A new boutique on Montana Avenue is aiming to redefine what it means to shop for olive oil. O&V California, which quietly opened its doors this summer offers a tightly curated selection of globally sourced extra virgin olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars and gourmet pantry staples, all with a strong emphasis on education, transparency and neighborhood connection.
The store is the longtime vision of Santa Monica resident Tanna Harris, a native Texan who moved to California in the 1980s and has spent the last 30 years on the Westside. After a career in the nonprofit sector and time spent caregiving for aging family members in Houston, Harris decided to act on a decade-old dream of opening her own culinary store, a shop focused on the truth and tradition behind olive oil.
“I always thought I knew everything there was to know about olive oil and vinegar,” Harris told the Daily Press. “But I learned I didn’t know anything. I wanted to educate my neighbors and friends on the benefits of real extra virgin olive oil, to help them taste something that’s fresh and pure and properly sourced.”
O&V California’s shelves are stocked with items from producers around the world, but everything is carefully selected with freshness and integrity in mind. Harris sources olive oils in small batches, timed to the harvest cycles in both the northern and southern hemispheres, ensuring products arrive at peak quality. Some oils come from Italy and California, while others are shipped from Tunisia, Spain or Portugal, depending on seasonal yields and polyphenol levels.
“These are fruits, not fats,” she said. “Olives are only good for about 14 months after they’re picked. After that, there’s no health benefit and almost no flavor left. That’s why we bring them in every six months, it’s the only way to guarantee freshness.”
Harris partners with a multigenerational importing family whose business has evolved over a century from general goods to a laser focus on olive oils and vinegars. She said they provide detailed chemical analyses of every shipment, including breakdowns of polyphenols, oleic acid and squalene levels.
The balsamic vinegars are sourced exclusively from Modena, Italy, with some aged up to 20 years in wooden barrels. Most are IGP or DOP certified. Other goods, like preserved lemons, heirloom beans, jams and almond butters, are sourced from smaller producers in California, many of whom have never sold to anyone in Los Angeles before. One jam maker in Ventura reportedly sells only to O&V.
The goal, Harris said, is to stock the store with items that enhance the olive oil experience without overcrowding the space or overwhelming visitors.
“We want people to come in and find something that feels like a gift, for someone else or themselves,” she said. “It’s about quality, not clutter. We’re not trying to sell mattresses like five other shops on the street.”
In addition to products, O&V California offers monthly “Olive Oil 101” tasting classes, held after hours and designed as a relaxed introduction to oils and vinegars. Each 90-minute class includes small bites, a guided tasting session and a private shopping experience. Guests can opt for wine or a cocktail and tickets are priced at $45.
The shop also plans to host community events with a philanthropic element, with a portion of proceeds going to local nonprofits such as Community Brigade and the Santa Monica Fire Department.
“We want to be more than a store,” Harris said. “We want to be part of the neighborhood, somewhere people can come to learn, connect and enjoy themselves.”
The interior of the store reflects that philosophy. Clean lines, custom-built shelving and soft lighting set the tone. Harris said she intentionally left the front of the store sparse to encourage curiosity from passersby, resisting suggestions to crowd the entry with displays or tasting tables.
“I wanted people to look in and wonder what it is,” she said. “Some think we sell coffee, some think it's a wine shop. But once they step inside, they see it’s something different.”
For Harris, the leap from nonprofit work to specialty retail isn’t as dramatic as it seems.
“I still had to eat, I still had to cook,” she said. “And I thought I was doing everything right. But then I learned what was really in those bottles at the grocery store and it shocked me. I wanted to offer something better, and I wanted to do it in Santa Monica.”
She lives about a mile from the store and walks to work. That proximity, she said, reinforces her sense of accountability to the community, both as a retailer and as a neighbor. “I love it here. This is home,” Harris said. “People know each other. I wanted to build something that would belong here, something beautiful, welcoming and honest.”
O&V California is at 1109 Montana Ave and open Tue–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 12noon–5pm.