Sunny SoCal jewelry brand takes Laguna Beach vibes to new Heights for 2nd Houston storefront

stay golden

Photo by Gorjana

Texas jewelry lovers have fallen in love with the Southern California charm of Gorjana, the beloved Laguna Beach-based jewelry brand, which is steadily growing its Lone Star State presence.

Now, the jewelry favorite will open the doors to a new Houston location in Heights Mercantile (714 Yale St.) on August 30, offering Houstonians an array of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and more crafted with signature laid-back style and elegance.

Gorjana has been making waves with its rapid expansion, and this new store — the second in Houston — is proof of the brand's soaring popularity. Following successful Texas openings in Fort Worth and Southlake earlier this year, this new location will be Gorjana's eighth brick-and-mortar store in the state, with yet another Houston storefront planned to open in Rice Village in early 2024.

"The warmth and hospitality we've received from shoppers across Texas since opening our first store in 2021 has been overwhelming," Gorjana Reidel, the brand's co-founder, noted in a statement. "The Heights neighborhood, with its charming Victorian homes and picturesque streets, is the perfect place to continue our statewide expansion and bring the essence of SoCal to our second Houston location."

Gorjana's 1,539-square- foot store at Heights Mercantile is meant to transport shoppers to the sun-soaked shores of Southern California. Designed by co-founders Reidel and Jason Griffin Reidel, the space features light wood finishes, a crystal quartz chandelier, and a hand-dipped Lauren Williams Tapestry that pays homage to the iconic Laguna Beach coastline.

Gorjana Heights Mercantile houston Gorjana's Heights Mercantile is a whole vibe.Rendering courtesy of Gorjana

Pushing a customized experience, Gorjana's in-store stylists assist shoppers in curating layered looks that reflect their unique personal style. Each location also offers complimentary engraving for online orders, adding a personal touch to every purchase.

Keeping with the brand's ethos, Gorjana has been deeply committed to philanthropy and community-building since its founding in 2004. The brand has collaborated with nonprofit organizations supporting various national causes, focusing on women and children.

In the spirit of giving back locally, Gorjana will launch a one-day event with the Kids In Need Foundation on August 25. Supporting this organization dedicated to helping under-resourced schools, Gorjana will donate 10 percent of all online and in-store sales to provide backpacks to needy children, making a difference in their lives and education.

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Booming Houston burb's top U.S. rank for holiday spending leads week's top stories

this week's hot headlines

Editor's note: It's time to recap the top stories on CultureMap from this past week.

1. Wealthy Houston suburb boasts the 10th biggest holiday spenders in U.S. Shoppers in the affluent Houston suburb are expected to spend $3,316 this festive season.

2. Retro Montrose pizzeria scores coveted spot on Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America list. The restaurant looks like a Gen X fantasy, but thankfully the pizza is up to today's standards.

3. Inside the new La Griglia: Murals are out, tableside touches are in, and more. "We took this restaurant a little more upscale," senior executive Brandon Busch explains.

4. Romantic River Oaks mansion boasting coveted neighborhood rarity lists for $11.5M. Inviting, yet secluded, rustic, but elegant, it offers everything a modern homebuyer needs.

5. Cozy neighborhood restaurant from Common Bond team opens doors on Heights' 11th Street. The diverse menu caters to a wide range of tastes.

ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill's guitars, flashy duds, and more hit Dallas auction

sharp dressed man

A massive collection of guitars, fancy clothes, boots, and other memorabilia belonging to the bassist from rock band ZZ Top makes its Dallas premiere. Julien’s Auctions presents “The Collection of Dusty Hill of ZZ Top," a three-day auction taking place December 7-9 in Dallas at 915 Slocum Street and online at Julien's Live.

The auction will feature nearly 1,200 lots showcasing Dusty Hill's one-of-a-kind instruments, Western style wardrobe worn on stage and in appearances, gear, documents, favorite cowboy hats, boots, buckles, and memorabilia. As a prelude, the collection will be on display at 915 Slocum Street through December 7.

A Dallas native who passed away in 2021, Hill was notorious for his collection of stuff, some of which was already sold off in an estate sale in Houston in 2022.

The auction's headlining item will be Hill’s fur bass guitar played on the “Legs” music video. The 1983 Dean Explorer style bass, in sheepskin finish with ZZ Top logo painted on the fretboard, was attached to a rig worn around Hill’s waist to make it spin. They're predicting it will fetch $80,000 to $100,000.

Another offering is Hill’s signature 1953 Fender Precision bass guitar, and most-played instrument by Hill out of all the guitars in this collection. The bass was heavily used by Hill and served as his go to stage guitar for numerous ZZ Top live performances and in the studio until Dusty retired the bass in 2012 due to road wear.

Fans will find a museum-like exhibition created a la “Dusty Land” with instantly recognizable items on display, such as:

Circa 1983 Wayne Charvel, Custom Eliminator Hot Rod car-shaped bass guitar in custom red and yellow Eliminator hot rod finish previously displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
Circa 1960s Fender body Telecaster bass guitar, in grey / blue finish with custom pinstriping by Houston artist Jim Carnifax done in 1983, used in “Gimme all your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man" music videos
An MTV Moonman award statuette presented to Dusty Hill for Best Group Video "Legs" at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards ceremony held in 1984
Bald eagle jacket by Manuel with talons and feather accents down sleeves, accented with prong-set stones, with personalized "Dusty Hill" Manuel label
Black leather motorcycle jacket with custom painted skeleton motif, eagle head pins on lapel, and silver spike embellishments with "StreekLandslide" written on the back

Special wall displays feature a horseshoe ring of hats, awards, Elvis Presley memorabilia, cowboy boots, and Western style accessories.

”Dusty treasured all of the items in this auction and it means so much to me that the fans, whom he loved, will have an opportunity to own something from his personal collection. He would be so happy to know that this auction will benefit other musicians in need through the efforts of MusiCares,” says his widow "Chuck" in a statement.

"The Collection of Dusty Hill" was previously exhibited at Julien’s international exhibitions in Kildare, Ireland, and then in New York at Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. It's currently on display at 915 Slocum Street through December 7. Photos of auction items can be seen here. The exhibition is free and open 12-8 pm weekdays, 10:30 am-6:30 pm on Saturday-Sunday December 2-3.

Hill's widow Chuck's involvement is notable. Houstonians may recall that a sale purporting to be "official" Dusty Hill items was not — and ultimately forced a cease and desist from Hill and her attorney. The experience left Charleen "Chuck" Hill "devastated," though she found no fault with media outlets that reported the sale as it was presented (including CultureMap): “you were misled too, just like the fans,” she told us.

The Rustic's co-owner dishes on his Tex-Mex future, plus our visit to Rumi's

What's Eric Eating Episodes 334 and 335

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Kyle Noonan joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss Free Range Concepts. The Dallas-based hospitality group operates four restaurants and bars in Houston: Bowl & Barrel and The Generic Public in CityCentre and two locations of its concert venue The Rustic in downtown and Uptown Park.

The conversation begins with Noonan discussing his time working for Pappas Restaurants. From there, he partnered with his college room, finance professional Josh Sepkowitz, to open the first Bowl & Barrel in Dallas. The duo then partnered with Texas country music singer Pat Green on The Rustic, which becomes one of the highest grossing bars in Texas.

After discussing the company’s operations in Houston, including plans for possible new locations of both Bowl & Barrel and The General Public, Noonan shares that Free Range is looking beyond Texas. It has already committed to opening locations of The Rustic in Arizona, Denver, San Diego, Orlando, and Tampa and has eyes on potential locations in the Carolinas and Georiga. Any of those cities or states could also become home to Joe Leo Fine Tex-Mex, which is named for Noonan’s grandfather.

“We’re really interested in Tex-Mex outside of Texas, to be honest. I had experience with the Pappasitos brand. There is a real hunger for Tex-Mex outside of Texas,” Noonan says. He notes that the market for such a restaurant would include former Texas residents as well as people who are curious about the cuisine.

“We like to look for opportunities and low-hanging fruit,” he adds. “I see a lot of green space for Tex-Mex outside of Texas.”

Listen to the full interview to hear Noonan share why he likes to visit a city’s oldest restaurants when traveling instead of its hotspots.

On this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Michael Fulmer discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: the Houston return of Dallas Tex-Mex favorite Mi Cocina and Mexican bakery El Bolillo opening a new location in west Houston.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Fulmer and Sandler discuss their recent meal at Rumi’s Kitchen, the Atlanta-based Persian fine dining restaurant that recently opened next to Uchiko. They also share first impressions of Comalito, the new taqueria in the Houston Farmers Market led by star Mexican pastry chef Luis Robledo Richards. Finally, they describe their recent breakfast at Burnt Bean Co., the barbecue joint in Seguin that earned a finalist nomination in the 2023 James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Texas.

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