Open 7 days a week from 10am to 8pm
Open 7 days a week from 10am to 8pm
In the early 1950's, brothers George and Gene Gordon, along with their father Morris "Pops" Gordon, were invited to put an arcade on the Santa Monica Pier.
The Gordon brothers, with help from their wives June and Mildred, expanded their arcade operation from Ocean Park Promenade, and officially opened the Playland Arcade on the Santa Monica Pier. The Gordon children; Barbara, Marlene, Joanie, Barry, and Nikki, spent their weekends and summer vacations helping their fathers, George and Gene, with the family business. In the early days on the pier, the Gordon family ran an archery station which used REAL arrows, a shooting gallery, where patrons could shoot actual rifles at targets, and an arcade with lots of games, pinballs, and kiddie rides. They also bought the Marry Go Round in 1955 and repainted all the horses making it one of the most beautiful Carousel's on the West Coast.
While working for her father at both the Playland Arcade and the Marry Go Round, Marlene Gordon would walk past a seashell shop named the Beachcomber. Each day she passed the shop she would stop in and visit with the owner. One day in 1977 she suggested to the owner that she was interested in buying his store if he ever wanted to sell it. Soon after her proposal to buy the store, Marlene was made an offer to buy the Beachcomber. She went to her father George and convinced him of this great opportunity. It was then that the Gordon family bought the Beachcomber, and added it to their many businesses on the Santa Monica Pier. The Gordon family turned the little seashell shop into a large one stop souvenir shop which included t-shirts, key chains, flip flops, towels, beach toys, suntan lotion and anything else you needed for a great day at the beach.
Marlene's Beachcomber
Then in the early 1990’s the city of Santa Monica decided they needed the Beachcomber building for a Police Sub Station on the Pier. Sadly, the Beachcomber had to close its doors. Marlene was brokenhearted about this closure and decided to open a small Beachcomber Gift Cart, which stood in front of the Playland Arcade for approximately 2 years. Then in 1994, Marlene was offered a bigger space directly next to the Playland Arcade, where she owns and operates her store today as Marlene’s Beachcomber. Keeping the family business going, Marlene's daughter, Shannon Kroner is a Partner and the Merchandise Buyer for the store.
Marlene Gordon has been the owner of Marlene's Beachcomber since 1992. Along with help from her daughter, Shannon Kroner, the both of them sell some of the best Santa Monica merchandise on the Santa Monica Pier.
The Santa Monica Pier and the Beachcomber have also cameoed in dozens of Hollywood blockbuster movies and TV shows including classic favorites such as Inside Daisy Clover (with Natalie Wood),The Sting, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Forrest Gump, Hancock, A Night at the Roxbury, Cellular, The Kissing Booth 2, The Wonder Years, Threes Company, and many more.
Marlene's Beachcomber sells everything you need for a perfect day at the beach. We sell Santa Monica sweatshirts, towels, flip flops, men and women's bathing suits, beach bags, hats, sunblock, and so much more.
Marlene's Beachcomber has some of the best employees on the pier. Many of our employees work for both Marlene's Beachcomber and the Playland Arcade, and have been with us for over 20 years.
June Gordon was the matriarch for all of the Gordon family businesses on the pier for the last 60 years.
The world famous Santa Monica Pier is a place for people of every age to enjoy! Take a ride on Pacific Park's roller coaster, play a game of skee ball, air hockey, and Pac Man in the Playland Arcade, eat fish and chips at Bubba Gumps, have a tasty hamburger at Pier Burger, and nachos at Maria Sol, take a whirl around on the Marry Go Round, learn about Santa Monica's sea life at the Heal the Bay Aquarium, and buy your favorite Santa Monica souvenirs at Marlene's Beachcomber. Make your memories at the Santa Monica Pier last a lifetime!