{open}

We are very happy to have blank journals back in stock and these hand-crafted creations come from the hands of Jeremy Wyngaard.

Grab one while you can, they’re going fast!

Help us clear out our current used vinyl inventory to make room for a very exciting announcement that we’ll be making very soon.
Stay tuned.

All used vinyl on sale for 50 cents!
(except priced vinyl on the wall and 78 boxed sets)

If you haven’t been by the store recently (well, shame on you) and also you haven’t seen our new window display created by Jamie Russom (mooninjunepress.com), Marilyn Larios and Charlene Russell. It was done as a holiday display but this one is definitely going to stick around for much longer.

Here are a few teaser photos, but you really need to see it in person.

Are you {open}’s facebook friend? Like this tree on {open}’s facebook page and we’ll give you 40% off all the used books in a single purchase until Christmas! Merry Christmas!

sept 23 // 8pm // $5

Fresh from their win at the Buskerfest, Wild Pack of Canaries will be bringing their infectious rhythms and grooves to {open}, with a stripped down, almost-acoustic version of themselves. Hence the new name, Mild Pack of Canaries.

Plus we are very proud to present Stephen Steinbrink from AZ. Check out some of his tunes here.

Special  thanks to Mountain Man Records for helping present this fine evening of music.
This show is not to be missed. See you there.

We occasionally get some beautiful street ’round these parts … this morning upon arriving I found this …

On Monday, Long Beach suffered a great loss, with the sudden passing of Pete Toulios, the owner of Lil Devils.

In addition to being a beloved part of 4th Street, Pete was a dear friend to us at {open}. Our hearts are very heavy right now. We will miss him greatly.

In honor of Pete and his warm, loving heart, please take a moment to tell those you love just how much you love them … and give them a really, really big hug. And raise a toast to Pedro the Greek!

Redistricted article by Ellen Griley: http://thedavestar.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/in-remembrance-of-pete-toulios-owner-of-lil-devils-childrens-boutique/

Grunion Gazette article: http://www.gazettes.com/articles/2010/05/21/community_news/doc4bf44320c8961329608089.txt

For our sixth anniversary, we’re featuring six new {open} t-shirt designs from six awesome {open} artists! From top left: Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs, Jeff Oonchitti, Gabo Gaete, Robert Pokorny, Greg Brown and Matt Maust.

Buy online!

[singlepic id=18 w=320 h=240 float=left]Early pics are in from this amazing evening featuring some incredible musicians: Billy Corgan (vocals and guitar), Dave Navarro (guitar), Mike Byrne (drums), Mark Tulin (bass), Mark Weitz  (keyboards), Kerry Brownon (percussion), Ysanne Spevak (violin), Linda Strawberry (backing vocals), and Kevin Dippold (flute and mandolin). Thanks for rocking our bookstore!

Special thanks to everyone who attended, you were a great crowd and we really appreciate you! Stay tuned for more video and audio!

Some early attendee reviews:

“So glad to be reminded that there are still talented, worthwhile artists making real music and performing great shows in a decade of crap! Simply one of the best live performances I have seen!” – Stephen Simon

“A rewind button, please, to replay and relive this night everyday. I’m so amazed.” – Barbara Navarro (no relation to Dave!)

“OMG, that was so amazing! I have to say that the sound mixing was absolutely perfect for me. It was loud enough, but not killing, and the acoustics just worked so well in your bookstore. Maybe something about the cookbooks on the walls. ; )” – Jacqui Viale

Also, a review from Spin magazine’s Kevin Bronson: http://www.spin.com/articles/billy-corgan-dave-navarro-debut-10-songs

[nggallery id=5]

An {open} space for open minds: Long Beach’s best indie bookstore
By LeAnne Bagnall, LA Literature Examiner
[read original article here]

For those who are fond of antiques, rarities, relics, or folklore, a bookstore may not be your first guess of where they all come together. Yet for readers who like to explore the unknown—whether in fiction or Holly-weird—Long Beach’s {open} bookstore is the place to discover some fascinating, uncharted avenues of the art and literary worlds.

Unlike other rare and used bookstores, {open} has collectibles typically seen on the shelves of a dusty antique shop: antiquated typewriters, cameras, and radios compose the store’s miniature exhibit. Also displayed are collage pieces aesthetic of 1950s American advertisements and pop culture, created by local artists Rebecca Trawick and David Wallace. In the back, an assortment of original photography can be found, including close-ups of The Cramps live on-stage taken by Timothy M. Bramlette. The nostalgic atmosphere gives way to the store’s unique book collection, spanning various genres including literature, humanities, music, film, theater, religion, tribal, traditions, essays and theories, philosophy, children’s lit, comics, and the quite comical “short attention span fiction.” Some hard-to-find titles were cased in glass shelves including ’50s westerns, sci-fi, and noir fiction, and such literary oddities as June Carter Cash’s book From the Heart. Discover their affordable collection of cult favorites in paperback, including a 1974 renewed edition of Tennessee Williams’ 1947 classic A Street Car Named Desire with stills from the 1951 hit movie and theater production—and a shirtless young Marlon Brando gracing the cover. Where else could one have found such a diamond in the rough?

Aside from the hodgepodge of eccentric art and literature, {open} features even more unusual digs such as scarce LPs and a ready-to-go turn-table for the use of local musicians and performers. Visitors can expect a different performer every weekend at the bookshop. Check out the store’s website at www.thestoryofopen.com to learn more.

http://www.examiner.com/x-19140-LA-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d5-An-open-space-for-open-minds-Long-Beachs-best-indie-bookstore

Galleries mix it up
Jason Lipeles, Special to the Press-Telegram
12/04/2008

These aren’t your grandparents’ galleries.

Local “hybrid” art spaces take an all-in-one approach to cultural endeavors fusing artwork, music and if you’re lucky, food and coffee. A big nutty, sweet cluster of these alternative art spaces have thrived on Fourth Street in Long Beach for years.

Viento y Agua, Portfolio Coffeehouse and a place simply called {open} have their own unique ways of making their businesses cyclones of art and energy.
{open}

Sé Reed whips a skinny, knit scarf around her neck and gives me a toothy grin and a good look in the eyes. Reed is co-owner of {open}, a hybrid art gallery, performance space and bookstore. I have not seen more energy out of one person since a friend won $250 on a grocery store scratcher.

Ever since the beginning, {open} has had monthly or bimonthly art exhibits.

For five years, co-owners Reed and Shea M Gauer have welcomed works by the likes of Robert Pokorny, Justin Lovato, Andy Carey and other hip local and international artists. For just as long, the hybrid art space has encouraged multimedia exploration.

“That’s all part of culture,” Reed says of combining books, music and art. “They all go together and it seems natural to have them all here in one place, spun up together.”

{open} will celebrate its fifth anniversary from noon to midnight Dec. 13 with musical performances, poetry, an art auction, a photography exhibit of “open” signs and other artsy endeavors.

{open}, 2226 E. Fourth St., Long Beach, (562) 499-6736.

(Read the rest on the Press Telegram’s website)

Give Way

Ellen Griley, The District Weekly, September 24

I think I’d like to crawl inside Robert Pokorny’s head for a moment—see if he sees things the way I imagine he might, like John Nash on a heavy dose of DayQuil, looking at the clouds. Or the Sunday comics. Or even an IKEA bathroom curtain.

Which is all really just a silly way of saying that Pokorny, like Nash—at least Nash via Ron Howard—seems to stare at the world and recognize shapes among shapes, patterns among patterns. These are shapes and patterns you and I would not see—and not just them, but movement, too, and it’s all distorted. (Hence, the DayQuil.)

Try to locate the starting point of a piece like Keeper, and it just might knock you stupid. There’s clearly the shape of a man tiptoeing, dressed in a suit and hat, holding a finger to his lips. But there are also shadows of the man, evidenced by extra hands and feet lurking in the negative space. Forget the arrows around him pointing in opposite directions or the assorted colors and swirls of the piece; it takes a moment to see the face hidden within the shape of the man himself, one eye staring back at you in side profile. And if you have any clarity in your thoughts as you step away, you might just notice that one of the hands—the one opposite the hand with its finger against his lips—has its fingers crossed. Gotcha.

There will be 11 other subjects at the show—such as the celebratory dame of Oh… and the fun, argyle-sweatered and goateed guy from Whhhat!—and works you can get positively lost in, from the electro-shocked Testing the Void to Resolution, with its abstract shape of a woman and another third hand, this one unattached, sticking a finger in her open mouth. With any luck, you’ll still be on your feet by the end.

TRANSITIONS: AN EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS BY ROBERT POKORNY {OPEN} 2226 E FOURTH ST | LONG BEACH 90814 | 562.499.OPEN | THESTORYOFOPEN.COM | OPENS SAT | THROUGH NOV 9 | RECEPTION 6-9 | PERFORMANCE BY EROS SINCLAIR & THE PERSISTENT RESISTANCE PLUS DJS COMPLIMENTARY REFRESHMENTS | FREE

Be a page in the story of {open}!
You can show your support for {open} by participating in our ongoing art installation: the story of {open}.

Here’s how it works:

Choose your page, either a 4×7 thesaurus page ($5) or a 8.5″x11″ encyclopedia page ($50), then inscribe or illustrate it however you wish (you can even take it home if you want to get crafty!).

The pages are on display behind {open}’s front counter. When the wall is full, we’ll bind the pages into an book: the story of {open} (tpart one), and you will be a permanent part of our history!

You can get your page at {open} or online with the secure PayPal form below. Thank you for your support. It is strongly felt and greatly appreciated! And thanks for a great five years!

Love,
Sé & Shea
owners, {open}

—

Please join us Saturday, September 27 for Last Saturday and our opening reception for Transitions, paintings by Robert Pokorny.

 Saturday’s opening reception features:
• Transitions, a series of 13 original paintings (cel-vinyl acrylic on wood panel)

• prints from Robert’s series The Red Zone: In The Zone, The Sipper, Daddy Long Legs and Mind Body & Soul

• a raffle for the original Lucky 13 from The Red Zone series

• performative dj eros sinclair & the persistent resistance

• plus, FREE special events at shops along 4th Street as part of Last Saturdays on 4th

–

–
Check out Robert’s work on the cover
of this week’s The District Weekly,
then check out their review of Transitions

Retro Row Features Evening Of Art

By Julian Bermudez /Gazette Arts Writer

Last Saturday turned out to be a successful art night for Fourth Street’s “Retro Row.” Throngs of artists, musicians, gallerists and the public-at-large took part in an evening filled with art, entertainment, food, drink and dance.

First on the list was Open. Read the rest of this post »

Check out a great video of Castledoor performing here at {open} for the What It Is: What It Is book release party on May 10, 2008. Posted by The Market.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoowdIc6V9g[/youtube]

{open} is pleased to present SOUND! from LA artist Andy Carey.

SOUND! features a series of pieces inspired by the music of The Beatles, the Chemical Brothers, Portishead and other. In his work, Carey uses wooden discs to create a dotted texture that evokes the pop culture portraits of Roy Lichtenstein and a 3-D canvas that is reminiscent of 80s classic Lite-Bright.

In addition to the music that inspired the work, DJs Dr. Ray Le Big Mac Royale and Lady Bug will each spin a set–60s, mod, psychadelia and soul and tunes from the 80s and 90s, respectively. we hope you can join us!

Opening reception for SOUND!
saturday, may 31 // 6-9pm // free

The reception is being held in conjunction with Last Saturdays, 4th Street’s new bi-monthly art night, which will feature art receptions and extended hours at numerous shops along the street.

An Evening of Poetry with Frank X. Gaspar
saturday, april 26 // 8pm // $7 (pre-sale only)

It’s April, so it’s National Poetry Month and we’re celebrating the medium accordingly with not one, but two (!) poetry events. Our second evening of poetry will turn its ear to Frank X. Gaspar, an accomplished poet and novelist who has been praised for his keen ability “to bring the whole of one’s thinking—one’s inner and outer worlds—to the page.” The LA Times Book Review said his “long, prose-like lines—like translations from dreams—surround the reader with their capaciousness and flowing diction.” But never mind what they say; read for yourself! (By the way, the X stands for Xavier. Some people are just born lucky.)

An excerpt from Night of a Thousand Blossoms:

Well, is it really wise to search for guidance in a small room
cluttered with books and papers, with a glass of whiskey
and a box of wheat crackers, with my eyes ticking like
the brass tide-clock on the plaster wall? When the house sleeps
huddled in the city’s jasmine night? Night of a thousand blossoms
I can’t name? Night of a soft marine layer, Pacific fog
hanging about a hundred yards up, a gauze, a parchment?
I am hidden thus from my duties, I can escape the moral law.
Isn’t it written, didn’t Lord Krishna himself say that we mustn’t
relinquish the action we are born to, even if it is flawed?

Due to limited space, tickets to this event will be pre-sale only! You can reserve yours at {open} or by calling us at (562) 499-OPEN. (Please note: All credit card ticket orders are subject to a $1 fee.)

the {open} 4th st. anniversary party
saturday, april 12 // 7-10pm // free (RSVP only)

Can you believe it? It’s been a whole YEAR since we moved to our new digs here on 4th St.! We opened “new” {open} on April 8, 2007, with a tooth-chippingly awesome performance from poet Derrick Brown and The Blank Tapes, who was (yes, singular!) recently praised in (the singular) Rolling Stone.

Well, we love our new home, so we’re throwing the street a party! The first {open} 4th St. Anniversary will feature Ray Barbee Meets The Mattson 2. Of course, these guys have already met a whole bunch of times; including last year when they released the album Ray Barbee Meets The Mattson 2 (from Japan’s Toy’s Factory). And the three will continue to meet, as they’re currently collaborating on the Mattson 2′s next album, which also features Tommy Guerrero, Money Mark, and John McEntire of Tortoise and The Sea and Cake.

At {open}, Ray Barbee Meets The Mattson 2 will provide a set (or two!) of their soothing, surf-hued blend of lounge and jazz from guitarist Ray Barbee and the impeccably mod Jonathan and Jared Mattson on drums and bass. Joining them, as he often does, will be bassist Aakaash Israni.

The rest of the evening will belong to DJ Nobody, who, along with sets at web radio collective dublab, will also be releasing an album later this year, as half of the dreamy, groovy Blank Blue.

In a delightful bonus, the evening will be furnished with refreshments from Bushmills! As such it’s an RSVP-only, 21+ event . There is also extremely limited attendance, so you’ll need to let us know if you want to come (and soon!).

“Camera Eye”
Polaroid photography from artist Marleah Tobin

opening reception // saturday, mar 29 // 6-9pm // free

Marleah Tobin’s work is unplanned, unchoregraphed and unscripted, what she calls “a left-hand path to digitization.”

Her goal is to capture an image as it happens, “the way your youth was captured. Tangible, visceral, but simultaneously dreamlike.Things immortalized not as they necessarily looked, but how you felt and how you’ll remember them. Instant film is dying, obsolete. but warmer and more expressive than pixels, it’s the stuff that grabs your heart.

“Camera Eye” will open with a reception, including DJs and light refreshments, from 6 to 9 pm. The reception is being held in conjunction with Last Saturdays, 4th Street’s new bi-monthly art night, which will feature art receptions in numerous shops along the street.

we’ve got a sounds are active show on the 16th, two performers and a short film on 3rdThurs (the 20th) and a new art show opening on Last Saturday (the 29th).

Check back soon for details …. or join our mailing list and get ‘em in your inbox.

Hey, {open} made the LA Times … and for the first time, it’s only about us! Sweet!!
=============
A bookstore that’s Open to experiment
By Andrew Asch
February 7, 2008

WITH a name like We Barbarians, drummer Nathan Warkentin’s rock trio seems fated to play loud. But on a recent Saturday, the group threw out the rule book. Warkentin, 26, blamed the change on the atypical setting — the multipurpose Long Beach space called Open. Read the rest of this post »

Come check out the amazing Matt Maust show and take in a performance by We Barbarians at 7pm. Five other art receptions will be taking place along Fourth for the first of the new series Last Saturdays on 4th! Read the rest of this post »

Check out our three kickin’ posters for January:

1. For 3rdThurs, done by Scott “Madman” Petersen

2. For Last Saturday, done by Matt Maust

3. For The Year Zero/Yellow Fever show, done by someone whose name we don’t have at the moment.
Read the rest of this post »

Saturday, December 8 // 8pm // FREE

For five years, Chris Shlarb has been creating a piece of music. That creation has emerged as Twilight & Ghost Stories, a dense, forty minute, modern composition featuring the contributions of more than 30 musicians and composers from the avant-garde, folk, jazz and electronic communities. After many collaborative releases through his label, Sounds Are Active, Twilight & Ghosts Stories is the first album Chris has release under his own name. On it, one can find him playing acoustic piano, organ, electric and acoustic guitar, as well as tapes and percussion. {open} is pleased to be hosting one of the five nation-wide, simultaneous listening parties for Twilight & Ghost Stories. The evening will start at 8pm with a set by Languis , who also contributed to the album, with the album listening beginning at 9pm. The event is free, and will be catered by Adriana Lucero-Schlarb. Please join us!

Check out this amazing video story made by Long Beach photographer Russ Roca. It’s from our event with Davy and Peter Rothbart from Found on November 5 and it’s a perfect example of why you should never miss another {open} event! =)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU2VSaYrtFY[/youtube]

Wow!

Did you miss us? We sure missed you! We had some cool things going on over the past few weeks that we wanted to tell you about … two amazing poets read new work last Saturday evening and dublab broadcast live from Open all day Tuesday.

We hope you wandered into the store and happened on some of the coolness, but we are very sorry that we weren’t able to get the word out to you!

Our domain was up for renewal and we tried to transfer registrars, but didn’t make it in time! And even though we should have been able to fetch it out of redemption without too much hassle, some unidentified technical problems on the ICANN side stretched the process out more than three weeks. Without our domain, we had no email and with no email, no list! Arg!

One of the better things that came out of this is our new domain name! Welcome to Open’s new internet home: thestoryofopen.com.

You can say hi at our email, open@thestoryofopen.com!

We lost some files in the transfer, so our full functionality isn’t back yet, but we’ll be adding features as we fix them! In the meantime, you can visit our google calendar (and subscribe to it as an rss feed!) here.

_______________________________
_____________________________

NEXT (10/26)
Readings from a Burning Shore // 8:30 pm // free

Dan Fante and Rob Woodard will read from current and past work, both prose and poetry.
—-
Dan Fante and Rob Woodard will read from current and past work. Dan Fante’s works include the novels Chump Change and Mooch, the influential book of poetry A gin-pissing-raw-meat-dual-carburetor- V8-son-of-a-bitch-from -Los-Angeles, and 2006′s Don Giovanni, which marked the first publication of one of his plays. The LA native recently released Short Dog, a book of short stories. His prose has been described as “vodka-soaked, soulful and bleeding on the page.”

Rob Woodard is the author of the novel Heaping Stones, published by Long Beach’s Burning Shore Press in late 2005. Burning Shore Press will also be releasing Woodard’s second novel, What Love Is (2008) and his first volume of poetry, King of Long Beach (2009).

You know how you like cool things? Well, on Sunday, we’ll have a whole bunch of cool things in, during the Handmade Sale by whoodini handmade at {open}!

All sorts of knicks and knacks, plus bags, accessories and more. And, not to forget, we’re in the midst of a FORTY PERCENT OFF SALE.

Come get cool things of all sorts THIS Sunday.

We’re open from noon to six and the Handmade Sale is on from one to five, Sunday, September 23.

P.S. You know SoundWalk is this weekend (Saturday, 6-10 pm), right? You gotta check it out. It’s free and, honestly, it’s just super, super neat.

come visit our new location at:

2226 e. 4th street (between cherry & junipero)
in the heart of Retro Row

re-opening april 17th

That’s right. as of April 2007
                     {open}’s NEW LOCATION IS:

2226 E. 4th. St. // Long Beach, 90802
                       (between Cherry & Junipero)
                             in the heart of Retro Row

Stay Tuned for More Details.
                                
                                                            - {open}

Yes, the 3rd annual SoundWalk is here to arrouse your ears and excite your eyes. Not to be missed. There are also 3 nights of performances surrounding the event. All details below:

SoundWalk2006

Saturday, October 7^th
5-10pm // free
East Village Arts District,
Downtown Long Beach

For more info:
www.soundwalk.org
562.499.6736


SoundWalk2006 Participants:

Aaron Drake / Alan & Carolyn Lechusza / Albert Ortega / Alessandro Bosetti / Arcanum / Barbez / Betsy Lohrer Hall / Bryan Ijeoma / Carlos Giffoni / Carlos Giordani (Italy) / Carrie Yury / Christiaan Cruz / D. Jean Hester / Danial Nord / David Rothbaum / Doug Pearsall / Eric Kabisch / Eric Strauss / Erin Scott & Matt Scott / EverLovely LightningHeart / FLOOD / Gary Raymond / Glenn Bach / Hans Fjellestad / Harry Um & Edmond Cho / Helga Fassonaki / hop-frog / Ian Henderson / Ida Hede Bertelsen, Stine Hebert, Mikkel Meyer & Ursula Nistrip (Denmark) / j.frede / James Orsher / Jazzkammer (Norway) / Jeremy Helton & Kyle Wilson / Joe Negro / Joeseph Tepperman & Laura Steenberge / John Kannenberg / Jonathon Grasse / Jorge Martin / Kabir Carter / Kamran Sadeghi (Son of Rose) / Kevin Paul / Marcos Fernandes / Metal Rouge / Michael Grodsky & Robert Drummond / MLuM / Noah Thomas / Phil Curtis / Phillip Stearns & Lewis Keller/ phog masheen / Ron Saunders & Mackenzie Bristow (South Korea) / RS-232 / smgsap / Substrate / Sumako / Surrealestate


Performance Schedule:


Friday, October 6th
8pm // $10 donation
The Dome Room
528 E. Broadway
Downtown Long Beach, CA 90802
562.499.6736ARCANUM (San Diego)
www.myspace.com/arcanumartensemble

Alessandro Bosetti (Berlin)
www.melgun.net

Noah Thomas (Long Beach)
http://www.csulb.edu/~gbach/socalsonicthomas.html

Metal Rouge (Aukland/L.A.)
http://helgafassonaki.net/

~~~~~

Post-event Performances:

Monday, October 9th
8:30pm // $8
{open}
144 Linden Ave.
Dowtown Long Beach 90802
562.499.OPEN // www.thestoryofopen.com (Berlin) (Aukland/L.A.) ~~~~~ 8:30pm // $8{open}144 Linden Ave.Dowtown Long Beach 90802562.499.OPEN // Jazzkammer (Norway)
www.jazzkammer.com Carlos Giffoni (Brooklyn)
www.carlosgiffoni.com(Brooklyn)David Rothbaum (Los Angeles)
www.davidrothbaum.com

~~~~~

Wednesday, October 11th
8:30pm // $8
{open}
144 Linden Ave.
Dowtown Long Beach 90802
562.499.OPEN // www.thestoryofopen.com

(Brooklyn) (Los Angeles) 8:30pm // $8{open}144 Linden Ave.Dowtown Long Beach 90802562.499.OPEN // Barbez (Brooklyn)
www.barbez.comHans Fjellestad (Los Angeles)
www.hansfjellestad.comMikkel Meyer (Copenhagen)
www.myspace.com/mikkelmeyer


~~~~~

“Atlas EVAD”
new work by Glenn Bach

Long Beach artist Glenn Bach presents “Atlas EVAD,” the most recent project in his extended Atlas series. Over the summer of 2006, Bach walked and investigated the East Village Arts District in downtown Long Beach, California

Using drawings, photographs, found texts, and sounds, Bach has created a multi-faceted portrait of the Arts District as “place,” a shifting series of observations about a group of overlapping neighborhoods that defy straightforward categorization. Atlas EVAD provides the framework for examining city streets from the point of view of the pedestrian; in this case one who is simultaneously a resident “local” and visiting “tourist.”

By remixing the urban walk, Bach circumvents the usual manner in which a city is navigated, generating nuanced and idiosyncratic travelogues for the contemporary urban landscape.
—