Retain Laguna’s tradition with chic new twists: That’s the goal of sisters Hasty Honarkar and Nikki Bostwick

Story by MARRIE STONE

Photos by Mary Hurlbut

There are some longtime residents who lament the loss of old Laguna. The town isn’t the same, they say, since the 1960s and 70s. Gone are the hippies and bohemians. Gone are some iconic spots—the Boom Boom Room, the Cottage, the movie theater. The battle is on between commercialism and charm, between locals and tourists, between the old and new. The nostalgists will tell you the greatest generation is fading away, and the younger population can’t afford to live here. They will tell you fewer and fewer people get the town. They long for the good ol’ days, while trying to remain optimistic about the future.

Click on photo for a larger image

Sisters Nikki Bostwick and Hasty Honarkar

Nikki Bostwick (27) and Hasty Honarkar (29) may represent Laguna’s strongest bridge between the generations. They’re passionate about preserving the charm of the town while injecting a chic and vibrant twist. These two sisters—with their sense of millennial style and creative design—are reimagining Laguna’s traditional roots one space at a time. 

A culture of caring, a head for hard work

Hasty and Nikki were brought up on hard work, imagination and gratitude. Their father, Mo Honarkar, moved to the United States from Iran when he was 20. He’d come to California before the Iranian revolution and then realized there was no reasonable path back. “He worked three jobs and went to UCI,” says Nikki. “A bus driver, an ice cream vendor, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do.” Their father made it possible for his whole family to immigrate—his wife, four of his five siblings, his parents, cousins, nieces and nephews all came to Orange County because of Mo. “He built everything all on his own,” says Nikki. 

The extended family stays tight. They see each other every week. Holidays are spent at the Royal Hawaiian (which Mo owns), or picnics at Heisler Park. “It always looks like a scene out of My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” laughs Hasty. The Honarkars have an open-door policy when it comes to celebrations. “If someone doesn’t have somewhere to go,” says Hasty, “they’re with us.” 

The strength of sisterhood

The sisters say they’re opposites, yet similar, at the same time. “We’re better sisters when we don’t work together,” they both say. But that doesn’t mean they don’t bounce ideas off each other, and come to each other for support.

Their affection for each other is clear. Hasty and Nikki sit close on the couch. One will finish a sentence the other started. They seem in sync, one often seeming to know the other better than she knows herself. 

When Nikki talks about marrying Eric, her high school sweetheart, Hasty’s face lights up. Her sister’s joy is also her own. 

Click on photo for a larger image

The sisters in Nikki’s store, The Fullest

They talk about raising their dogs like raising their future children. Hasty has two—a French bulldog and a puggle—who she describes as “plump and old.” Nikki has a Siberian husky named Cessna, who has all the envied energy of youth. “I keep looking for a pet psychic or therapist for Nikki’s dog,” says Hasty. She’s that invested in the canine cousins getting along.

Hasty’s head for business and passion for urban planning 

Hasty has worked with her father since she was a teen. She has a head for business and a heart that’s always belonged in Laguna. She tested out of high school when she was 15, moving briefly to Arizona to start her college career. “I cried every time I drove away. I came back after a year,” says Hasty. “Laguna is so cool. It’s fun and quirky and hippy, and yet so beautiful. It’s no wonder no one wants to leave.”

“Though you appreciate it more when you go and come back,” says Nikki, who spent some time in Oregon for college.

Hasty is fascinated by culture, geography and business. She changed her majors several times, studying environmental studies, product development, urban planning and more at UCLA. All these fields have helped in her current role as Vice President of 4G Ventures, a real estate development and hospitality business she runs with her father. Together they manage a portfolio of businesses—restaurants, hotels, residential properties, office spaces and venues that include Seven Degrees, the Royal Hawaiian, 14 West Boutique Hotel and many more. The company began after the Honarkars sold 4G Wireless, Verizon’s largest retailer on the west coast.

Click on photo for a larger image

Hasty Honarkar knows quality and creativity, in clothes and at work

“Laguna has a long history of being an incubator for creative minds,” says Hasty. “I want to build roots here for my family and my business. I want to raise children here, and watch my dad do what he loves in the community he loves. There’s nowhere else we want to go.”

Hasty says the danger for many local Laguna Beach businesses is their focus on revenue and making the steep rent. “It’s easy to forget the soul of the town when you’re caught up in revenue.” Her goal is to bring back these old projects that represent the heart and history of Laguna.

The Royal Hawaiian’s past, present and future

The Royal Hawaiian might be the best embodiment of the Honarkars’ vision to retain Laguna’s traditions while offering chic new twists. The island-inspired restaurant and bar has been an iconic Laguna staple since 1947, offering their famous (and dangerous) Lapu Lapus and transporting Orange County guests on a quick Hawaiian getaway. Over time, though, the place began to look tired. High rents, music restrictions, and a downturn in the economy forced the restaurant to close its doors in 2012. 

Three years later, Mo and Hasty arrived to save the day. They’ve revitalized the space, retaining all the traditions—banana leaves, pineapples, tiki torches and, of course, the beloved Lapu Lapu—while offering updated elements that allow the space to feel contemporary and relevant to new generations. The result, they say, is “tiki chic.”

For example, the old Lapu Lapu recipe called for canned juices from concentrate (which translated to a heck of a hangover). Now the local favorite is made from all freshly squeezed juices. Voila! The same . . . but better. They also showcase local artists who both represent the upcoming talent of the town while keeping with the artistic traditions of the past.

The goal is to give Laguna locals a place to feel nostalgic while also giving the next generation a chance to make new memories.

How Nikki’s obsession with wellness led to the Fullest

Nikki’s endeavors tend more toward lifestyle and wellness than business. Nikki is the founder of the Fullest, an online and bi-annual print magazine, and now a pop-up boutique shop in North Laguna. 

Nikki confesses she was a bit of a wild child at Laguna Beach High. But then she found yoga, specifically Bikram, and it helped her through a hard time. “I did a 180 degree turn in life,” she says. “Yoga changed everything for me.” It led her to culinary school to study raw food, vegan cooking, and wellness principles. Now she wants to bring that knowledge to her clients. 

Click on photo for a larger image

Nikki’s The Fullest magazine

Nikki’s recently launched pop-up boutique reflects the ideas of the Fullest. The space mirrors the website and the magazine—clean, light and airy—a place where clients can come to clear their minds and rejuvenate. She offers a sparse inventory of clothing, accessories, skincare, and home décor that follows this theme. Linens, teas, serums—items intended to promote a clean lifestyle.

The shop has a big comfy couch and chairs you can sink into all afternoon (I know this from personal experience). “I want a space where people feel comfortable just sitting, reading, or talking,” Nikki says. “I want this to be a place where we can build community, not just buy things.”

The Fullest offers yoga classes several times a week. Kundalini yoga focuses primarily on the breath. “It’s more spiritual,” says Nikki. “Good for the nervous system, circulation, and blood flow. I wanted to offer something that can’t otherwise be found in Orange County.”

Nikki also opens the space for a variety of other lifestyle and wellness workshops—a wreath making class, an organic bakery featuring a local artisan whom mills her own flour. She’s even starting a jogger’s club. On Saturday mornings at 9 a.m., the shop is the starting point where runners can meet up and return for a weekend inspired run.

Wellness, for Nikki, doesn’t mean deprivation or stressing over exercise. At one point in her life, she was militant about her diet and found it didn’t serve her. “Wellness isn’t just the food you eat and the way you move. It’s intention behind everything you do. Whatever makes you happy—that’s wellness. Stressing out about eating healthy is worse for you.” When Nikki discovered she could no longer eat at her grandmother’s house, enjoy her favorite meals, or share food with friends, she realized it was time for a new approach. 

“Fashion, art, music, self-expression—both the people making the art and the consumers enjoying it—that’s all part of a happy lifestyle. I’m hoping to bring that back to Laguna, because that’s what Laguna was based on. No restrictions. Just free-thinking and free expression.”

An Ohana state of mind

Ohana, in Hawaiian, means family (in an extended sense of the term, including blood-related, adoptive and intentional members). The concept emphasizes that families are bound together and members must cooperate and remember one another. Ohana is a concept this family embodies. It stretches back to their roots in Iran. It includes their extended family, all those who have immigrated to Orange County. And now it’s embracing the rich traditions of Laguna Beach and the upcoming generations who want to call Laguna home. The Honarkars are laying down a foundation for Laguna’s future. All of our town’s rich, artistic traditions…with a twist.