Hello Back Bay Bagatelle,

Be sure to go to set your clocks forward for Daylight Savings this Sunday because the times are a’changing.  While a time honored bottle shop is closing it’s doors, it’s actually a big weekend for beer with live music and movie screenings at some of our favorite breweries, and lot’s more added to Plan Ahead.

To our new readers—welcome! The Back Bay Buzz delivers just the right amount of news and events for locals in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. No crime, no politics, no spam—just the good stuff. We scan newspapers, blogs, social media, business journals, and Google alerts so you don’t have to.

In today’s Buzz:

• 70 Year old bottle shop closing

• Qyn Coffee to Replace Nguyen’s Kitchen

• Live Music and Beer (matcha be damned)

• LOTS to do this weekend

— Jon Dougher, Publisher, Back Bay Buzz

70 Year Old Bottle Shop Closes It’s Doors

The departure of Baycrest Caps & Corks from its corner at 333 East 17th Street marks the quiet end of a seventy-year Costa Mesa era. Founded in 1952 and anchored at its current location since 1961, the shop transitioned from a mid-century neighborhood market into a craft beer and whiskey sanctuary under the twenty-two-year stewardship of local residents Bryan Nye and his mother, Sylvia Bice. While the store gained statewide fame as a "lucky" lotto destination—disbursing millions in jackpots over the decades—its true value was found in the personal touch of a family-run business where Bryan’s twenty-seven years of brewing passion met a community that valued a curated shelf over a corporate aisle. As the 17th Street corridor pivots toward a sleek new chapter of high-energy national brands and modern redevelopment, the decision by property owners not to renew the shop’s lease feels like a poignant exhale for the neighborhood. It is a wistful reminder that while the "lucky" store's run has reached its final chapter, the warmth of the Nye and Bice family remains a permanent part of the Eastside’s vintage soul.

Qyn Coffee & Matcha to Replace Nguyen’s Kitchen

As one chapter closes at the Baycrest property, another is set to begin just down the road as Qyn Coffee prepares to breathe new life into the space formerly occupied by Nguyen’s Kitchen on 17th Street. The transition marks a fresh infusion of caffeine and culture for the Eastside, as this boutique concept moves into the bustling corridor with a focus on elevated, artisanal brews. While saying goodbye to the late-night comfort of Nguyen’s noodles and bánh mì (and the green sauce 😭) the arrival of Qyn signals the neighborhood’s enduring evolution as a hub for craft-focused independent shops. It is a passing of the torch that feels quintessentially Costa Mesa—where the departure of a beloved local staple makes way for a new generation of entrepreneurs eager to pour their own passion into the community's morning ritual.

• The Big Lebowski Free Screening - The Lab
  Hosted by Synth Beer Co, BYO chairs (or rugs)
  Friday Mar 6th
  6pm
  Info

• Baycrest Going out of Business Sale - Baycrest Caps & Corks
  Stock up for St’ Paddy’s Day
  Info

• Live Music: Russell Long - Salty Bear Brewing
  Rock/folk/americana
  Saturday Mar 7th
  3-6pm
  Info

• Live Music: Chris Merrell - Westwood Coast
  Country
  Saturday Mar 7th
  7pm
  Info

• Live Music: The Fulltimers - The Shamrock (NB)
  9:30pm
  Info

• Live Music: Willy Tea Taylor & Cotton Clifton - Wayfarer
  Say that five times fast
  Friday Mar 6
  7pm
  Info

• ABBA Tribute Live - Lido Theater
  CORRECTION: Saturday March 7th (Not the 8th).
  Info

• Live Sketching - Sugar I Paper (Lido Village)
  Saturday Mar 7th
  12-4pm
  Info

Worth The Drive:

• Festival of Whales - Dana Point
  Saturday March 7th-8th
  10am-4pm
  Info

• Cars & Cafe - River Street Marketplace (SJC)
  Sunday Mar 8th
  8-10am
  Info

• Sample Sale - Freenote Cloth (SJC)
  A mere 12 minute train ride from Irvine Station, pairs well with True Love coffee and lunch at River Street. 
  Saturday Mar 7th
  9-4pm
  Directions

UPCOMING:

• Newport Needlepoint Club Meetup - Newport Needlepoint
  “2026 is the year for Grandma hobbies”
  Tuesdays 6-8pm
  Info

• Trivia Night - Bootlegger’s Brewery
  Tuesdays 7-9pm
  Directions

• Free Yoga Class - Seed Peoples Market
  Wednesdays @ 10am
  Info

• Baby Goat Yoga - Tanaka Farms
  Saturdays 10am (Hana Field)
  Info

• Live Music, Free Yoga On the Green - The Camp
  Saturday Mar 14th
  10am-4pm
  Info
  

• Free Fitness Class: Intro to MELT Method - Newport Coast Community Center
  Saturday Mar 14th
  9am and 9:45am
  Register (class code: NCC276 or NCC277)
  

• Overland Expo 2026 - OC Fairgrounds
  March 14-15, Sat 9-5, Sun 9-4
  Info

• Cottagecore Spring Faire - Woodbury Town Center (Irvine)
  Saturday-Sunday Mar 14th & 15th
  10am-4pm
  Info

• CalTrans Costa Mesa Virtual Public Meeting
  Monday Mar 16th
  6pm
  Info

• REDO Vintage Market - OC Fairgrounds
  Fri-Sat Mar 20th-21
  4pm-9pm, 9am-4pm
  Info
  

• Big Boat Show (NBIBS) - Lido Village
  April 16th-19th
  Info

• Record Store Day - Various Locations
  Saturday Apr 18th
  Check out all locations in The Back Bay Map Room
  

• AirIWater Porsche Lifestyle Event - OC Fairgrounds
  Saturday Apr 25th
  9am-3pm
  Tickets

• Songs in the Canyon - Canyon Park (Costa Mesa)
  June 12-14
  Info
  
  
  

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH OC?

Check out our great partner newsletter:

🌊 Water temp = 60º
Suit Rec: Spring suit/Full suit 3/2, maybe booties (widdle puss in booties?)

THIS WEEKEND:

• Free Pizza - Mr. Moto Pizza (17th)
  Sat - Sun
  11am til Sold Out
  info

• Leprechaun Trap Craft - Home Depot (Harbor Blvd)
  Saturday March 7th
  9am
  Info

• Upper Newport Bay Kayak Tours ($27.27 per person)

  Saturday, 07 March

  10:00 am - 12:00 pm
  info

• Lantern Festival in Costa Mesa

  Saturday, 07 March

  11:00 am - 4:00 pm
  info

• Mahjong Social at Costa Mesa Mesa Verde Library

  Sunday, 08 March

  2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
  info
  

Worth The Drive:

• Tiny Tots, Little Sprouts at the Ocean Institute - Dana Point
  Spring Session March 2nd-April 23rd
  Info

• Festival of Whales - Dana Point
  Saturday March 7th-8th
  10am-4pm
  Info

• Cars & Cafe - River Street Marketplace (SJC)
  Sunday Mar 8th
  8-10am
  Info

Plan Ahead:

• Critter investigations - Upper Newport Bay
  3rd Wednesday of each month
  10-11am
  Info

• Stem Workshop - Carters x Kiwi Co. (Tustin Market Place)
  Second Saturday of Every Month
  10am -12pm
  RSVP

• Cottagecore Spring Faire - Woodbury Town Center (Irvine)
  Saturday-Sunday Mar 14th & 15th
  10am-4pm
  Info

• OC Uke Fest - Campus Jax
  Sunday Mar 22nd
  Info
  

Thanks! Please ignore any typos, our editor is frantically searching for the last Pliny the Elder at Baycrest. It’s a beer thing, you wouldn’t get it.

PS: Feel free to let me know any feedback or inside scoops you have for the newsletter. Just reply to this email, I read every one. Thanks!