Dainty Disco in North Long Beach is a colorful, quirky party for all

The pastel pink walls and disco balls illuminated by a neon sign at Dainty Disco are an ideal setting for the handmade, quirky items from over 40 artists that adorn one of Long Beach’s newest and most unique gift shops. 

The North Long Beach storefront prides itself on its unconventional array of items: cowboy boot earrings, mushroom-shaped crocheted car coasters, LGBTQ-themed candles, greeting cards and stickers found nowhere else and a Dainty Disco tote bag with happy mushrooms touting “Never Stop Growing.”

It’s a sentiment that rings true for shop owner Marissa Lujan, who has been crafting her own eccentric accessories and items for over 10 years. 

“I feel like everything that I’m doing now is … just a mix of everything that I’ve done for like the last 10 years and now I’m helping other small businesses do the same thing,” Lujan said.

What started off as a hobby and an Etsy shop selling various cat items—mermaid and astronaut felines to name a few—under the name Meowrissa is now one of Long Beach’s most creative shops. Lujan spent years pursuing different careers while recruiting artists and selling cute, trendy items at various pop-ups throughout Los Angeles County. 

Lujan got her first big break about three years ago from another female small business owner in Long Beach. A pair of handcrafted button earrings found their permanent home at Songbird Boutique, giving Lujan the push of confidence she needed to get her items into more shops and on people’s ears. 

“From then on, it was just like a drive,” Lujan said. “I would literally drive up and down the streets of where I lived and go into boutiques and be like, ‘Hey, are you interested in selling my button earrings.”

Once she decided to quit her job as a flight attendant, the pandemic hit. She spent time throwing herself into her craft, and started searching for Dainty Disco’s permanent home in December 2021.

The checkered floors and neon light fixtures in the North Long Beach shop immediately drew Lujan in—she had found the home for Dainty Disco. Five months later, the shop was filled with quirky, one-of-a-kind items from over 15 vendors, Lujan’s own creations included. 

“I just think there was so much opportunity, like the people there at the shop with us are amazing,” Lujan said. “They’re so wholehearted and they understand small businesses and supporting [them] and I really love that part of where I’m at.”

Lujan tries to bring the same sense of community when recruiting artists who she works with. She has met people through Instagram, Long Beach events and various pop-ups, inviting those who she connects with to sell their items in her storefront. 

The result is a myriad of items where Lujan hopes there is something for everyone. Her next phase of the shop was to get the community involved in her journey. Dainty Disco has held two workshops open to everyone—a crocheting class where each participant walked away with their own granny square, and a piñata-making workshop where 20 heart-shaped, Bad Bunny-inspired items were handcrafted. 

Lujan stressed the importance of having people feel a sense of belonging when they enter her store, whether for a workshop or simply to browse the quirky items displayed. She chooses items that will make her customers feel empowered: Latinx-inspired trinkets and “Protect the Cookie” stickers. 

“Something that’s really important to me is the fact that I want to create a safe place for the community; for people of color, the Latinx community, LGBTQ+ community, while making sure that we’re also being delicate with ourselves and we’re taking care of ourselves,” Lujan said.

Once she has an artist’s items in her shop, Lujan takes care to keep in touch with them, checking in on their mental health often. Stephanie Almaraz of Bubble Ghoul was one of Lujan’s first vendors she recruited for Dainty Disco. 

The two met at a pop-up in Whittier and after chatting for hours and purchasing items from one another, Lujan offered the chance to collaborate before her shop was even open. 

“I thought it was a pretty amazing deal because when you’re a small business, you don’t really think ahead like that,” Almaraz said. “Especially when you’re just starting out, it was my first year actually being official … Just kind of showed me like, ‘I can do more than what I think I can do.’”

Almaraz’s handmade creations can be seen scattered throughout the shop: one-of-a-kind vintage-inspired earrings of varying shapes and vampire fangs that are delicately carved. Since the shop’s opening in April, Almaraz has returned for various pop-up events and met a few of her fellow vendors, always finding new items to be inspired by. 

“I feel like that’s what I love about Marissa and the store itself—the sense of community, you find the people that are into the same things as you or even if they’re not in the same interest as you, you still find a common ground,” Almaraz said.

Dainty Disco will be holding its third community event on Saturday, Oct. 29. Residents are invited to bring a picture of a loved one who has passed away to adorn the ofrenda inside the shop for Día de los Muertos. At least eight vendors will be selling items outside of the store from noon to 4 p.m.

As Lujan continues to search for the perfect additions for her off-the-wall storefront, she is often reminded of the long journey it took her to get here, and encourages other artists to keep trying.  

“Just never giving up, every single day try to do one little thing that can [be] progress,” Lujan said. “I just think that’s so important, just like little steps. It took me 10 years but during that time the dream never stopped.”

Dainty Disco is located at 5659 Atlantic Avenue and open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For updates on the shop, follow @daintydisco_ on Instagram.