Amy Rebecca Launches L.A.'s First 100% Vegan Shop and Event Space

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Diehard vegan and fashionista Amy Rebecca is blending her two passions with Vegan Scene, a retail and event space that promises to be “one rad local spot” to hang out.

Launching this Friday, Amy calls the Venice Beach space her “passion project.” While arranging vegan meet-ups in the summer of 2013 — she’s the creator of the super popular hashtag #vegansofig — Rebecca discovered there weren’t a lot of bars or nightlife spots that accommodated both vegans and large groups. So, she just created one herself.

“I wanted to combine all of those things that were my interests – including fashion and parties. I wanted to touch on the different elements of a vegan lifestyle because it’s much more than a diet,” says Amy, who’s been a vegan for thirteen years. “I wanted something that’s modern and chic. Eco-chic right now is mostly woodsy and granola-y, not that it’s a bad thing, but that’s what’s mostly out there. So I wanted to bring in a new vibe that’s sort of rock and unique and special and vegan, but have it be something that anyone would enjoy.”

The 1,600 sq.ft. space is primarily a retail space, which features an array of stylish items that are, of course, cruelty-free. Vaute Couture and Matt & Nat are a couple of the labels you’ll spot on shelves. “We are not just carrying anything because it’s vegan or eco-friendly. We put a huge emphasis on style,” says Amy. “Everything has been handpicked. I wouldn’t sell anything that I wouldn’t want to wear myself.” There are plans for expanding into apartment and housewares, including kitchen stuff that would parlay well with the space’s cooking classes.

Yes, there are also cooking classes. The space already had a kitchen in place, so, as Amy says, hosting vegan cooking classes just made sense. Right now, there are a handful of demonstrations by Spork Foods (Zooey and Emily Deschanel are fans) with more classes coming soon.

The space also hosts pilates and yoga classes, and there are plans to implement a movie screen soon for screenings. In fact, there are a lot of plans for this unique spot. From art openings to even a Big Lebowski Vegan Party (“I would love to do vegan White Russians.” says Amy). Long-term plans include turning Vegan Scene into a coffee/juice bar during the day and a bar/lounge at night. Then there are the “long-long term”goals like, small pop-ups in different cities.

Amy can afford to think ahead: she bought the building. “I don’t want people to have the perception that what we are doing is temporary,” she says. “We are here to stay.”

But, as she also wisely points out, “I have no idea what will happen in the next year. A year ago I didn’t know I would be doing this. People have been really supportive, so we will see.”

For now, she’s focused on the sure-to-be epic launch party on July 31.

“It’s going to be huge!”