Note: This post is part of an ongoing blog series called #costamesa365 where the author is striving to shop only* in her city of Costa Mesa, for a year.
Well, today’s news is going to make it really difficult to see #costamesa365 through to the end of 2019. It’s exciting news, but a really big change… both for me, and for the project.
I hope you’ll be excited for us, too.
As of next week, we will be winding down coverage of Costa Mesa and ramping up a new brand iteration: I Heart Los Angeles!
Our little project has finally hit the big time. We’re moving up to bigger coverage, a bigger staff, and a much bigger city to highlight.
Earlier this month, I was approached by a retired TV Producer (no names, he’d like to remain a “silent investor” for now) who made his fortune over a long and productive career. Now, he’s looking to use his money for “more wholesome endeavors” and he discovered us!
The rub is, he doesn’t even know where Costa Mesa is, never heard of it. But as a proud resident of the Hollywood Hills, our investor wants to bring us up to Los Angeles to help make his city a more joyful, heartfelt place.
He sees it as the first step to actually franchise “I Heart” across the country. He’s got his sights on Minneapolis, Austin, Portland… and really just wants to roll out heart-shaped loved to every, major metropolis.
We’ll be recording our I Heart Los Angeles podcast, each week, at his state-of-the-art, in-home studio. With his industry connections, we’ll even be interviewing A-list celebrities from time to time. Squee!
Our investor has overseas manufacturing connections. Stickers, shirts, and custom mason jars for our signature I Heart Los Angeles cold brew, are being printed as we speak!
This was all a tough decision for me because – truth be told – I don’t much “heart” Los Angeles.
The traffic in LA is pretty brutal.
It’s crowded for my taste.
And even though I lived in Pasadena, and worked in Downtown LA for a few years, I still get super lost just trying to get from one part of the city to the other.
But for a mid-six-figure brand buyout – and an ongoing six-figure annual salary, plus bonuses – I guess I can learn to love anything! Lol.
My kids are pretty upset to be moving away from their big backyard, friends, family and the beach. But the mid-Wilshire condo we’ve scoped out has its own doorman! I told my husband, “When they’re going to middle school with Suri Cruise, they’ll eventually get over it and start talking to me, again.”
I know it’s a big change. I hope you, our lovely readers, are excited for our team to make this leap. I hope you’ll keep reading along. Even though we won’t be covering Costa Mesa specifically anymore, our stories will still be pretty relevant to you.
After all, Costa Mesa is really just a suburb / bedroom community of Los Angeles. Without an important, coastal hub like the Greater Los Angeles Area to anchor us, would Costa Mesa really even exist? Anyone in Costa Mesa, who isn’t closely following what’s happening in LA, is making a huge mistake.
Anyway, thanks for four great years, Costa Mesa – and for making it possible for me to cash in on this great opportunity. #losangeles365 here we come! ♥
IF YOU READ THIS FAR, CAN WE JUST SAY… APRIL FOOLS! Happy April Fools Day, Costa Mesa. Did we getcha?
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*We will always start by shopping / looking in Costa Mesa, first. But if we really need something and an alternative is nowhere to be found in Costa Mesa, we’ll stray. Also, as parents, we’ve decided that certain kid-related things (mainly educational) will need to remain baked in. Oh yeah, and one more thing… April Fools!
