The Gray Dragon Opens in Marquez Knolls, Celebrates With Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

The Gray Dragon children’s boutique celebrated its recent opening with a Malibu-Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, December 9.

Owned by Adele Heydenrich, the Marquez Knolls store, located at 16620 Marquez Avenue, opened on November 4—which Heydenrich described as a 20-year “dream come true.”

“It was always a case of when I had the time, I didn’t have the money,” Heydenrich said to the Palisadian-Post. “If I had the money, I didn’t have the time, or I had the money and the time, and I couldn’t find a location to work.”

Such was the case until Heydenrich began taking her son to Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Center and noticed a vacant space next door.

“I texted a Realtor and was … expecting him to throw out some ridiculous number,” she explained. “But no, it was surprisingly, actually really reasonable. I had to submit a business plan and explain what it was that I was trying to do, and having wanted to do it for as long as I did, I had all this research that I had been accumulating over the years … It’s been a slow build but we’re excited to be here.”

Heydenrich said sourcing products—children’s clothing and toys—has been easy with the help of her 8-year-old son.

“I call him my ‘director of inspiration,’” she said. “When it comes to clothing, I’ll ask him, ‘Do you want to give it a try?’ ‘Is it comfortable?’ ‘Can you run and jump in it?’ ‘Do you like it?’ ‘Do you think it’s cool?’ He has a lot of input in the store … Everything in the store, we will vouch for.”

The Gray Dragon, which has consistently offered new inventory since its opening, has carried products from The Blueberry Hill, Busy Benny, Banwood, A MONDAY in Copenhagen and more.

Looking ahead, Heydenrich said she will see what the community gravitates toward, and increase the sizes and availability of brands that shoppers like, while phasing out the brands shoppers may not like as much. She invited feedback from the community and opened her shelves to local businesses.

Of being in the Palisades, Heydenrich expressed gratitude for the community’s support and the opportunity to have a space in the neighborhood.

“I’m very much … ‘square peg, round hole,’” she explained. “If it doesn’t fit, I move on. I don’t try and force something if it doesn’t feel right. But everything just aligned brilliantly with this. From the timing, to the location, to the cost, to the vendors I’ve been working with … I’m proud of what we’ve managed to do, and the reaction that we’ve gotten from customers is proof that we’re on the right track here.”

The boutique is open Monday to Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday by appointment only.

For more information, visit instagram.com/the.gray.dragon.