Skechers held the grand re-opening of its flagship store at the corner of Manhattan Beach Blvd. and Manhattan Ave. on Wednesday evening, while unveiling two new mosaic murals that pay tribute to the company's hometown. 

"We're just honored to be a part of this community," said Skechers President Michael Greenberg. "We love it."

The glass mosaic murals were created by acclaimed artist Rachel Rodi. One, over the facade of the building on Manhattan Ave., depicts the iconic Manhattan Beach Pier. A second one, on the wall along Manhattan Beach Blvd., showcases a colorful ocean seascape.

The large-scale mosaics total 230 square feet of outdoor art depicting the city. All told, it took 14 people a total of about 2000 hours to create, said Rodi, who called the project "a labor of love."

Manhattan Beach Mayor Amy Howorth thanked Greenberg and the Skechers team for working collaboratively with the city to create "timeless" artworks. "We are so fortunate to have [Skechers] in Manhattan Beach," she said. "Thank you for continuing to support our community."

The newly expanded Skechers store - just steps from where its first store opened in 1984 - is designed to appear as three separate shops to maintain the town’s village atmosphere. Now approximately 4,800 square feet, the store features an audio/video showcase of Skechers lifestyle and performance shops, a fitting room for the brand’s growing apparel division, and collections for men, women and children.

Skechers currently has 2600 stores around the world, and is projected to have 3000 by the end of the year, but nevertheless considers Manhattan Beach its hometown. The Skechers store at the corner of Manhattan Beach Blvd. and Manhattan Ave. is a "flagship" store, said Greenberg. "It's equivalent to Times Square, Powell Street, or Covent Garden."