Mike Conley - R.I.P.

photo courtesy OC Weekly

When we first started the Westside Business Culture last year, it was imperative that Mike Conley be on it. Mike was like "The Godfather" of the Westside Costa Mesa area. You just looked at him and you knew he was cool. He added instant credibility. AND, he was a super nice guy.
Of course he said yes. Mike was a huge believer in the Westside and (along with Dan Bradley), one of the true pioneers in that area. His enthusiasm and commitment really helped 1.7 Ocean get off the ground, both PZ + I owe him a lot.
I last saw Mike at the Long Beach antique flea market in Jan. I entered into a stall as usual, scanning the whole thing in a nanosecond, sizing it up. I could see instantly that whoever had this space had a "point of view" similar to mine. There was a bunch of stuff I wanted. Then I looked up and realized it was Mike's booth. Of course. Cool guy strikes again. We spoke for a long time and got caught up; he told me how involved he had been coaching his daughter's soccer team. I picked up a bunch of stuff, gave him my money and we both were looking forward to the next WBC meeting. And that was that.
The Daily Pilot wrote a great obituary on Mike. See it here.