This is the 8th MeetWell email and we’re closing in on 100 subscribers. A huge thank you to those who have spoken with me or replied to the email, and to those who've helped pass it along. 

The most popular events so far have been the warehouse dining experience in Venice, jewelry making, and, much to my delight as someone who was raised on ABBA during Saturday morning breakfasts, Mamma Mia the Musical.

As a seller myself, I’ve sent quite a few of the ideas to clients and am scheduling my first one now. I’ll report back on how it actually goes, but the initial reaction to sending the ideas themselves has been refreshingly positive.

I’d love to hear if it’s been useful for you. What worked, what didn’t, and what’s missing? 

Thank you for joining and supporting me on this journey. More to come!

— Robbie

A gritty-looking former pawn shop on Melrose in WeHo, Pawn Shop is an ambitious new bar and restaurant concept aiming to create LA’s premier sports bar (or ‘cultural hub’ as they call it). 

Backed by a James Beard Award-winning chef (Tony Messina) alongside some serious investors including Mark Cuban, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, and former Angel City captain Ali Riley, the space looks absolutely stunning and appears set to take the mantle of LA sports-watching hotspot.

Their website doesn’t even have the full menu posted yet, but it looks like an elevated take on your typical bar food and drinks. This Eater profile gives a preview of what to expect. 

If you’re looking for a buzzy new spot to catch a World Cup game or even thinking about new options for football, this is a great one to have on your radar.  

Basics:

Private Room:

Links to send your client:

Added Value: I like this option because it can draw in both your classic sports fans and your clients interested in buzzy new restaurants and swanky cocktails. The Venn diagram of people who want smoked oysters while watching sports may be bigger than you think.

Banter and Bliss is a Manhattan Beach-based scent specialist that focuses on custom scentmaking and candlemaking classes. 

Scentmaking classes take roughly 1 hour. You'll spend the first 45 minutes blending your scent and the last 15 bottling and labeling it. Candlemaking classes also take about an hour, with an additional hour needed for the wax to cool.

You’re welcome to bring food and non-alcoholic drinks into the store. If you don’t feel like bringing food in, the store is located inside Manhattan Village, so there are also some easy dining options nearby.

If you’re looking for something in Santa Monica, you can also host an event at their chic new speakeasy space, Lost Note Society, below Fia Restaurant on Wilshire. They collaborate with the restaurant above, so you can order food and drinks during your experience, or you can reserve a table at the restaurant afterwards. 

Both scentmaking and candlemaking experiences can also be hosted at an office or location of your choice. 

Manhattan Beach or Santa Monica Location

Off-site:

Food/Drinks nearby in Manhattan Village:

Added Value: Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but the entire world of fragrance seems to have really elevated since the days I graduated from Abercrombie’s Fierce to the much more sophisticated Acqua di Giò. And, based on my wife’s desire to make a scented candle or perfume in a speakeasy when I showed this to her, it seems like a pretty compelling option. 

Cliffs of Id is one of the premier rock climbing and bouldering gyms in LA. 

Located on the eastern edge of Culver City, the studio offers public and private intro classes that take 1-1.5 hours. 

For groups new to climbing, they recommend an Intro to Climbing top-rope belay class, where you’ll learn the basics of climbing safely and then scale the wall with support ropes. 

Depending on the vibes pre- or post-climbing, you’ve got solid casual food/drink options nearby in Culver like Father’s Office ($$-$$$) and Pasta Sisters ($$), or West Adams like Mizala ($$) or Cento Pasta Bar ($$-$$$).

Public Classes:

Private Classes:

Added Value: The Chaco-wearing outdoorsy hippy-vibe of the climbing world has always intrigued me. I like this option because it scratches a few itches: you get some exercise after work, try something new that you likely wouldn’t do unless someone else organized it, and the support ropes level the playing field for athletic ability for everyone.

Ever been hanging with a client and conversation just runs dry? Whether it’s recent and topical, or general and evergreen, the Oasis is about giving you one idea for helping you in that moment.

The Steffen Method. A fun one to toss out there next time summer travel comes up in conversation. I learned this recently, sweating bullets hoping to make a connecting flight, mired in the second-to-last row as we took forever to deplane. I asked GPT why humans have not figured out better ways to get on and off planes. The deplaning answer is depressing (there isn't really one), but there is some hope for boarding. 

The fastest scientifically proven way to board a plane is called the Steffen Method: window seats board first, then middle, then aisle, all in a staggered order so the maximum number of people can stow bags at once. It could cut boarding time by 30 to 50 percent. 

Ironically, almost no airlines use it because it adds complexity, splits up families, and messes with the premium boarding perks for the high rollers.

Something to think about next time you’re talking travel with clients, or frantically scrambling to catch your connecting flight.

Thanks for reading. Any feedback is appreciated - just hit reply to this email.