A Day in the Life of Bodeguita

The light hits the street before I do—moving up the walls, catching the painted cat on Bodeguita’s shutter. The street is still quiet, just the sound of motos and someone laughing down the block.

Outside, the first surfers start to drift up the street, boards lazily tucked under arm, damp salty hair, that post-surf glow on their faces. The air smells like sunscreen, surfwax, and espresso. Another day about to begin in La Punta.

I unlock the door, lift the shutters, and take it in—that familiar treasure trove of boards, products, pieces, stories, ready to be brought to life another day.

Inside, the Bodeguita playlist fills the space, and the store wakes up. No rush. No big drop countdowns. Just slow rhythm, good energy, and stories waiting to be told.

Every brand here is chosen with pure instinct—that flutter in my stomach when I find something real. Something new, different, exciting. It’s a feeling. You can’t fake it. It’s happened with every single brand I’ve been lucky enough to come across.

Each piece that makes it into the store has been considered—not just for how it looks, but for the story it carries. The hands that made it. The energy that runs through it. From the designer’s sketch to the final stitch, it’s all part of the same heartbeat. That’s what I look for every time—things made with intention, honesty, and soul.

There’s Ana Mexicana, bringing heat and humor to her tropical prints—shiny, spicy, loud—sitting next to longtime Bodeguita collaborator and Puerto brand ODD, all bones and attitude, a visual punch that never tries too hard. Then Helix Aspersa, the Mexico City jewelry designer—her my little pony-adorned charm necklaces sit next to hand-blown glass pipes from local ceramicist and artist Mikas—a bit ritual, a bit dream. And Lupe Báez, upcycling vintage into modern love letters to Puerto—prints of hidden corners that only locals know. Ceviche Surf boards stacked in colour blocks next to their printed tees—still bringing a smile with their cheeky graphics.

Each brand does its own thing. That’s the point. Bodeguita isn’t about matching aesthetics—it’s about vibes that clash and somehow make sense together. That’s Mexico—movement, creation in motion.

Then comes sunset—my favourite shift. The light turns golden. The playlist changes, and suddenly the shop fills again. Travellers wander up from the beach, locals drop in, designers swing by just to say hi. The cat from the restaurant next door takes over the counter like he owns the place (he kinda does). Someone’s trying on a tee, someone else is talking about waves or their next print drop. There’s laughter, stories, mezcal, a bit of chaos—always community.

And somewhere in all that, I feel it—that same pulse that’s been there since day one. Bodeguita is my vortex. The place where time bends. Where I forget the outside world and everything starts to flow. Conversations, ideas, energy—all tangled up in one big heartbeat.

People come in asking where best to surf tomorrow, how to move here, how to change their lives—and somehow, between the racks of tees and the clink of jewellery, we end up talking about everything that really matters: freedom, passion, and that gut feeling that tells you you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

That’s Bodeguita. A store, yes—but one that feels like more: a destination, a meeting place for like minds, a reflection of the living patchwork of people, cultures, scenes, and attitudes that is Puerto Escondido.

By the time I cash up, flip off the lights, and pull down the shutters on another day, the air smells like tacos and salt, music drifts up the street from the bars down below, and I can still hear the waves somewhere beyond.