At Java Man, Patrick Mescall and Brian Eldridge pointed to the lightly stained table by the large white-trimmed window and told Easy Reader, "All our hopes and dreams are at that table." The two partners in South Bay Hospitality Group had planned projects there for years, including Tiki Kai, their Pier Plaza tiki bar. In October their latest deal at that table made them the new owners of Java Man and Ocean Diner.
On November 21 and 22, the little 1929 beach cottage at 157 Pier Avenue will host live music during the Hermosa Beach Chamber Foundation's holiday weekend. Downtown Hermosa's holiday season is built on a handful of independent businesses, several of them decades old. This fall, the City Council asked those same businesses to prove the season was worth subsidizing.
The weekend that opens the season runs through Pier Plaza
The 6th Annual Hermosa for the Holidays takes over downtown on Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22. The Chamber Foundation and the City of Hermosa Beach produce it together, combining the Holiday Open House with the Tree Lighting Ceremony.
| Time | Saturday, Nov. 21 | Sunday, Nov. 22 |
|---|---|---|
| All day | Elf on the Shelf Scavenger Hunt, local shopping and dining | Elf on the Shelf Scavenger Hunt, local shopping and dining |
| 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Holiday Pop-Up Market and Letters to Santa on Pier Plaza | Pics with Santa and brand activations on Pier Plaza |
| 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m. | Live music at Java Man | Live music at Java Man |
| 12–9 p.m. | Ferris Wheel on Pier Plaza | Ferris Wheel on Pier Plaza |
| Afternoon | Rock the Plaza concert by South Bay Music Connection, 2–7 p.m. | Nonprofit Giving Village, 1–6 p.m. |
| Evening | Rock for Tots Concert, 4–8 p.m.; Tree Lighting Ceremony with Santa's arrival, 5:45–6:15 p.m. |
The Ferris wheel sits near the Pier Head on Pier Plaza, and Jeremy Buck's Rock for Tots Show is in its 20th year. After the weekend, the Chamber keeps the season going with local promotions and the Elf on the Shelf Scavenger Hunt.
The schedule tells you where the weekend is meant to send people. The Ferris wheel, the market and the tree draw the crowd to Pier Plaza, and the shops along Pier Avenue and Hermosa Avenue are counting on that crowd to walk in and buy something. Whether parking at those shops is free in December became the season's biggest local argument.
Three weeks of free meters went to zero, then came back for a second vote
Hermosa has offered free holiday parking at its 388 silver-post meters since 2013, according to the city staff report. It ran four weeks every year from 2018 through 2024. Last year the program ran three weeks, from December 3 through Christmas. The city's staff report says those meters are mostly on Hermosa Avenue and Pier Avenue, the same blocks the holiday weekend fills.
On October 13, the Council voted 3-2 to suspend the program for 2026, according to Easy Reader's report on the vote. Before landing there, the Council considered motions for one week, two weeks and three weeks. Mayor Mike Detoy argued that skipping a year would give the city cleaner data, and he pointed to the more than $4 million the Council had already cut from this year's budget.
City staff put a price on each week of free parking:
- $52,967 in meter revenue the city would not collect
- $13,828 in citation revenue the city would not collect
- $66,795 total per week
- About $200,400 for a three-week program running December 3 through December 25
Hermosa's neighbors set the baseline. The same staff report says Manhattan Beach authorized four weeks of free holiday parking, Thanksgiving through Christmas Day, while Redondo Beach was discussing one week during Christmas week.
After the October vote, business owners filled the October 27 meeting. Councilmember Rob Saemann, who had voted with the majority, said he had changed his mind, as Easy Reader reported. He floated two weeks, December 11 through December 25. Councilmember Dean Francois said he would propose three. The item, "Consideration of a Complimentary Holiday Parking Program," went on the November 10 Council agenda. Staff asked the Council for direction and did not recommend a length. Whatever the Council decided on November 10 will show up on hermosabeach.gov along with any free-parking dates. Until the city announces bagged meters, plan on paying at the silver posts.
The shops that made the case
The speakers at the October 27 meeting were a list of the businesses downtown regulars already know. Each one brought a number to a debate that had been short on numbers. Easy Reader recorded who spoke:
- Gum Tree on Pier Avenue. Co-owner Lori Ford said the store has asked for the program every year for 18 years. "We do 25% of our sales in the month of December," she said.
- Sol Baby on Pier Avenue. Gina Rothwell, the owner for 20 years, pointed out that Hermosa is the smallest of the three beach cities and has the least retail.
- Sand Spa. A representative said that going from three weeks last year to zero days this year takes away one of the few tools small businesses have during their most important season.
- Fritto Misto. Co-owner Ludmilla Kerr noted the restaurant has been open 27 years.
- Uncorked. Co-owner Kathy Knoll asked for at least three weeks.
Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce President Michelle Crispin asked the Council for at least two weeks this year and a dedicated budget line so the program could continue in future years. She explained why the data the Council wanted is hard to produce. "Sales taxes are reported quarterly so we can't isolate December sales," she said. Jani Lang, who runs a sales agency serving specialty retailers, proposed free parking on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
One Pier Avenue store says a quarter of its year comes in December, and several of the businesses asking for help have been in place for two or three decades.
The newest owners downtown are keeping the old rooms
The fall's ownership changes point the same way. Rick Hankus opened Ocean Diner in 1986 and Java Man in 1992, and longtime partner Tim Briggs told Easy Reader he wanted a buyer who would keep their spirit. "We baked ourselves into the community," Briggs said, adding that the new owners wanted to keep the staff and the status quo.
Mescall and Eldridge also own Eat At Joe's and Paddy O'Brien's. They have said they may stretch Java Man's hours into the evening and book local performers such as Mikey Jerome, but only after hearing from the staff first. Ocean Diner's Wednesday closures, the paper reported, are on their way out. "When institutions start going away, everything starts to look the same," Mescall said.
A few blocks north, Kasai Records brings a Tokyo listening-room concept to 1332 Hermosa Avenue, with dinner Wednesday through Sunday and brunch on weekends, according to Easy Reader. Between the listening room and Java Man's live-music plans, downtown has two more reasons to stay out after dark in December.
December after the tree is lit
The city calendar keeps the shoreline and Pier Plaza busy after the opening weekend:
- Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m.–noon: the Sand Snowman Contest at 15th Street and the shoreline
- Sunday, December 6, 3–5 p.m.: the Community Chanukah Celebration, with a menorah lighting on Pier Plaza
- Saturday, December 12, 9 a.m.: the California Great Santa Stroll, as listed on the city's December calendar
- Thursday, December 31: city offices open 7 a.m. to noon
- Friday, January 1: the Community Center is closed, per the city's January calendar
The pier itself is due for work later. The city sought bids through November 12 for pier structural repairs, including concrete deck panel replacement and strengthening, soffit repairs and crack injection, over a 65-working-day construction period.
Every one of those dates brings people to the blocks where Gum Tree, Sol Baby, Fritto Misto, Uncorked and Java Man depend on December traffic. The Council's November 10 decision sets what that traffic pays at the meters. The Elf on the Shelf hunt and the Chamber's local promotions are the season's other way of getting people from the sand into the shops.
Living a few blocks from Pier Plaza means the Ferris wheel, the tree and the shops that hold them up are part of what your address offers. If you live near Pier Avenue and want to know what your home is worth, Rachel Ezra will put together a clear, local read for you. Request a Complimentary Home Valuation.
