Ten years ago, a former manager of Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie stores left her corporate job to open her own store in Long Beach, naming it Prism Boutique.
Since then, owner Dayna Mance has remodeled and expanded her Termino Avenue space twice, tried her hand at a store in Costa Mesa (which closed during the pandemic), opened two more outposts within the highly curated Mojave Flea Trading Post, and bought a Yucca Valley house that is used as an Airbnb and event space.
The flagship Long Beach store, totaling 1,800 square feet, is stocked with apparel, footwear, accessories, home, gifts, and vintage, with Mance’s eye helping build loyalists and a social media following of more than 170,000 across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest.
The shelves in-store and online are stocked with best-sellers such as Rolla’s, Free People, Levi’s, Vans, Baggu, Find Me Now, and Le Bon Shoppe.
Did she think she’d be here 10 years ago?
“I think you’re just focused on how you get the doors open and how you’re going to pay your first rent and get product in the store. You never think about where it’s going to go long-term,” Mance said. “It’s almost like having children in some ways; you’re just going day by day. So, I’m happy to be here. I never knew it would turn into this community. I thought if it didn’t work, I’d just get a job.”
Prism officially turns 10 in April, amid a more challenging economic backdrop than more recent years when retailers saw online sales surge. Unseasonably wet weather in Southern California has dampened sales of spring merchandise, as has the pullback in consumer spending due to rising everyday costs.
As a result, Mance said she’s not so much focused on growth this year as she is on sustaining the existing business and continuing to be a platform for local and independent artists and other vendors, along with maintaining the community of shoppers she’s cultivated over the past decade.
Free People shortall and All Row Mia top at Prism Boutique. Photo by Alison Bernier Photography.
Merchandise Vision
While social media continues to evolve, not much has changed when it comes to the store’s point of view. It’s always been Mance’s and she knew what she wanted to create from the day she decided to leave her corporate job to open the store.
“It’s very much the same. Of course, we’ve evolved and fashion trends have changed. But I feel like I opened the store and it looked the same as how I had it in my head. We’ve stayed very true to who we are.”
Some brands have been with Prism from the beginning, including Free People and P.F. Candle Co. Rolla’s, an Australian denim brand, joined the store about seven years ago and continues to do well. Matisse Footwear was the first shoe brand to be in the store after Mance was approached by the company about carrying the label. She decided to try a pair of beaded leather Moroccan sandals, placing them in a basket at the store. They sold and she expanded from there.
“I’ve learned a lot. I’ve grown as a person. I’ve become a mother and had two children during this time and I have some women that have worked for me since the very beginning of this journey,” Mance said. “There really have been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of challenges, and so much joy.”
She still gets a high from the women who come into the store and compliment the merchandise mix. And shopping to discover new brands never gets old for Mance.
“When I told some family ‘I’m leaving my corporate job with my 401(k) and my benefits and I’m going to open my own store,’ they were shocked,” Mance said. “I really did think I would be this tiny business and one of those owners that’s in the store five, six days a week behind the register. But it’s just evolved into something so much bigger.”
Footwear at Prism Boutique, including Vans and Dr. Martens. Photo by Alison Bernier Photography.
Social Media Maven
The community Mance has built through Prism has been aided by her social media efforts, which began when she launched the business.
Prism was on Instagram from the beginning and it continues to be the main platform for the retailer.
Mance recalled back in the early days posting a photo of product and people direct messaging her to buy it.
“I got pretty lucky I think trying to build a social media following,” Mance said. “Now is very different than 2013. It was very new and it was uncharted with very little expectation. I started posting about products we were getting in and girls would DM and text. I really built my social media following very early. It’s a different beast now.”
Mance and team – there are five who make up marketing and another eight for the store – were smart to also build Prism’s email base over the years, which hedged against the constant changes across social media platforms and algorithms that have sometimes challenged companies’ abilities to reach consumers.
Desert Oasis
Prism in real life also continues to grow.
Mance shuttered Prism’s Costa Mesa store during the pandemic, and later opened stores in Yucca Valley (October 2021) and Palm Springs (August 2022) as part of the Mojave Flea.
The Flea is a modern-day department store concept with artists and brands under one roof with the Flea handling staffing for all vendors.
Prism Boutique. Photo by Alison Bernier Photography.
Both Prism locations there carry selections of candles, apothecary, and cards, along with apparel curated for each market.
Palm Springs does well with swim and more “fun and flirty” pieces, Mance said, for those in search of dinner or event attire. Yucca Valley is stocked with more cargo pants, leggings, and T-shirts that are good for hiking or other outdoor activities.
Prism’s Yucca Valley outpost is only 10 minutes from the house Mance bought as a vacation rental and remodeled in 2020, renaming it Terracasa.
The house further fed her interests in design, home décor, and furniture.
The house not only serves as an Airbnb, but has also been a space for Prism photo shoots and events. Terracasa is filled with vintage furniture and stocked with ceramics and other pieces from Prism, with a shoppable link on the house’s Instagram and on its website.
Mance said she’d be open to more Prism-inspired homes, although nothing is planned at the moment.
“I love to share spaces. That’s what I’ve done with Prism and that’s what I’ve done with that home,” Mance said. It’s a very similar aesthetic, which is my aesthetic.”
