Ribbon-cutting at Cinnamon Stik Unique Gifts and Home Décor

The Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting at Cinnamon Stik Unique Gifts and Home Décor, owned by Deena Burch. The following article was written by me almost a year ago, when she first re-opened her shop.

When you drop by Cinnamon Stik, a new gift shop in Arbor Village right next door to Shenandoah Restaurant, be sure to welcome back owner Deena Burch to the Boulevard and the City.

About three years ago, Deena closed her shops in Los Alamitos and La Habra to take care of family matters. (Her storefront here was taken over by Quinn’s Ice Cream and Sweets, in the same shopping center on the Boulevard at Serpentine Drive as Green Street Interiors, Print Masters and Memory Lane Scrapbooking.)

She had no plans to re-open until she stopped to talk with Nesi Stewart at Print Masters last December. Oodles, the shop that occupied Cinnamon Stik’s current location, had draped a Going out of Business banner across its front.

“How often does a storefront in Arbor Village become available?” Deena thought.

So the germ of a seed of a kernel of an idea to re-open was planted…

…and sprouted, took root and leafed out.

“I love Arbor Village!” Deena says. “The ambience — we made very few changes to ready the storefront for opening.”

Deena was born and grew up in Long Beach. She attended Millikan High School, married and went to work full-time. She started crafting items herself, attended craft shows, then thought to start up a show of her own. For fourteen years, she has run a four-times-a-year craft show, Stock & Stuffers, in the Fullerton/Brea area.

The original Cinnamon Stik shop opened in La Habra in 1999. The second arrived in Los Alamitos in 2002.

Deena runs the shop with help from her daughter, Dara. A graduate of Long Beach’s Millikan High School like her mom, Dara went on to attend UC San Diego. She has three young children of her own, so mom and daughter swap watching the shop and watching the kids.

Deena’s extensive network of local crafters, developed over a decade and a half running the Fullerton craft show, was put to good use stocking the now-closed shops. For her new shop, she went back to her established crafters, then added manufacturers that she has found at trade shows.

The new shop has grown beyond its roots to offer items not available before, such as jewelry and baby clothes. Deena sets prices according to her own yardstick. For instance, mark-ups on those baby clothes are often lower than at Nordstrom’s.

“We’re still testing merchandise,” Deena admits. “Putting things out to see how fast they sell.”

Jewelry seems to have hit a sweet spot, judging from comments by customers exclaiming over the display near the check-out counter. Baubles and bangles have sold fast enough that Deena had to re-order more quickly than she had planned.

Customers also coo over the baby department, which includes baby shower party items as well as clothes. At the moment, the selection for baby girls is wider than for baby boys.

“I’m still figuring out how to buy for little boys,” Deena admits.

Seasonal items create a buzz at Cinnamon Stik. Spring and Easter mean bunnies abound and flowers blossom and eggs nestle. Bird houses and carved doves, wooden and woven sunflowers, stitched cherries and painted dragonflies, twisted twig art, garden signs declaring Welcome birds ladybugs bees — all are crafted to make anyone’s house more of a home.

“We wanted to make the shop a fun, relaxing place to browse,” Deena confided, in between helping customers.

In that, mom Deena and daughter Dara have succeeded.

On a weekday afternoon, one minute couldn’t be strung together with another when there weren’t customers entering the shop, usually in small groups. On finding a treasure, one person would call to another about a garden clock … or a ruffled pillow… or a metal garden ornament shaped like a tricycle. (That last one is outside in the back, leaning against a lamppost.)

The store is located at 10641 Los Alamitos Boulevard in Arbor Village, together with Shenandoah, A Place of Our Own, Elementals and Flags with a Flair. The Denim Bar is just next door to the south. A small amount of parking is available in front. More parking is available in back off of Sausalito Street. Arbor Village shops may be entered from either front or back. Cinnamon Stik accepts cash or credit cards. The shop is normally open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 562-596-6939.

Featured photo

Members of Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce welcome Deena Burch to the Los Alamitos business community.

left to right: Ray Bertotti, Chamber membership Director; Deena Burch, owner of Cinnamon Stik; Beth Marie Nierman, Beth Marie A.D. and Chamber Ambassador; John Osborn, Alamitos Eye Care and Chamber President; Patricia Eskenazi, Chamber Board Member; Beverly Rigney, Edmund Jones Investments and Chamber Vice Chairwoman; Ronald Grunzweig, Value Link Appraisal and Chamber Board Member; and Kathi McNally, McNally Electric and Chamber Board Member.

Photo by C.E.H. Wiedel.

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About the Author

shelley

Shelley Henderson is a reformed computer and networking geek turned freelance writer. Now she only fixes her own networks and computers. That leaves time for writing, and writing and more writing. And editing the Orange County Breeze. Shelley most enjoys visiting and finding out about local businesses to write business profiles that allow our communities to learn more about their local businesses and the people who own and run them. If you own or manage a business in our coverage area and would like to invite Shelley to write a business profile, let us know.