Meet Lori, a longtime local with deep South Bay roots.
What Makes You a Local?
I was born and raised in Manhattan Beach, I think they call us beach trash now, and I’m ok with that.
What Do You Do?
I’m the Founder and CEO of Gum Tree Shop & Cafe. My amazing husband is my co-founder and CFO. We are a true family business and we love that we’ve become a meaningful part of the community. A gathering place and the perfect place to get the gifts you need for the ones you love.
What Do You Contribute to The South Bay Community?
We hope that we’ve created a place for people to come and be happy. Happy with their morning coffee and avocado toast on our sunny patio, and happy when they find the perfect gift for a friend or themselves in our shop.
What’s Your Favorite Place for Happy Hour?
Oh gosh, we are old and we have little kids so we don’t get to many happy hours anymore, but we do love to walk down to early family dinners with great margaritas at La Playita. The kids play in the park while we wait for our food, and it’s the best view in town.
What’s Your Favorite Go-To Lunch Restaurant?
Can I say Gum Tree? We’ve been open 10 years and I still happily eat there almost every day. If we get to venture out it’s usually for ramen at the Ramen Shack in Redondo.
What’s Your Favorite South Bay Tradition?
We love the summer concerts in Hermosa, and for an older tradition we love the hometown fair and the Holiday Fireworks in MB at the pier. All family friendly events that we never miss.
Who’s the perfect Gum Tree customer?
We’ve built our business on satisfying the local community. We change up our specials in the cafe all the time, and we get boxes of new beautiful things for the shop almost daily. We want you to come in and always see or try something new.
What Do You Love Most About South Bay?
The weather!
