Want to put an authentic Oceanside twist on your holiday shopping? The Ozone, the lifestyle store located at our sister hotel, Mission Pacific, is your place. The artful mash-up of a slick art gallery and cool surf shop has become an essential shopping destination in Oceanside for its highly curated offerings and singular ambience — and the holiday season is no exception.
“We definitely wanted to go all out for our first holiday season,” says Karen Meena, the store’s chief buyer. That meant putting up a rock-n-roll-inspired Christmas tree whose red branches are hung with ornaments depicting icons like David Bowie, Stevie Nicks, Johnny Cash, and Freddie Mercury (the work of artist Cody Foster). And stocking the shop with an inspired mix of “special things you cannot find elsewhere” and merch to inspire spontaneous discovery.
That includes limited-edition gnome sculptures by German conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl; Smith and Sinclair holiday gummies (chewable no-fuss instant cocktails); crystal glassware; custom tie-dye T-shirts; and exuberant red and pink neon lips encased in an acrylic box.
Books are always popular gifts, and the selection Meena has curated includes interiors, pop culture, and art volumes sure to please even the fussiest readers. “Maybe it’s because they’re so beautiful to hold, but guests are loving the book selection — and the rarer the better,” says Meena, who adds that tomes covering the local surf and skate culture, such as the one produced by the Oceanside Historical Society, make for great presents.
Oceanside culture is also reflected in the excellent collection of vintage shirts, as well as surfboards that, according to Meena, “were shaped by local guys in Oceanside in the 60s and 70s and chosen by curators from the California Surfing Museum.”
Ozone’s clothing selection focuses on Southern California designers and brands, the closer the better. “Oceanside has an impressive reputation as a place where people start fashion or streetwear brands or become designers,” says Meena, mentioning local eyewear company RAEN as well as Nixon watches and Vuori activewear — all hometown brands who made it huge. Other local merch in stock: leather bags by Rais Case, travel bags from Aloha Collection, Feather4 Arrow’s beachy kidswear, hoodies from Aviator Nation, and hats made by Zito Hat Co. In other words, a one-stop shop for anyone interested in emerging California designers and the SoCal style scene.
From a bit further afield, you’ll find beach-inspired sportswear from Santa Monica’s John Eshaya and binoculars from San Francisco–based Nocs Provisions.
Products from Apothia, the LA brand responsible for the aromas at the Seabird and Mission Pacific, are also in high demand. “Guests are constantly asking us what makes the hotels smell so good,” Meena says. Scents used throughout the hotels, including Bronzed and the holiday scent Chrismukkah, have been “runaway bestsellers.”
