'Storage Wars' Stars Open New Shop in Long Beach

Storage War stars Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante could not have picked a better day to celebrate the opening of their second Now And Then store, this one in Long Beach.

Located at 129 W. 5th Street just east of Pacific Avenue, the second-hand shop swung open its doors under sunny skies on Sunday, featuring reused items like clothing and household goods — some from the pair's successful bids on self-storage lockers.

The competition for contents in abandoned Southern California lockers is the basis for Storage Wars, the A&E Network series that is billed as a reality show but which has come under fire by one of its ex-stars as being staged. Producer Thom Beers has denied that charge.

Critics have written mixed reviews of the show, with one calling it "trivial and magnetic." 

Schulz and Passante, who are promoted as the "young guns" in the show, opened their first shop in Orange at 810 N. Tustin St. 

The unveiling of their Long Beach shop began with an obligatory ribbon cutting. They had a rather large crowd, numerous food trucks, a DJ and raffles during the day, along with deals on items that viewers may have seen in the popular A&E show.

Were you at the opening? Tell us about it in the comments and upload your photos!