Marci of Co-op 28 and her counter of books

Me, I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than go to a mall the week before Christmas. I prefer to do most of my holiday shopping at places like Unique LA or Handmade, so how happy was I to hear about Co-op 28 in Los Feliz.

Behind a fairly unassuming store front, Co-op 28 houses a gallery and what a more pretentious blogger might call a “curated” gift shop/boutique. The shop hasn’t been open long, but it has the feel of a place that should become a neighborhood staple. You’ll recognize some of the artists/designers from Unique LA if you go there, but of course, Co-op 28 is open every day and doesn’t cost $10 at the door. Not that it’s cheap–I easily spent far more than I intended–but most things are priced as you’d expect for handmade, one-of-a-kind items. The owner Marci Siegel has put together a great collection–a rack of clothes, a table of bath items including eucalyptus bombs that steam up your shower, fun and fancy jewelry, guitar straps, clocks made from old pulp fiction novels and Dr. Seuss books, purses . . . even a selection of classic candies. Because who doesn’t want a handful of bit-o-honeys to go with that lomography print?

To make the whole thing irresistible, the shop is on Vermont right off of Prospect, which is to say, next door to Paradis, the amazing Danish ice cream shop that earns my wholehearted love for periodically featuring licorice ice cream. So go, finish your shopping, have an ice cream, chat with Marci, and avoid the mall. Merry whatever-it-is-you-celebrate.

How about a pair of Mychael Darwin jeans? According to their website, Mychael Darwin’s customers include “International Kings, World Entertainers, Hall of Fame Athletes, The Champion Los Angeles Lakers, Hollywood A-List Celebrities and Stylish Denim Enthusiasts.” Their “bespoke” jeans are custom cut to fit to your exact measurements. With extras like silk-lined pockets and “the world’s best denim fabrics” it’s no wonder that prices start at $1,200.  For a couple hundred more you can get sterling silver buttons and rivets, and eighteen karat gold or platinum hardware will set you back $3252.50 or $5232.50 respectively to start.

Normal delivery time is two weeks, so you’re looking at more of a new year’s present most likely, but for a fee, you can get a pair as quickly as 48 hours apparently.  And you know, once you’re in for a few grand on a pair of jeans what’s an added convenience charge?

More information on the art and artists can be found on Fine Art Trekkin’ Torrance and Fine Art Trekkin’ South Bay.

Deets: 9/3 & 9/4/11Saturday and Sunday Sept 3, 4 noon-6pm. South Bay Lexus.24777 Crenshaw Blvd. Torrance, California 90505

Tent City at Venice Beach

Yesterday was my annual pilgrimage to Venice Beach with the kids for their end o’ summer/back to school field trip.  (I celebrate the latter).

It is so sad to see the changes going on in Venice right now.  Where the sidewalk was once lined with artists and musicians it is now packed with EZ-up tents selling mostly swap meet type crap.  To even get to the tent city one has to wade through a gauntlet of a dozen or so “independent musicians” hawking their latest CD in a very aggressive in your face manner.

I can count on my hand the number artists left on the sidewalk of Venice Beach.  It was sad to see so few of them left.  It was even sadder to see the number musicians has dwindled to less than a handful.  I miss them all, they were the heart and soul of the Venice Beach that I have come to love over my years here.

In talking with the merchants of Venice Beach during my meander yesterday I learned a few things.  Many are not happy with the tent city that has been set up for a lot of reasons.  The tent city folks don’t pay rent and are undercutting them.  They are cluttering up the view of the ocean from the sidewalks.  They are aggressive in staking out spots in the morning, often violently which they say detract from the spirit of Venice.  A lot of reasons they aren’t happy.  Some even made mention of a movement underfoot to try and set up a permit system to help control them.

One of the more interesting changes was the number of “no photos” signs popping up all over among the tent city folks.  It was mind boggling how they can set up for sale on a public sidewalk then expect to be able to control hundreds, if not thousands of folks each day strolling past from taking pictures.

Finally, the best new thing I discovered at Venice is Schulzies Bread Pudding.  The stuff is inexpensive and really a nicely twisted up departure from the regular bread puddings out there.  I opted for the “Duff’s Peppercorn Raspberry” and was not disappointed.  A slightly spicey/peppery bread pudding with a fresh raspberry puree on top.  Add in the freshly squeezed lemonade and the day was complete for $6.50!

Schulzies

I’ll be back as I’ve always loved Venice Beach.  I do hope that they do find a way to control some of the changes that have occurred there to help bring back the old artsy vibe that I loved there.

All pics by me and get bigger with a click.

the runway at thread

Let me start with a confession: I’ve never been to THREAD. In fact, I’d actually not even heard of it until after I posted about Unique LA and one of the vendors asked me if I were going. But don’t judge the event by my ignorance; I’ve never pretended to be a real fashionista. I can’t walk in high heels and I don’t own a purse that costs more than $20. I’ve spent most of my life in graduate school or working for nonprofits so I favor a bottom feeder aesthetic myself (you can see the whole pond from down here).  All that said, THREAD sounds super fun and I’m going.

The show travels from city to city and showcases 100 independent designers. It’s taking place Saturday June 12 at the Cooper Design Center, which is a nice space, and there will be djs, art, a photo booth, a clothing swap, spots to get manicures and shoulder rubs, and even a “man cave” with beer and darts and “entertainment for male shoppers” (one fears to think). According to the website FAQ, goods are priced $15-$200 so even those of us on a budget should be plenty happy. I love to support independent designers, and an event with music and free stuff and snacks sounds perfect. Admission is cheap ($10 or $5 with an rsvp), but even better, I’ve got pairs of passes to give away. What’s better than something for nothing? Just leave me a comment below telling me what’s on your fashion wish-list, and winners will be selected randomly by June 8.  

When: Sunday June 12, noon-6

Where: Cooper Design Space, 860 South Los Angeles Street, 11th floor

(VIP entry 11-noon is  available for $25 to the first 300 in line and includes a swag bag and a free cocktail. We’re giving away a regular entry, not a VIP pass.)

I saw This Person shopping at a Santa Monica Ralph’s last week, fully without irony.

She and her friends were not looking to see if anyone would notice the robe, nor were they in any sort of Dude-like good humor.

I would have been willing to Consider giving her a pass if she at least bought milk and/or Kahlua, but all they bought was a few bags of Doritos.

They wandered the store, jabbering in a language I failed to identify (and I’m pretty good at that), and exuding general bitchiness.

Ugh.

No thank you.

(No, I don’t show her face. And neither should she.)

That crazy 99 Cent Chef is at it again.  With some Jacaranda blooming  just a tad earlier than usual he celebrates their arrival with a quick video tour and ends it all with a recipe for eggplant hummus.  If you dig purple food this will be for  you.  You can follow more of his adventures in and around LA in the 99 cent stores creating more fun food on his Blog.

I remember when Kat was selling wares off her bike in front of Bazaar Bizarre and I loved her stuff then and I do now. If you missed it, fear not, Unique LA is adding a summer show so you can go buy cool monster stuff or all kinds of other wonderful things. More pictures from the show after the break.

Vendors not pictured that I bought stuff from include Phlage,Theo (coconut curry chocolate–mmm), and Effie’s Heart (which was my favorite clothing vendor–next Unique LA I’ll spend more time at their booth)

I remember the speaker guys back then saying that their products were “extra inventory”.  At the time, I had also read that, in additional to their questionable provenance, the speakers were really crappy, and would break after a bit of regular use.

Nowadays, we have online retailers competing with brick-and-mortar stores, we have Amazon, we have near-instant research ability to find a good home theater in a box for a reasonable price, possibly with no sales tax.  From our phone.

The white van, however, looks pretty much the same.