The laidback town of Manhattan Beach is well-known around Los Angeles for its stellar surf, effortless charm and picturesque views. But insiders know it as the home to some top-tier shopping such as the oceanfront boutique, Wright’s, and its sister store, The Beehive.
Opened in 1988 by husband-and-wife team Nancy and Dana McFarland, the boutique is a longtime neighborhood institution, as beloved for its careful curation of cult-favorite brands as it is for the authentic totem pole that stands guard at its door. But how did this Trading Post-inspired beachfront shop grow to become one of the country’s best places to score Isabel Marant, Alix of Bohemia and more? And how has it managed to stay on top for nearly 40 years?
The answer, Nancy McFarland says, comes down to passion, heart and good energy. “First of all, we absolutely love what we do,” she says.
One of the things Nancy loves to do, naturally, is shop. She’s loved it since she was a teen; when she’d spend all the money she made at her job at a cookie shop to buy jeans at the local mall’s Denim Barn. And, it was one of the things that originally bonded her to her husband Dana; when the two first met, they’d spend hours scouring thrift stores and flea markets. “At that time, that was all our wallets could afford,” she says. “We loved to buy vintage Levi’s and corduroy.” To feed their vintage obsession, they’d also take road trips to the Southwest. “We would drive from California and visit all the pawn shops on the way. When we got to Santa Fe, we would go out on the reservations and visit the artisans. We started collecting their beautiful jewelry."
But back in Manhattan Beach, where the couple lived, they soon realized there were few places to scratch their—and their neighbors’—shopping itch. “Manhattan Beach had some great surf shops, but most people were leaving the beach to shop in the city,” Nancy says. “That’s when we decided to open up Wright’s, so they could shop with an ocean view.”
It wasn’t just the ocean view that made Wright’s feel magical from the get-go: the name of the store and its provenance was infused with personal history, too. “We named it Wright’s after Wright’s Trading Post, which was my husband's great, great grandfather’s Native American Trading Post in Albuquerque, New Mexico,” Nancy says.
That good energy permeates the store’s atmosphere. Nancy and Dana seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to picking out brands and curating the mix on the floor. “After being in the industry for 37 years, I can quickly see when a brand has a new and fresh vision, or if it is a brand that is following mainstream trends,” Nancy says. “We go to markets all over the world—Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Milan—and we are always working to find something new and fun to bring back to our precious beach community. We want our customers to feel there is a soul, an energy and a story behind everything we do.”
But more than anything, Nancy wants her customers to know how important they are. She knows they could shop anywhere they want—they have all of Los Angeles at their doorstep, after all. “Our challenge is to always bring them the best and the latest,” she explains. “Wright’s pushes the boundaries with designers from all over the world, while using our particular styling and merchandising to translate it to our more sophisticated beach-town customer in a way that resonates with them.”
She also knows that her customers are always evolving—she’s seen it firsthand with herself and with her family as well. That sentiment was part of the inspiration behind The Beehive, a sister store to Wright’s that the McFarlands opened in 1998. “My daughter Ruby was a preteen and I felt that she didn’t have any good options,” Nancy explains. “We wanted to open up a store that was girly and sweet, so we decided to open The Beehive.” Originally, the store featured a classic vintage candy section, ribbon wall and a photo booth—all the things a young shopper might love. But as the store—and Ruby—grew, the mix changed too. “The Beehive has grown up and has now become an elevated California lifestyle store for anyone and everyone,” Nancy says.
Though each store offers a unique mix, they do share a few things in common. There’s a sense of community and history throughout; a feeling that only comes when something is done out of love and with a personal touch. Nancy puts it this way: “Every day we get to work with kind, supportive and inspiring customers. But the ocean view isn’t bad either.”
Photos By Timothy Fernandez
“First, you should take a walk or run on The Strand and take a dip in the ocean,” she says of how to start the day in her beloved hometown. “Then be sure to get a book at Pages, a local independent bookstore.”
For breakfast or brunch: Uncle Bill’s for cheddar cheese and bacon waffles in an old-school diner environment or Un Caffe Altamura for a European-inspired neighborhood cafe with natural wines.
For lunch: Grab a sandwich and an oatmeal-glazed cookie at Beckers Bakery, family-run since 1942.
For drinks: Shellback or Ercole’s, which are both classic Manhattan Beach watering holes.
For dinner: Head over to the best Mexican restaurant, El Sombrero, where Jose will greet you every time with a “Welcome home” and a “See you tomorrow” when you leave. For a more elevated experience, make a reservation at the steakhouse The Arthur J, the oyster bar Fishing with Dynamite or the Italian restaurants Mangiamo or Love & Salt.
