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(photos of Michelle Marini inside of the Woods by Jessy Plume for TRAffIK- click on images to enlarge)
Fresh from the grand opening of her new Downtown Los Angeles lounge, The Falls (626 S. Spring St. L.A, CA 90014), eternally youthful and fashion savvy Michelle Marini (co-owner of the Woods 1533 N. La Brea Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028) has demonstrated time and time again to the “City of Angels” that she has staying power.
In a city where good-looking people can be found on every corner, it’s just as easy to write them off as it is to notice them. Why should we? They’ll be replaced by at least dozens more in just a few months or even weeks. San Francisco Bay area native Marini, is an exception to that rule. Possessing both good looks along with business savvy and an inclination towards the arts and creative expression (which she’s incorporated in some form or another into all of her ventures), Marini is anything but dismissible and has demonstrated that she can hang with the big boys without giving up her high-heeled shoes.
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Fashion is a “manifestation of my mood, changing every day, likely three times a day.”–Michelle MariniOn the surface, Marini may appear as just another typical Hollywood socialite type as she could rival many of those that appear on the covers, pages, and segments of “those” magazines and shows that plague the city with paparazzi. One of the first things you’ll notice about her is her fashion-forward attire. Although we would definitely agree that Marini, hands down has a much better fashion sense than most of those socialites (who more often than not count on the aide of stylists). Citing Rachel Zoe as someone whose style she admires, “I’d watch her show, Rachel Zoe Project, over and over, just drooling. Her vintage pieces captivated me the most.” Marini describes her fashion style as, “seeing fashion as a manifestation of my mood, changing every day, likely three times a day. I love the 60’s and 70’s eras most.”
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Her love for those eras was further exemplified after revealing that she would love it if moustaches (which she describes as so “70’s cheesy/sexy”) on men and big huge top hat sized bee hive fall type wigs (“60’s glam at it’s height”) made a comeback.
When asked if she felt there was anything lacking in the world of fashion this day in age, Marini stated, “The only thing I miss is that it’s impossible to make a defining statement with fashion. I was a teenage punker, really put some people off, which is exactly what I set out to do. You can’t accomplish that easily now, everything is accepted by the mainstream.”
Although a trendsetter from the womb and yet despite that “young punker” desire to be an individual, even her “How I Got to L.A.” story is actually quite relatable and typical of many of those that make up this city’s population. “[I] was at UCB [as] a Biology major, changed to Art and transferred to UCLA. Plus, I was dating the guitar player from SoCal Punk band TSOL, so that was a bit of the draw,” states Marini.
It was the following that solidified Marini as a rare individual, who walked the walk and not just talked the talk.
“I used to hang out at Three Clubs Bar an inordinate amount of time. Then, in 1992, there was hardly anywhere else to go. I figured Hollywood needed another bar and I’d be the gal to do it. And, no, I did not have an inch of experience at the time.”
A short time later the Lava Lounge was born (which a few years ago she turned into the Woods, but we’ll get to that), the friendly little tiki bar, which most Angelenos and visitors to the city will know this unassuming blonde from best.
Initially, the Lava Lounge was to be a haven for Marini’s expansive circle of friends, or as Marini describes “an 
intimate clubhouse,” however, due to it’s prime location in Hollywood (located off of Sunset Blvd. and La Brea Blvd.) “later, when it caught on, we had to have Gold Cards made with people’s names on them to make sure they could get in front of the throng,” Marini revealed.
Lava Lounge was an oddity among the surrounding establishments that made up the pretentious Hollywood nightlife, which inadvertently at times did become a “haven” to Hollywood celebrities who wanted to go somewhere where they could fly under the radar and have a drink. It wasn’t unusual to stop by the Lava Lounge, order your vodka tonic and settle in for some good music and conversation (sometimes with Lava staffers Hiko or Alex) only to do a double take when you realized your neighbor on the next stool or in next booth was Scarlett Johanssen (in jeans and a sweatshirt), Rivers Quomo (surrounded by half a dozen asian girls), or a pre-“Sad Keanu” Keanu Reeves (sans sandwich, yet still all alone).
When asked about the celebrity factor Marini stated, “In Hollywood it seems that TMZ and the media have created a “pseudo celebrity” mentality. That’s why I’m happy to own bars that lent sanctuary to those who hate those sorts.”
There were also the great memories of Michelle Marini and friends dancing on top of the bar top not for the attention, but because they felt like it. Instead of an extroverted cry for attention, it really was more of a release –something you might do at your own house party. This was their house, this was their party, and they were having a good time. Why not dance on the bar?
However, the celebrities and bar-top dancing weren’t the draw. It was the vibe, the drinks, and the music.
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(black and white photos of “The Couch” music night at Lava Lounge, property of Graham Kurzner and Luckie Pierre Management)
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From the get-go, music played a big role in the Lava Lounge.
“I would not have created a club with no entertainment. I wanted a place where you could go every night and not look like a complete alcoholic. You’d always be able to say you were there for the talent!” exclaims Marini, who every once in a blue moon could also be found behind the turntables djing from her vast collection of records.
Talent that included just about every L.A. band/artist having played a show (or multiple shows) there, as well as a multitude of touring bands/artists. In fact, a few weeks ago while at a film event a during a conversation with the drummer for soon to be Portland-based Parson Redheads, I was reminded of the fact that their very first residency in Los Angeles was at the Lava Lounge.
Marini states having made a “point to only choose acts that would create a vibe that worked with the concept that was Lava Lounge. I say that loosely, we had jazz, punk, rock, swing, indie, acid jazz, disco, surf…it all seemed to work to me.”
She described the experience of booking the bands (which she solely handled during most of the Lava Lounge’s existence) as, “Fun!…Hell!! I booked four bands a night six nights a week, karaoke took over Sundays. All the bands were just starting out and had small followings. As soon as they’d catch on they’d take off for bigger venues. It was really hard to fill the space that way. But it was very, very entertaining. Oh, by the way, when I started booking there was no MySpace. I received press packets with cassettes and sometimes a Polaroid!”
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Some of her favorite Lava Lounge performances included, “The Blue Hawaiians surf band, who I sort of contrived, much like the conception of The Monkees. They will always be closely associated with Lava Lounge, and it is widely believed they inspired the soundtrack of Pulp Fiction. ‘Sinatra Night’, mentioned in Swingers, was cool for cats at that time. Other than that, I loved all the super theatrical bands. Especially the ones from Japan, that would dress like they were part of a West Hollywood parade. Or the Dead Hensons that had the audience all show up in plushy costumes. I’m pleased that a couple of our bands broke through, like the Cold War Kids and Augustana. I booked hundreds of bands over the years. Most have broken up and have ended up in obscurity, so it would be a waste of most readers’ time to mention them. Oh, I did particularly love booking the Indie Rock bands when Indie was shiny and new.”
The musical entertainment also often time determined the type of patrons who (aside from the regulars) frequented the Lava Lounge. Marini explains, “The crowd evolved with the music we had. It did seem to get younger and younger each year though. Maybe I was getting older?”
The nightclub scene also had undergone many changes in a short period of time, with over 15 years under her belt as an active player in this industry, Marini describes the nightclub scene, as having “exploded” and further elaborates, “Hollywood legislators used to be much more conservative, and it was hard for operators to get liquor licenses. I think the city finally realized the profitability of the sale of liquor and started to distribute them like mad.”
With this evolution came a need for change. The decision to re-vamp the space that housed the Lava Lounge was made and thus simultaneously closed one chapter of Marini’s life and opened another.
Marini explains further, “Lava Lounge sadly just ran its course. After partnering up with Craig Trager (Daddy’s, the Well, EL BAR, NoBar, The Fifth ) in 2007, I re-designed the space with a nod to Lava, there are basic similar elements. The feeling is more “70’s rustic.” The Woods is truly just a non-pretentious neighborhood bar, with excellent cocktails.”
“Theme-ing” a bar has been one area that Marini has experienced success in, she attempts to describe her inspiration, “Lava Lounge was my personal homage to my Grandmother who loved all things Hawaiiana. In my youth we would frequent a restaurant called the Lanai, it was my fave. My goal was to create an updated tiki bar. It was so sad, Los Angeles closed the door of nearly all the vintage ones. The Woods was more an amalgamation of lots of design elements I favored from various modern houses and vintage restaurants. Maybe architect John Lautner, and eateries such as North Woods Inn, or the Dresden.”
Lava Lounge
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(Lava Lounge interior, photo originally published here)
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(the Woods interior, photo courtesy of The Woods — click on images to enlarge)
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Beyond the décor, there is the vibe.
The friendly blonde wants her patrons to feel, “That they’ve found their new home base.” Her goal is to “build spaces that people have a subconscious connection with, by adding subtle design elements that imbue a certain amount of sentimentality. Such as in the Woods the paint by numbers wall covering in the entry way, or the halved wine bottles (a la the seventies) which would become drinking glasses now functioning as candle holders in the back.”
The vibe setting, décor, and presentation of a bar all contribute to the nightlife 
experience of the Hollywood revelers. Marini draws from her own out-on-the-town experiences for trying to set the right formula for her current and future patrons. Marini claims she doesn’t “go out like an average person! I have a lot of club owner friends who invite me to their openings, but I rarely go back; it just takes so much effort, parking and making your way through the crowd. I generally don’t stray far from home. I will say the clubs I have ventured to now are very competitive. Owners feel compelled to spend top dollar and build out uber designed spaces. Back when big clubs rarely stayed in the same spot, they would travel from one temporary locale to another. Bars then were simply comfortable settings to rendezvous with friends, not sparkly places to be seen.”
This is the type of setting she strives to create for the frequenters of her bars.
When asked over a year ago what she envisioned Los Angeles/Hollywood evolving into in the next 10 -15 years Marini stated, “Not to be cynical, I don’t think things will change in Hollywood all that much. The number of licenses dealt has pretty much been maxed out. What I do think will happen is that clubs will re-morph at a faster speed as goers hungry for “the next.” I see the action moving away from Hollywood proper to outlying areas. My partner’s taking over NoHo. I dig what’s shaping up Downtown.”
Check back tomorrow for Part II of our feature on Michelle Marini, to learn about yet another chapter in her life –one where she is establishing a presence in Downtown Los Angeles.
Love it! I like the look of the Woods! Do either bars have karaoke night?