Today, Thursday, November 19, East Holly Street becomes the busiest part of Old Pasadena's new Holiday Passport. The short run of storefronts between Mignon Chocolate at 6 Holly and Mesmer Mesmer at 65 Holly holds eight of the 21 shops on the passport. This afternoon, most of those shops are also hosting the 15th annual Holidays on Holly open house, with discounts, Prosecco and cider.
This is the first year Old Pasadena has run a passport, and the participant list shows where the district's independent retail is. Most of the 21 shops are on Holly Street, in the One Colorado alleys, or tucked onto side streets like De Lacey Avenue and Morgan Alley. The 12 stickers needed to enter the drawing can come entirely from those blocks.
How the Passport Works
Pasadena Now laid out the mechanics when the program was announced on November 6. You pick up a passport at any participating shop, visit at least 12 of the 21 by November 29, and ask each one for a sticker. You don't have to buy anything. The passport launched Sunday, November 15, during CicLAvia Pasadena, so today is the fifth day of a 15-day window.
The prizes are built from the shops themselves. Two $500 packages each hold gift cards and merchandise from 12 participating retailers. The $1,225 grand prize includes something from all 21. Every qualifying entry is eligible for all three prizes. Entrants must be 18 or older, with one entry per person.
Holly Street Covers Eight Stickers by Itself
The Holly Street shops on the passport are Mignon Chocolate at 6, Retreat at 10, Commune Records at 12, AMT Vintage at 16, Jenette Bras at 18, Gold Bug at 38, Maude Woods at 55 and Mesmer Mesmer at 65. Homage, at 100 Fair Oaks Avenue, is around the corner and part of today's open house. That's nine stickers within a few minutes' walk.
According to the Old Pasadena event page, the open house is free, and the shop programming runs from 2 to 8 p.m. unless a shop notes otherwise. Here's what each shop is offering today:
| Shop | Holidays on Holly offer |
|---|---|
| AMT Vintage | 10% off storewide, a Pamela Des Barres closet sale and book signing, drinks and light bites |
| Commune Records | 20% off storewide |
| Gold Bug | 20% off glass ornaments, Prosecco from 2 p.m. |
| Homage | 20% off storewide all day, refreshments and a Hemlock Park pop-up from 4 p.m. |
| Jenette Bras | 15 to 20% off tights and loungewear, cider and treats |
| Maude Woods | 20% off storewide, food and drinks from 2 p.m. |
| Mesmer Mesmer | Storewide discount, seasonal punch |
| Mignon Chocolate | 15% off for event participants, holiday chocolate sampling |
| Retreat | A free greeting card, up to a $7 value, with every $50 purchase |
Homage's discount runs all day, so you can start there before the rest of the street opens up at 2.
The One Colorado Alleys Get You Past Twelve
After Holly Street, the next cluster is a short walk south in the passages of One Colorado. Andonia is at 15 Douglas Alley, and The Unicorn Store is across the alley at 12 Douglas. Rebecca Crews is at 52 Hugus Alley. PlayLab Beauty, at 25 Fair Oaks, and Shopaholic Sample Sales, at 37 Colorado Boulevard, both have One Colorado addresses. Add those five to the nine from Holly Street and Fair Oaks and you have 14 stickers, two more than the drawing requires.
The rest of the card is spread out:
- Colorado Boulevard storefronts: NEO Pasadena at 33, The Dog Bakery at 36, LATHER at 40 and Crown City Games at 42
- Side streets: Doggee Club at 22 Raymond Avenue, Imizzu at 54 De Lacey Avenue and Store 242 at 123 Morgan Alley
These are the stops to add if you want a full card or a specific gift. Old Pasadena's directory lists Crown City Games for tabletop gaming, trading-card events, miniatures and role-playing campaigns. Imizzu carries collectibles, blind boxes, keychains and accessories. Store 242 sells vintage and current fashion and music, and hosts pop-ups. If you're bringing a dog, there are two stops for it. The Dog Bakery is on Colorado. Doggee Club opened in 2025 on Raymond, and the Pasadena Star-News described its stock as natural dog food and treats, accessories and toys.
The Newest Shops Are Easy to Miss
Most of these businesses have been in Old Pasadena for years. Shopaholic Sample Sales was one of the new arrivals Pasadena Now covered in May 2021. Rebecca Crews started as a pop-up in October 2024, selling women's suits and tuxedos. Imizzu's own timeline puts its Pasadena store's opening in 2024.
Mesmer Mesmer is the newest. Pasadena Now reported that its opening weekend was set for April 25 and 26, 2026, at 65 E. Holly. It sells apparel, shoes, jewelry, art and design goods, fragrance, beauty and books, and it has a space for events. By September it was hosting a Colombian string quartet and Los Angeles artists for a music and art collaboration. At the far end of the Holly stretch, it's a natural last stop for today's open house.
Retreat, at 10 Holly, is a good stop for small gifts. The directory lists jewelry, candles, cards, journals, pottery, barware and leather goods.
A Second Pass on Small Business Saturday
If today's open house doesn't fill your card, Saturday, November 28, is your next chance. On Small Business Saturday, all 21 passport shops are giving away Shop Small tote bags and enamel pins while supplies last, and you can keep collecting stickers.
The City of Pasadena and Visit Pasadena are also running a Shop Local Pasadena campaign that day. Twenty-four businesses across the city will hand out free canvas totes, first come, first served. The six Old Pasadena welcome stations are Rebecca Crews, M. Andonia, PlayLab Beauty, Jenette Bras, The Unicorn Store and Homage Pasadena. All six are also passport shops, and five are in the Holly and One Colorado clusters above. The Pasadena Department of Transportation is offering free rides on Pasadena Transit November 27 and 28.
The One Colorado holiday program starts the same weekend. It runs November 27 through December 24 at 41 Hugus Alley, with Santa visits, a toy drive and letters to Santa. Its Holiday Bazaar is Sunday, November 29, the last day of the passport, a few steps from Rebecca Crews and the Douglas Alley shops.
Turning In the Card
The official raffle rules set a firm schedule:
- Email a clear photo of your passport page with all your stickers to [email protected] by 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, November 29. Include your name, phone number and email address.
- Three winners will be drawn at random on Monday, November 30, at 3 p.m. PT. They'll be contacted by phone or email and announced on Old Pasadena's Instagram and Facebook.
- Winners have 48 hours to respond and must pick up their prize by 5 p.m. PT on Friday, December 4. If either deadline is missed, a new winner is drawn.
For parking, Old Pasadena's three Park & Walk garages are the De Lacey Parking Facility at 45 S. De Lacey Avenue, the Marriott Parking Facility at 171 N. Raymond Avenue and the Schoolhouse Parking Facility at 33 E. Green Street. The Old Pasadena parking page lists all three as open 24/7, at $1 for the first two hours, $2 for each hour after and a $12 daily maximum. The Marriott garage on Raymond is a block from the Holly Street shops. The De Lacey garage puts you near Imizzu and a short walk from One Colorado. Two hours is enough for the nine Holly stops this afternoon and still leaves time for Mignon's chocolate sampling.
Aymi Lau notices how a well-planned event can make residents want to linger on a single block, and she brings that same care to presenting a home. If you're thinking about how your Pasadena home would show this season, Aymi Lau would be glad to set up a confidential consultation or prepare a complimentary home valuation, timed around your holiday calendar.
