February 14 – Deviant Design Group (DDG) opened its doors in the East Village Arts District at 256 Elm Ave. on January 14. Owned by Mark Barata, pictured, DDG is a premiere jewelry design company that has specialized in handcrafting unique personal adornments since 2005. With a celebrity following that includes skateboarders Rob Dyrdek and Ryan Sheckler, the company chose Long Beach as the location for its first store because “the development that is going on right now in the city, specifically in the downtown area where we are, is incredible,” the Long Beach-born Barata said. “So many great new businesses are opening around the East Village Arts District, so we wanted to get in [the neighborhood] before it continues to really take off.” In addition to selling its own custom creations, DDG also consigns, trades and repairs jewelry and watches in-store. The shop also carries DDG-designed shirts and tank tops. Deviant Design Group is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. and is closed on Monday. For more information, call 562/912-4269 or visit www.deviantdesigngroup.com. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)