Grange Garden holds grand opening on Cedros

Grange Garden held a grand opening celebration and “state-of-the-art custom coffee bar rollout” at its Cedros Avenue location on Aug. 13.

“We did our soft launch of the bar in January to start selling coffee because it looked like it would be a great fit, and we just wanted to test the market,” said Melissa Biggs Clark, who owns the store. “And they responded in a big way.”

Clark, known for “Baywatch” and other acting roles, first opened a retail portion of the business about one year ago that offered houseplants, succulents, preserved flowers, home décor, vegetable plants and other items.

“We just wanted to grow really slowly and organically and not rush to market, but just let it develop in a really soft, natural way and people are really responding to that,” said Clark, an Oregon native who grew up on a 1,700-acre farm.

The grand opening, which was free to attend, included a bunny petting zoo, crepe truck, mini succulent giveaway, complimentary chair massages, an array of complimentary coffee beverages, a ribbon cutting and other family-friendly activities.

“It’s been a joy being here and being outdoors and being around people again,” Clark said. “Feels like it’s all come together in a very serendipitous way.”

She added that the term grange, defined as a country house with farm buildings attached, is a nod to her upbringing in Oregon.

“It’s a really happy space, very Zen,” Clark said.

Some of her more recent acting work includes the 2013 film “Dreamz: The Movie” and a 2014 anti-bullying film directed by Obba Babatundé. But after becoming a mother, she said opening Grange Garden allowed a better work-life balance.

Grange Garden is located at the open-air pad at 240 S. Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach, across the street from Muttropolis.

For more information, visit grangegarden.com.

Photo by Jon Clark