Nestled along San Diego’s coastline, Solana Beach has long been a hotspot for creativity, wellness, and a relaxed surf-town vibe. Looking ahead, it’s just getting started.
In recent years, Solana Beach has experienced a transformation that goes far beyond its picturesque beaches and swoon-worthy sunsets. A new wave of retail and wellness growth has made the city an established hub for integrating lifestyle, retail, and well-being.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Wellness as Community
Meditation retreats, yoga classes, and holistic health practitioners aren’t just an afterthought in Solana Beach. They’re deeply woven into the fabric of the local lifestyle.
San Diego is one of the fittest and most wellness-oriented cities in the United States, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better neighborhood example of this commitment to well-being than Solana Beach. Walk down any street, and you’ll be greeted by the sights and sounds of fitness centers, meditation spaces, breathwork workshops, and people going to and from yoga class.
Interestingly, wellness in Solana Beach — and San Diego as a whole — isn’t necessarily defined by cookie-cutter fitness studios or corporate chains. Instead, many of the wellness-oriented businesses in the area are locally owned and operated.
More than that, wellness isn’t just part of a healthy lifestyle in Solana Beach. Instead, it’s an integral part of community connection. There’s a shared sense of purpose that’s rooted in well-being here, and it’s reflected in everything from friends hitting a juice shop after a pilates class to free outdoor yoga sessions at public spaces like Fletcher Cove Park.
Arts & Culture
Wellness is woven into the fabric of Solana Beach, but so is creativity. The city is home to an abundance of art galleries, creative spaces, and design shops, as well as one of the best music venues in San Diego: the Belly Up Tavern.
Solana Beach is a prime example of how creativity, well-being, and retail can join together into a bustling cultural scene. A visitor might be able to take a morning yoga class before picking up a healthy drink and then perusing a local art gallery — and all within walking distance.
In many cases, these seemingly disparate verticals melt together. Some yoga studios, for example, host dance parties or live musicians. Art galleries may moonlight as spaces for open mic nights, bringing together musicians, spoken word poets, and other creatives.
The end result is a city that feels both authentic and vibrant. Solana Beach’s arts and culture aren’t just a side note to its focus on wellness and retail. Instead, the cultural heartbeat of the city is a direct reason why its wellness and retail scenes feel so alive.
Experiential Retail
People increasingly want to make purchases with meaning, and Solana Beach boutiques, stores, and galleries can provide that in spades. The city is a perfect example of how smaller, more artisan stores can draw in a completely different kind of customer than a big box store.
Small clothing boutiques, artisan goods stores, and locally owned galleries abound in Solana Beach, particularly around the city’s Cedros Design District. Store owners often aren’t just business owners. They’re also makers, creatives, wellness practitioners, or otherwise hands-on in the creation or implementation of their products or services.
Even if you’re not relying on high-tech solutions like retailer location intelligence, just a simple walk down Cedros Avenue makes it clear that Solana Beach is the perfect place to set up shop. This is especially true if you run a creative business, wellness practice, or artisan goods store.
Anyone can order a product online and get it shipped to their door in days or hours. But to be able to meet the maker of a product or the provider of a specific service, hear their story, and walk out with new ideas about art, culture, and life is a completely separate experience. And, it’s one that more and more people are gravitating toward.
Avena Natural Health
If you want an example of how Solana Beach fosters locally owned creative or wellness-focused businesses, look no further than Avena Natural Health. Founded by San Diego native Dr. Laura Kostrzewski and long-time local resident Dr. Tere Memun, Avena is as homegrown a business as they come.
“I grew up in Del Mar,” Dr. Kostrzewski said. “And my business partner grew up here after moving to San Diego when she was 10.”
Located in the heart of the Cedros Design District, Avena Natural Health offers a wide range of naturopathic therapies and wellness-focused services. According to Dr. Kostrzewski, Solana Beach was the perfect environment for her business to grow.
“It’s a really nice community,” she said. “A lot of people here are very down-to-earth and nature-inspired. There are a lot of mom-and-pop shops. And, it’s really supportive of women-owned businesses, which is huge.”
Even if you don’t live in Solana Beach, Avena Natural Health is still one of the best options in San Diego for healthcare that focuses on your entire being: mind, body, and spirit.
“I think a lot of people are looking for a level of healthcare that cares about them as a person and dives into everything about them,” Dr. Kostrzewski said. “We’re able to provide that for patients, and I think that’s really valuable.”
And after your treatment or consultation, you can always explore the very-walkable Cedros Design District — from its fitness studios to its creative spaces — and take part in the booming culture of Solana Beach.
For Dr. Kostrzewski, the location is especially nostalgic. It’s not just the location of her business; it’s a city with a lot of personal history.
“Del Mar is this little beach community south of Solana Beach,” she said. “I spent a lot of time here in my childhood and adolescence. So, the area itself has a lot of meaning for me.”
Dr. Laura Kostrzewski, a San Diego native, completed her undergraduate degree at California Polytechnic State University, earning a BS in animal science with minors in Spanish and Psychology. She then earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and taught fifth grade in the central coast of California for two years. After being extremely involved in her grandfather’s journey with Parkinson’s disease and end-of-life care, Dr. Kostrzewski decided to move back to San Diego and enroll at Bastyr University California. Dr. Kostrzewski received her doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University California in June of 2019, and then went on to complete her residency at Bastyr. Before AVENA Wellness, DR. K started her own private practice, focusing on management of neurodegenerative conditions, and continued teaching at Bastyr as adjunct faculty, until founding Avena Health.