Known for its super-soft clothing and its fun-loving company spirit, the San Francisco-based Marine Layer clothing store is now open in Manhattan Beach. The storefront on Manhattan Beach Boulevard is in the former Lulu's location.

"Our general store location strategy is to open in places we'd like to visit more often. Manhattan Beach captures the Marine Layer vibe like few other communities could possibly do," said Nish Nadaraja, Marine Layer's director of marketing.

Marine Layer features clothing made from a custom-made fabric that is a blend of pima cotton and MicroModal, which comes from recycled beechwood. The fabric is such a point of pride that as soon as you enter the store, the associates invite you to feel the super-soft material.

Nadaraja, who describes the clothes as "easy and casual, with a California sea-breezy element," adds that the general style is what might be called "7-day weekend."

One unusual feature of the new Manhattan Beach store is a large sand pit with a few beach chairs built for relaxing. "This is our ninth store and for each location we try and do something both similar and different. We wanted this particular one to reflect the warmth of the sun and the beach, I guess you could say quite literally," said Nadaraja.

Marine Layer is also known for "Da Bus," its iconic 1969 VW Bus that is a fixture around the Marine Layer headquarters in San Francisco. When asked if "Da Bus" will make an appearance in Manhattan Beach, Nadaraja says, "Keep in mind this thing is over 40 years old, but there are rumors we'll have it down there this month or in October."

Marine Layer, 300 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA. (310) 276-2960. Open 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and online at marinelayer.com.