the story

The LAB stands for “Little American Business” and that’s exactly who we are and whom we strive to support. The LAB began its journey to combat retail monotony in 1993 when it was recycled from a night-vision goggle factory located in Costa Mesa by The LAB Team, with Linda Sadeghi as current steward.

Amid Orange County’s suburbia, we recognized a need for an original, indoor-outdoor unconventional hang-out packed with a wide array of cafes, restaurants and retail that embraced a vibrant community of lovers in art, music, fashion, and hip cuisine. Today, The LAB is the epicenter of the SoBeCa Arts District, celebrating South Bristol Entertainment, Culture & Art.

True to its nature, The LAB continues to push creative evolution with various art installations and local artist features via musical events, rotating murals, graphic design, walk thru gallery and visual merchandising installations.

The LAB features a “community wall” mosaic project, wishing tree messaging install, community seating known as “The Living Room”, and much more!