WHAT WE DO

This past year, E101 contributed about $500,000 towards preserving, improving and promoting our downtown.
What is Encinitas 101 Doing For You?

Improving Our Downtown

  • E101 facilitates facade grants to help fund facelifts to business storefronts as well as murals.  We continue to work towards the restoration of La Paloma Theatre.

  • E101 conducts Merchant Meetings to hear thoughts & concerns and to discuss solutions and offer education to assist business owners

  • Continue the Alley Activation Program – with lighting and landscaping throughout alley to encourage pedestrian walkability

We work with property owners, leasing agents, businesses, and the City of Encinitas to enhance the downtown pedestrian retail & make it easier to pen a business here.

  • Working to attract more desirable retail & optimize the retail mix
  • Implementing creative solutions like pop-up stores
  • Working with City of Encinitas to streamline permit processes
Promoting Downtown Encinitas as a place to shop, dine & play!

  • Weekly Newsletter sent out to 4000+ subscribers
  • Social Media posts daily
  • Timely Holiday promotions and merchant events
  • Print advertising for events and retail shopping
E101 brings more than 100,000 people into our downtown to shop & attend our event

  • Spring Street Fair
  • Encinitas Cruise Nights
  • Taste of Encinitas
  • Safe Trick or Treat
  • Holiday Street Fair
  • Visits With Santa

We welcome business owners and residents to join our organization, volunteer at our community-focused events or just enjoy everything that is one of the last old-style California beach towns.

Become a Member

THE ENCINITAS 101 TEAM

Irene Pyun
Irene PyunExecutive Director
Originally from Los Angeles, Irene moved to La Jolla to attend UCSD where she graduated with a BA in Communications. She has since developed years of experience in Public Relations, Marketing, and Event Planning. Her work experience has always pertained to the non-profit sector, given her desire to focus on community enrichment.

When she’s not working, you can find her volunteering at events from Leucadia 101 or Cardiff 101. She is also the Membership Chair, Board Member and proud Rotarian of Encinitas “Animal House” Rotary Club.

Currently residing in Encinitas, you can usually find her in the water or downtown Encinitas on her beach cruiser. Her dream is to own her very own fishing boat one day and travel the world on it.

Mellanie Dean
Mellanie Dean Office Manager
Mellanie comes to Encinitas 101 with 22 years of local residency in Encinitas and the even more years of professional experience. She has helped local many long standing businesses with growth and sustainability. Her strongest attribute is her compassion for humanity and her joy of making the right connections.

Mellanie has raised her 3 children all over the local Encinitas beaches, soccer fields, baseball fields and local businesses. She loves interacting with all of the community’s local families, businesses and people in general.

Nick Kale
Nick KaleEvents Coordinator
Born and raised on the East Coast, Nick graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, where he Majored in Sports Management and Minored in Business. Following graduation in 2009, he trained as a Resident Athlete at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA in the sport of archery.

After retiring from training an in 2015, Nick worked as an event coordinator for a sport focused non-profit, where he gained a passion for planning and executing events. He joins the Encinitas 101 team with a desire to work on more community-based events.

On the weekends you can find Nick exploring new restaurants and breweries around San Diego or photographing Southern California’s beautiful beaches and landscapes.

2019 Goals

La Paloma Theater

  • Written commitment on 3 or 4 projects-1 completed project

  • Fundraising agreements and an organizational structure

  • Regular meetings-bimonthly

Tenant Mix

  • Identify Ideal Mix for Downtown

  • Identify conditions to keep tenants

  • Identify elements to get people to come Downtown

Holiday Marketing & Lighting

  • Develop a plan to make Downtown a more festive place, including more lights

  • Design/Repurpose an event that identifies Downtown as a shopping area

Parking & Mobility

  • Identify what Encinitas 101 can have an impact on

  • Partner with the City and join committees

  • Agree on a set of recommendations to the City

  • Identify future trends

  • Research what other cities are doing

Wayfinding

  • Collaboration with the city staff

  • Research what should be signed

  • Identify steps to get Wayfinding

  • Research different types and styles of signs

Community Outreach

  • Partner with CRC (Community Resource Center)

  • Research what can be done to support the “Will Not” segment of the homeless population

  • Partner with law enforcement

  • Training for merchants

  • Identify other Community Partnerships (Interfaith)

Infrastructure Maintenance

  • Host a “Walk-a-bout” Downtown-Photograph the areas of concern

  • Identify a list of repairs

  • Prepare a report for Council

  • Improve the sidewalks