Mar Vista Launch for The OPEN Daily, Essential Guide to the Westside

Mar Vista blogger Sarah Auerswald has teamed up with the Open Mar Vista team to launch The OPEN Daily, your “essential guide to the Westside.” Please join us for free coffee and gluten-free goodies at the Venice Grind between 8:30am and 9am on Tuesday to celebrate!

Conceived to help promote Westside events and organizations, The OPEN Daily publishes digestible bites submitted by the community. Locals can submit information about their business or event at theopendaily.com/submit-free-listing. Advertisers can generate Westside buzz by placing an ad at theopendaily.com/advertise.

The OPEN Daily also publishes advice and tips from local experts, breaking stories in neighborhood blogs, updates from Westside schools, and great deals and giveaways from local businesses.

Expert columns include Career Tips from Jenny Yerrick Martin, career consultant and expert personal marketing specialist; Fitness Tips from Christine Kwok, whole health coach for individuals, communities, and corporations; and Neighborhood Action Tips from BongHwan Kim, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

BongHwan Kim said “The OPEN Daily and neighborhood blogs and social networks serve an important role in promoting awareness and public oversight over the local impact of elected Neighborhood Councils.”

Don't miss The OPEN Daily launch celebration this Tuesday at 8:30am at Venice Grind (12224 Venice Blvd.) for a free cup of coffee! Catch up with neighborhood locals and enjoy free baked goods courtesy of Yvonne’s Gluten-Free Goodies!

See who's coming: RSVP on Open Mar Vista.

Help spread the word on Facebook: free coffee at the Venice Grind 2/23 8:30am.

FREE Eco-Living Workshop for Mar Vista

Previously offered to Santa Monica residents for a small fee, this unique workshop is held in LA for the very first time -- with a Mar Vista Community Council grant making it FREE to the neighborhood!

The Children Sing...

Mar Vista, Gem of the Westside

The Huffington Post ran an article raving about Mar Vista as "the land of large yards, beautiful tree lined streets, neighbors who have known each other for generations, and a whole lot of village pride. It's affordable, ethnically diverse, less than three miles to the beach, and a ten to twenty minute drop in to most places you want to visit."

The article notes Mar Vista's "rare old school California charm" and feeling that "creative energy spills out in all directions... the most interesting people live in Mar Vista. It's the gem of the Westside, oozing with possibility and opportunity."

The articles notes the recent transformation of the stretch on Venice Boulevard between Centinela and Grandview from a "depressed block" into a "viable retail destination" that may give Abbott Kinney a run for its money.

Mar Vista Picked as Award Finalist; Green Christmas for Local Schools

Mar Vista Nominated for New LA Award Show Fast Company Magazine endorses Mar Vista as a Los Angeles Real Creativity Awards (LARC) finalist: "In a city that's perhaps best known for a certain awards show that rolls around every spring, the definition of "creativity" can often be lost in a sea of sequinned cleavage and sobby acceptance speeches. But the Urban Land Institute's brand-new L.A. awards show is a direct response to that--it's called the Los Angeles Real Creativity Awards… The Enterprise nod should go to the community of Mar Vista, possibly one of the most progressive in the city, with initiatives like Open Mar Vista, an ambitious social network and community Web site that includes information for programs like a neighborhood-wide solar roll-out."  Winners will be announced Saturday night at an event presided over by architect Frank Gehry and other L.A. luminaries.

A Living Christmas for Mar Vista Schools

Dreaming of a Green Christmas this year?  The Living Christmas Company offers an eco-friendly alternative to cut or artificial trees.  They rent out locally grown varieties of living trees for the holidays, which are then cared for year round in their nursery. You can order online, schedule delivery/pickup by biodiesel truck, and even ‘adopt’ a live tree to use again next year.  The living trees are eventually donated to a tree planting organization or to an Urban Reforestation Project where they become big, beautiful trees.

In a Mar Vista holiday special, Living Christmas has agreed to donate 10% of tree rental proceeds to your favorite Mar Vista school -- and you will receive a 5% discount when you order your tree with a Mar Vista coupon code.

Mar Vista Chamber Hosts Business Outreach and Art Exhibit

After weeks of dialogue with local businesses, a group of Mar Vista residents and business owners have established a new Chamber of Commerce in the heart of Mar Vista's downtown on Venice Boulevard, between Walgrove Avenue and Inglewood Boulevard.

The newly-minted Mar Vista Chamber of Commerce invites the public to an art exhibit and business outreach event on Saturday December 5th from 6 to 8pm at the Insight on the Westside creative meeting place (12805 Venice Blvd, Mar Vista).