Mayor Sharona Nazarian, along with the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, hosted the eighth “Spotlight with Sharona,” a community event highlighting local businesses on Jan. 22.
Nazarian led a crowd of community residents and visitors along Rodeo Drive to celebrate the diverse tapestry of Beverly Hills businesses, stopping along the way at Two Rodeo Drive, Westime, Breitling, Maximilian Büsser & Friends, Henry Jacques, Porsche Design, Peter Marco, Stefano Ricci, House of Dior and Sweet Angeles.
“I think that the city is booming, and it shows the strength and the relevance of Rodeo Drive, of Beverly Hills and our partnerships,” Nazarian said. “It’s a great opportunity for our businesses to collaborate with one another. We already see so many people walking by and they have shopping bags because they decided to just stop and buy something on the street as well. It’s really a way to activate our businesses.”
The event highlighted the luxury brands and high-end retailers that make up Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills, offering the highest level of individually tailored customer service.
“I always talk about Beverly Hills being a village, and the community really supports local business, and the mayor’s initiative is wonderful because we’ve gone through on all kinds of different streets through her mayoral term,” said Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Johnson.
The tour began at Westime, a luxury watch store at the top of Two Rodeo Drive, where Westime President Greg Simonian invited attendees to look at luxury watch items and experience the store’s individually tailored customer service.
The crowd moved on down the road, where jewelry retailer Peter Marco showed off one of the best jewelry collections in the world, and Stefano Ricci, a luxury designer menswear store, invited people in to peruse Italian cashmere and leather.
“It means everything to us, because we are a big community here in Beverly Hills, so we have to support one another,” said Stefano Ricci General Manager Philip Wiseman. “A lot of people get intimidated to actually come into our store because it’s such a grandiose store, and it’s absolutely fantastic, and we want to share that with everybody. We are here to serve, and I want everybody to know that, and I want them to experience a little piece of luxury.”
Bill Wiley, director of the CBRE real estate firm that manages Two Rodeo Drive, highlighted the level of retail experience offered in the city.
“This is a bucket list kind of place for people to come, and we never lose sight of that,” Wiley said. “You have the finest shops, but the people that work in the stores are the top of the retail game. These people are experts at customer service. So, the idea that everything is customized; that’s what makes it so much different than shopping online.”
The crowd then made its way to the recently opened House of Dior boutique. Visitors were able to browse red-carpet-worthy dresses, artwork of all kinds, along with some of the most luxurious fashion items available in the world. On the third floor is where the Monsieur Dior restaurant is located, helmed by the only three-Michelin-starred female chef in America, Dominique Crenn.
Guests then entered the fourth floor, where the balcony gave way to a stunning panoramic view of the Hollywood Hills. After a day of visiting some of the most celebrated retail stores in the world, attendees soaked in the view, surrounded by the highest art and fashion, a combination that can only be found in one city: Beverly Hills.
“We’re excited to be able to celebrate and to continue to have Beverly Hills be the place that everybody wants to come and shop, dine, stay and ultimately live,” Nazarian said.
