA Wrestling sanctioned sport, meaning they are overseen by the folks that manage the Olympic Wrestling Team. 

Your Business will be included on :

• Logo on t-shirt for  all competitors
• Onsite presence at event
• Inclusion into email broadcast to over 100K recipients
• Sampling / Exhibitions at the event

Contact Blair Green: 310-446-5566  blair@cagrappling.com

Opening of New Yoga & Dance Studio in Venice May 26!

Refresh Your Mind & Body & Join in on the Grand Opening Saturday, May 26 from 1–5pm at Venice Movement Arts Center!

Next Saturday, May 26 from 1-5pm marks the opening of Venice Movement Arts Center, a new dance, yoga, fitness and meditation studio at 122 Lincoln Blvd. across from Whole Foods. Get a Coupon for a FREE CLASS at the opening!

During the opening you can find out about classes from the instructors plus enjoy complimentary appetizers and light refreshments.

The studio features classes for adults: ballet, zumba, yoga and meditation workshops plus kids classes in yoga and ballet. The instructors are a combination of established yoga and zumba instructors and new ones starting to build their practice. Meet the instructors at the opening of the newest community hotspot in Venice!

Venice Movement Arts Center Opening: Saturday, May 26 from 1–5 pm:
122 Lincoln Blvd. # 105 (ground floor)
Located across from Whole Foods. Free street parking on Lincoln.
Website: www.venicemovement.com

See this during Venice Art Walk this Weekend!

Exquisite Michael Sant original located in the heart of Abbot Kinney. Overlook onto the BEST street in the United States as ranked by GQ Magazine!! This light infused two story architectural loft is complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and a fabulous and open, bright floor plan which gives the perfect combination of entertaining space and privacy. 

Gorgeous custom teak wood cabinets, polished concrete floors with radiant heat & air conditioning throughout. A kitchen with stainless counter-tops, Bosch & subzero appliances, and dining area. Elegant master bedroom & bath is situated on the second story with an additional bedroom/den. Great private sunny balcony surrounded with succulents, perfect for relaxing and watching the sunset. Solar powered building with secured access. Abbot Kinney restaurants and shops are literally at your doorstep! This is ultimate Venice living! 1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd #F $1,025,000
 See Property Listing >

Venice Art Walk this Weekend, May 19 & 20 Silent Auction at Google's New Office in Venice!

The Venice Art Walk is a fantastic weekend filled with art, artists, architecture and the Silent Auction, located at Google's new office, aka the "binocular building" on Sunday. This unique annual event is a major fundraiser for the Venice Family Clinic.

 The scoop from the Abbot Kinney Venice Blog on the Venice Art Walk:
- Sunday is the day for the Artist Studio Tours from 12 noon - 4pm. Get there early so you can see most of it! Register at the Westminster School - opens at 11am, $50.
- The Silent Auction is also on Sunday 11 am - 6pm with After Party 6 - 7:30pm.
NOTE: You must REGISTER FIRST AT WESTMINSTER SCHOOL  for the Silent Auction, located on Abbot Kinney Blvd. and Westminster. The auction and after party are at Google, 340 Main Street and priority will be given to people with tickets to the studio  and architecture tours.
- There are Architecture Tours on both Saturday & Sunday. $125.00 per tour.

More Details:
Venice Art Walk website: CLICK HERE
Buy Tickets Online: CLICK HERE
Silent Auction: Google becomes an art gallery! Bid on original sculptures, paintings and photographs from the biggest and brightest names in the Southern California art scene. Bring your friends and family together to celebrate Venice’s creative culture and enjoy celebrity DJs, taste bud tingling food trucks and interactive entertainment. Spend the day touring artists’ studios and take home a piece of art. All events support Venice Family Clinic, providing free health care to our neighbors in need.
Family Fun Day: Sunday, May 20, Noon – 3 pm Free event (Westminster School)
Bring the whole family to Westminster School for an afternoon of fun. Meet artist Gary Steinborn, creator of the beloved Blue Dog sculptures, as he teaches your children to sculpt with clay. Join us for an afternoon of music, art and imagining!
Architecture Tour: Saturday Artists & Architects, East of Lincoln, Noon – 4 pm, Huguette’s Caland’s home open from noon – 3 pm only, $125 Registration opens at 11 am (Westminster School).
Architecture Tour: Sunday Living Between the Pacific and Abbot Kinney, 11 am – 2 pm
$125 Registration opens at 10 am (Westminster School)

Events Mashup Art Crawling, Art Walking & Serving up some Gumbo!

This is the Abbot Kinney Venice Blog's weekly mashup for May 15 - 20 to let you know what's going on in Venice and Santa Monica.  Since the blog has covered the venues, events and artists previously, it will be  short n' sweet. If you want more deets see our handy dandy search bar in the right column.

Get a few servings of gumbo with local faves the Gumbo Bros at the Basement Tavern starting at 9:30 Tuesday night. Moving on to hump day, check out Luminous Movement at Zanzibar with singers, dj's, vendors and more in Santa Monica.

Let the art start here! The monthly Venice Art Crawl is Thursday night, starting between 6-7pm depending on venue. Check out the new location for Dogtown at The Yard @ 715 Hampton Dr, Venice CA with art, music, live painting and installations from 6 - 10pm and it's FREE! Also go to Figtrees Cafe, serving up art & appetizers, Venice Breeze Suites & Whole Foods.

Also on Thursday, opening at The Frank building, aka Cafe Gratitude on Rose Ave near 6th at 5:30 with music from the Shoo Flies, featuring Venice's own, Eric Ahlberg!

On Friday, see Suzy Williams at The Moose Lodge in Santa Monica with guitar wizard Michael Jost as opening act $10 cover. G2 Gallery has an opening on Saturday from 6 - 9pm with the usual art, wine and music for a $5 donation.

Sunday brings the Venice Art Walk, the annual art extravaganza that is a fundraiser for the Venice Family Clinic starting at 11am. Tickets for the Art Walk are $50. Come back to the blog for  a feature article on this important event. There are also tours on Saturday for $125.

Architectural Home by Robert Thibodeau/Du Architects in the Heart of Venice

Absolutely stunning brand new architectural home by Robert Thibodeau/Du Architects in the heart of Venice. At over 3,000 sq.ft this 3 Bdrm/3.5 Bath home encompasses gorgeous architectural & design elements throughout. 

Enter into the warm, modern open floor-plan finished w/ polished concrete floors, walls of glass, soaring redwood ceilings & a spacious gourmet kitchen with custom cabinetry, high-end appliances, integrated Caeserstone counters & beautiful custom Anne Sacks glass tiling detail. 

Move onto the second level & enjoy two spacious bedrooms & baths w/ additional mezzanine spaces perfect for an office or reading space. The third level consists of a spectacular master suite, open & expansive with a spacious built-in closet & a chic master bath w/ large his/her's shower and soaking tub. Delight in the ocean breezes on your two outdoor decks, complete w/ an outdoor shower & firepit. Seconds to the beach & Abbot Kinney - there is nothing on the market like this! 234 Grand Blvd $2,275,000

Get Details on this Property >

Venice & Santa Monica Events May 8 - 13

The Abbot Kinney Venice Blog  provides events listings in the Venice & Santa Monica beach areas, plus we blog for local businesses like Figtrees Cafe, Pardee Proerties, Viceroy Hotel, I. Roman Accounting Services and specific events such as the Venice Art Walk, Taste of Abbot Kinney and the Venice Garden and Home Tour. Did you know the Abbot Kinney Venice Blog gets over 10,000 unique visitors each month? Find out how we can help your business: Email us today!

Tuesday
VAC Happy Hour Mixer
Find out how you can get involved with the monthly Venice Art Crawl (see the Search our Blog feature on the right to find out more about it) meet n' greet the artists and organizers at Townhouse Venice. Free 52 Windward Ave, Venice, CA 90291 7 - 9pm

Wednesday

Live Music with Venice Singer Suzy Williams & Pianist Brad Kay
Original cabaret style & jazz songs and covers by this talented pair are sure to entertain you at this free monthly show at Danny's Venice. 23 Windward Ave., Venice, CA 90291 7 - 10pm

    Who can help you with your TAX questions?

I. Roman Accounting services has helped many entrepreneurs with their taxes, including Jagmedia, the publisher of this blog, in addition to helping companies from small to large with taxes, accounting, book keeping and payroll services. Call today at 310-230-8826 to find out more today!

Thursday

Poetry Workshop
The West Coast's legendary and longest running free poetry workshop with rotating facilitators. Featuring  Armine Iknadossian for this month. Beyond Baroque 681 Venice Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 8pm - 11pm

Friday
Acoustic Brazilian Music Night
Norma La Tuchie on Flute, TIKI on Drums and percussion, and Fabiano Do Nascimento on guitar. Original music including Brazilian Jazz with: Hermeto Pascoal, Moacir Santos, Baden Powell, Egberto Gismonti and more with special guests at Santino's Santa Monica location. Free 3021 Lincoln blvd. Santa Monica, CA 8:30pm

The Gumbo Brothers
This Venice fave band is playing live in Santa Monica and there will be a whole lotta shakin' going on at this free show! Plus filming during the second set so get in on the fun at The Charleston (formerly Angel's.) 2460 Wilshire Blvd. 9:30pm -1:30am

Saturday

Venice Spring Fling Music and Arts Festival

 Celebrate spring and the beginning of summer beach going with this fabulous and free music festival featuring live music with Michael Jost (festival organizer & amazing guitar player),  the reggae/funk sounds of Delta Nove, Braw featuring Norwood Fisher of Fishbone and more talented local musicians!. Yes, it is free and there's local artists diaplying their artwork to round it all out.  Located by the beach at Windward Plaza. 11am - 7:30 pm

Venice Garden & Home Tour this Saturday, May 5

The Venice Garden & Home Tour will shine this spring with 30 gardens and 
homes on Saturday, May 5, 2012 from 10:00am - 5:00pm. Ticket details below.

This annual fundraising event for the Neighborhood Youth Association’s Las Doradas Children’s Center will take tour-goers to Venice neighborhoods east of Lincoln Boulevard and into Mar Vista.

Tour-goers will walk, ride or bike through quiet, sun-drenched neighborhoods nearby, but distinctly, different from the bustling beach community and will see contemporary homes and gardens by some of Los Angeles’ innovative homeowners, architects and designers including Tom Carson, Gabriella Frears, Dennis Gibbens, Daniel Monti, Santiago Ortiz, Ron Radziner and Molly Reid and by landscape designers Russ Cletta, Jay Griffith, Rob Jones, and Suzanne McKevitt, among others.

Visitors will notice vibrant color everywhere; touches of gold and burnt orange blooms contrast with muted chocolate browns, green and gray backgrounds. Rust colored stuccos and barn red wood structures stand near sleek, white contemporary cubes. These Venice gardens are carefully planned and nurtured settings that bring nature indoors, create landscaped spaces between home office and family residence, include pocket vegetable gardens, rooftop plantings, and an increasing use of drought tolerant plants. Venice residents set the trends with unique use of space and materials, make and display art to enrich their lives, and take pride in generously opening their gardens to visitors. Several artists’ studios will be open including Cliff Garten’s studio.

A feature of this year’s garden tour will be the architecturally significant Gregory Ain tract, a “Utopian” enclave of 52 modest one story homes from 1947 tucked into Mar Vista. Landscape architect Garrett Eckbo planted rows of trees to create a streetscape that unifies the neighborhood and gives it a park-like atmosphere. There is so much to see and enjoy as visitors meander through Venice gardens and homes on this exceptional tour!

Ticket Info:

• Tour starts at the Las Doradas Children’s Center, 804 Broadway, at the corner of Broadway and Pleasant View, in Venice: 10:00am - 5:00pm.
• Tickets are $60 advance purchase or $70  day of the event.
  Buy Tickets/Get info: 310-821-1857 or email Barbara@venicegardentour.org or visit the website at www.venicegardentour.org.  
• Neighborhood parking is available, as are shuttle buses, food stands and trucks. Biking is encouraged.
• Children are welcome and under 12 years of age are admitted free.  

First Fridays, Live Music in Venice & Venice Garden and Home Tour this Saturday!

It's May 1 already! Start your month out with some fun events in Venice and Santa Monica. The AK Blog just added more 1st Fridays events plus the Home & Garden Tour below!

May 1 - 6

Wednesday: Miss Jessica and The Sugar Shack Attack at Danny's 7:30 - 10:30pm
Join in on the fun at Danny's where the locals hang to check out Miss Jessica who sings and shakes with Motown style funk! Happy Hour ends at 7, so get there early for the food and drink specials. 23 Windward Ave., Venice, CA 90291

Poetry Workshop at Beyond Baroque at Beyond Baroque 8pm - 11pm
The West Coast's legendary and longest running free poetry workshop with rotating facilitators. Featuring  Armine Iknadossian for this month. 681 Venice Blvd. Venice, CA 90291

Thursday: Acoustic Showcase at Santinos in Venice 9:30pm - 12:30am
Listen to live music and try some of the wonderful Argentinian cuisine!

1611 Pacific Ave., Venice, CA 90291 at Pacific

Friday: 1st Fridays on Abbot Kinney Blvd. 6 - 10pm This free monthly event has been going strong for 4 years now! Enjoy the unique shopping & dining experience on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice  90291! Check out Very Venice Gallery for their eclectic mix of local artists, including Amelia Drake's new *Springtime Magjiks* collection in time for Mother's Day and meet her in person. 1629 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice. Also check out Zingara (great for gifts too,)
585 Boardriders, the new shop around the corner at 585 Venice, Altered Spaces Gallery at the opposite end of the street with gifts and art 1221 Abbot Kinney Blvd.,
M Herrington is the new gallery in the front room at the  same address and Venice Vintage Paradise across the street for fantastic vintage finds and fun at 1144 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Jazz at Joe's Restaurant on the patio is another place to go- it's west of the light at Wesminster. If you want a table you need to order dinner, fyi. Live jazz from 7 - 11pmwith The Dexter Story Trio Doing a Tribute to Miles Davis. 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Saturday: Venice Garden and Home Tour 10am - 5pm: The Venice Garden & Home Tour is an annual fundraising event, benefiting the children of the Neighborhood Youth Association’s (NYA) Las Doradas Children’s Center in Venice, CA. This self-guided walking tour showcases the unique homes and gardens of the creative Venice Beach community, with original homeowner style as well as the designs of renowned architects and landscapers and has served thousands of “at risk” children and families in its 106 years. Start at NYA’s Las Doradas Children’s Center, 804 Broadway, Venice, CA.
See our Feature Article Here >


It's Cinco de Mayo so time for even more celebration! There's a big bash every year over at Baja Cantina from Saturday at 11am - Sunday at 2am with live music! 311 Washington Blvd., Marina del Rey, CA 90292.

Beach Lliving at its Best! See this Marina Del Rey Condo!

Come experience beach living at its best! This fabulous multi-level 2 BR/1.75 BA town home is done and ready to go. Beautiful Brazilian walnut floors and an open and bright loft style floor plan is the perfect balance between Modern Marina Del Rey and New York Chic. 

Kitchen features Bontempi custom cabinetry and stainless appliances. Master bedroom is situated on top floor loft and opens to a beautiful and private roof deck patio; the ultimate getaway. Additional outdoor space just outside your sliding glass doors. Unit has plenty of storage with laundry inside. One block to the beach and four blocks to restaurants and shops. This is must see!  100 Driftwood #12, Marina Del Rey $648,500.

Get details on this Property >