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<\/p>\nTwo local bars, Broadway Bar and Sweetwater Saloon, have teamed up to pay homage to an iconic LGBTQ+ figure.<\/p>\n
A mural featuring Marsha P. Johnson has been painted along Cerritos Avenue at Broadway. Johnson was a key figure in the Stonewall Riots, a seminal event in the fight for LGBTQ equality which began at the Stonewall Inn.<\/p>\n
The movement was largely led by drag queens, and transgender and gender nonconforming folks, including Johnson, and was a response to over-policing of gay spaces.<\/p>\n
The inaugural Pride Month was held in June 1970 to mark the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. Stonewall fundamentally altered \u201cthe nature of LGBTQ+ activism\u201d in America, according to the Library of Congress, and it sparked a city and national gay rights movement.<\/p>\n
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Artist Eddie Jelinet poses with his latest mural, honoring LGBTQ+ and civil rights icon Marsha P. Johnson in Long Beach. (Photo courtesy Eddie Jelinet).\n<\/p>\n
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Artist Eddie Jelinet poses with his latest mural, honoring LGBTQ+ and civil rights icon Marsha P. Johnson in Long Beach. (Photo courtesy Eddie Jelinet).\n<\/p>\n
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Artist Eddie Jelinet poses with his latest mural, honoring LGBTQ+ and civil rights icon Marsha P. Johnson in Long Beach. (Photo courtesy Eddie Jelinet).\n<\/p>\n
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Artist Eddie Jelinet poses with his latest mural, honoring LGBTQ+ and civil rights icon Marsha P. Johnson in Long Beach. (Photo courtesy Eddie Jelinet).\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n Every year since, June has marked the celebration of LGBTQ+ pride.<\/p>\n The mural of Johnson, commissioned by the owners of Sweetwater Saloon and Broadway Bar, features the icon in her signature flower crown, decorated by the colors of the rainbow.<\/p>\n The new artwork has been getting plenty of attention from around the neighborhood, which the bar owners hoped would happen leading up to this year\u2019s Long Beach Pride Parade and Festival in May.<\/p>\n Artist Eddie Jelinet, who has created more than 45 murals in Long Beach, San Diego, and Minneapolis, created the mural honoring Marsha P. Johnson. Jelinet\u2019s talents, though, aren\u2019t just limited to art.<\/p>\n He is also a chef at Ol\u00e9 Tapas Bar & Kitchen (formerly Caf\u00e9 Sevilla)\u00a0 in downtown Long Beach, where his artwork is also on display.<\/p>\n Dole Whip<\/p>\n Local business Dabble & Dollop, which makes bath products for children, has a new line of products.<\/p>\n Dabble & Dollop\u2019s new body washes will stir memories of the Enchanted Tiki room at Disneyland and have you singing the \u201cTiki Tiki Tiki Room\u201d song in no time \u2014 since it smells just like a Dole Whip.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we explored the scents that shaped our own childhood memories, one nostalgic favorite kept coming up again and again: Dole\u00a0Whip,\u201d said co-business owner Tyler Leshney. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just a treat \u2014 it was a feeling. Sunshine, vacations, summer, and pure happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n Dabble & Dollop founder Stephanie Leshney poses with the company\u2019s newest line of products, Dole Whip-scented body washes. (Courtesy photo).\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 1<\/p>\n Dabble & Dollop founder Stephanie Leshney poses with the company\u2019s newest line of products, Dole Whip-scented body washes. (Courtesy photo).\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a><\/p>\n The Leshney family started their business in an office building on Second Street in Belmont Shore, and they live in Naples.<\/p>\n The idea for a collaboration with Dole Whip came about when the company\u2019s founder Stephanie Lesheny met their team at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas last year.<\/p>\n They ended up partnering to bring that Disney magic to bath time by creating the new line of body washes, which features mango, pineapple, and strawberry Dole Whip scents.<\/p>\n Dabble & Dollop\u2019s new Dole Whip collection is on sale at Walmart.<\/p>\n Chocolate shop<\/p>\n Californio Chocolate, a \u201cbean-to-bar\u201d company that focuses on Mexican cacao and chocolate products, will soon be opening at 3708 E. Anaheim St.<\/p>\n The business\u2019 owner, Eduardo Ponce, says he\u2019s invested more than $200,000 getting the store ready to open. He wants the space to be more than just a storefront, and has crafted it so Californio Chocolate will be a welcoming space for visitors to enjoy chocolate-y treats, alongside classes, events, and more.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornio Chocolate is not a candy company. It is a cultural reclamation project wrapped in premium cacao,\u201d according to the company. \u201cThe brand honors the Californios, the original Spanish and Mexican settlers who shaped California\u2019s identity before it was erased, and channels that heritage into one of the world\u2019s most emotionally resonant products: Chocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n Californio Chocolate, a \u201cbean-to-bar\u201d company that focuses on Mexican cacao and chocolate products, will soon be opening at 3708 E. Anaheim St. (Courtesy photo).\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 1<\/p>\n Californio Chocolate, a \u201cbean-to-bar\u201d company that focuses on Mexican cacao and chocolate products, will soon be opening at 3708 E. Anaheim St. (Courtesy photo).\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a><\/p>\n Ponce was recovering from a back injury about four years ago when he decided to do a deep dive into the history of chocolate. From there, he embarked on a journey to begin his own chocolate company that honors the deep heritage of Mexican cacao and chocolate.<\/p>\n \u201cOur bean-to-bar experience starts with our farmers who harvest, ferment, dry and roast the cacao beans in the Mesoamerican region of Soconusco, the area where Mexican cacao was first domesticated and kept intently pure of its heirloom qualities,\u201d the company\u2019s website said. \u201cThe farmers\u2019 commitment to avoid cross-pollinating and take active care of each variety keeps the quality preserved.\u201d<\/p>\n After harvesting, the website said, the cacao is transported directly to Californio Chocolate\u2019s kitchen, ensuring high-quality freshness.<\/p>\n \u201cMost commercial candy bars have less than 12% cacao,\u201d Ponce said. \u201cMy chocolates have 75%,\u00a0 making them healthier and better tasting.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Dabble](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GRG-L-BIZBEAT-COL-0430-05.jpg\"\/)
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