Published Aug 12, 2026
Long Beach Vintage Etc / Facebook.com
Long Beach Vintage Etc is a large, curated antique and vintage collective in the heart of downtown Long Beach, California. Shoppers come to browse more than 40 independent vendors offering an eclectic mix of vintage clothing, furniture, vinyl records, jewelry, and unique oddities. But many visitors come for another reason: to meet the collective’s personable one-eyed shop cat, Likho.
The rescue cat recently celebrated his 15th birthday, and many of his biggest fans turned out to celebrate in style. On July 11, the shop hosted a circus-themed “kitty quince,” a playful nod to the traditional quinceañera celebration marking a 15th birthday.
“We had vendors set up outside, a face painter, flash tattoos, free popcorn, the works,” said Long Beach Vintage Etc owner Elizabeth Kobliha. “It was a great success for the store and for Likho, who received tons of gifts and cheek rubs from all his friends and fans who came to see him.”
Kobliha had always dreamed of having a shop cat, inspired by the cats she admired lounging on shelves in bookstores. Apollo, a gentle Maine Coon, became the store’s first feline ambassador. After Apollo died, Kobliha hoped to find another cat with the right personality to thrive in the bustling antique shop. In 2016, she came across a Facebook post about Likho.
After Apollo, the shop’s beloved first cat, Kobliha found Likho in a 2016 Facebook post and welcomed him as the shop’s new feline ambassador. Long Beach Vintage Etc / Facebook.com
When Kobliha saw the post, something about Likho’s photos and story melted her heart. “He had a rough start in life,” she said. “He’d been living in a hoarder house before being abandoned in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.”
Kobliha put in an application to adopt him through Stray Cat Alliance without ever meeting him. All his medical expenses, including the surgery required to remove his badly infected eye, were covered by Stray Cat Alliance, a Los Angeles nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of stray, community, and homeless cats.
Although she had never met the Russian Blue, Kobliha worried he might not be a good fit for the shop. Instead, she said, “he has turned out to be purrfect.”
The name Likho is borrowed from Slavic fairy tales, where a Likho is a one-eyed creature that represents bad luck, misfortune, or even evil. But Likho the cat is anything but evil. Kobliha affectionately describes him as a “Love Troll.”
Likho loves greeting customers, getting cuddles, and enjoying his favorite Churu treats. Long Beach Vintage Etc / Facebook.com
“Likho is super friendly and affectionate,” she said. “If he’s not napping, he will come up to customers to rub against their feet and make them feel welcome. He loves being held and carried around the store and, of course, he lives for his Churu treats.”
Not one to take himself too seriously, Likho even lets his human family dress him up in silly costumes.
Over the last 10 years as the resident shop cat, Likho has developed quite the fan following. His popularity has even inspired a line of merchandise, including T-shirts, stickers, keychains, and buttons.
“He’s just an irrepressibly good creature,” Kobliha said. “His first five years of life were so hard but that has never dimmed his light or his capacity for love, and everyone who meets him can feel that.”
