For years she has stood patiently greeting the visitors and locals who stroll and shop the main street of Balboa Island.     If you’re going to have a cow in your front yard, this is the one to have - “Bessie B. Jeweled.”  Most would find being the Island’s “fashion icon” a difficult task, but Bessie is up to it, thanks to her owners at Even Sisters who hand-paint Bessie in dozens of different seasonal costumes. What girl wouldn’t want pj’s custom created for her by local designer Paul Frank!  So popular is Bessie that she was invited to be the official “hostess” to welcome all the cows who stampeded into town for the OC Fair’s 2007 Cowabunga!  Somehow she finds time to participate in the Annual Balboa Island Parade the first Sunday in June.

This is the kind of local humor that makes shopping & dining on Balboa Island so much fun.  The merchants that have been serving this community for years continually seek out unique and distinctive gifts.   Old-fashioned ice cream shops serve up frozen bananas, yogurt, and Balboa Bars, the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon of boutique browsing.   If you aspire to be a fashion icon like Bessie, the trendy clothing boutiques won’t disappoint either.  Serious shopping, however, may demand a caffeine infusion.  I believe Bessie prefers a triple nonfat/half-decaf/mocha latte to keep her girlish figure.  Although she hasn’t quite got the autograph thing down yet, she will pose for a picture with you!