Shopping in Long Beach, CA

Andrea Gomez

1. Go mod

Devoted collectors will drool over the midcentury eye candy at Xcape, with items like Sputnik Lightolier chandeliers and restored vintage Brown Jordan patio furniture. Recently spotted: a rare Paul McCobb tobacco-teak-and-bronze room divider (once rented for a Mad Men Palm Springs set) and a Lei Around for tiki-style lounging. 2236 E. Fourth St.; xcapelongbeach.com.

Andrea Gomez

2. Dress the part

Find reconditioned cashmere sweaters for less than $50, felt hats, and Risky Business–era Ray-Bans at Meow. Even the decor is retro, with salvaged display fixtures from Long Beach icons like Steak-O-Rama. Much of the inventory is plucked from closing department stores, so items are in great condition. 2210 E. Fourth St.; 562/438-8990.

Andrea Gomez

3. Hit a diner

Punk-rock drummer Chris Reece restored a rundown '50s diner into a neighborhood fish house and decked it out with his own collection of seaworthy antiques and Long Beach historic photography. Now Pike Restaurant & Bar is the place for shoulder-to-shoulder communal beer drinking and gorging on lobster tacos. $; 1836 E. Fourth St.; 562/437-4453.

Andrea Gomez

4. Visit a throwback theater

The Art Theatre is the longest-running single-screen theater in Southern California. The wine bar next door, Art Du Vin, has wines based on the movies and is an intimate spot for a post-flick debrief. $10; 2025 E. Fourth St.; arttheatrelongbeach.com.

Andrea Gomez

5. Buy the book

The owners of Open hand-select the used inventory to cater to the arty leftist counterculture. Pore through sections like "Short Attention Span Fiction" or back issues of architectural-design magazines. You might even find a first edition of Fast Times at Ridgemont High by Cameron Crowe. 2226 E. Fourth St.; thestoryofopen.com.

Retro row in Long Beach, CA

1. Go mod

2. Dress the part

3. Hit a diner

4. Visit a throwback theater

5. Buy the book