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Boomerang for modern, located in the burgeoning Little Italy district, is a small vintage furniture store specializing in the mid-century modern look that seems to be oh so popular now. I am...
Boomerang for modern, located in the burgeoning Little Italy district, is a small vintage furniture store specializing in the mid-century modern look that seems to be oh so popular now. I am guessing everyone with their new "urban, loft-like" condos wants to do the jet set look.
The pieces here are a lot more polished than what you'll find at other similar stores around town, with a lot more "names" on the floor -- i.e. Eames and other cohorts. Therefore the prices are quite high. None of the fun serendipity of scouring through clutter either -- the pieces here are artfully arranged, and not stacked on or jumbled on top of one another.
Turnover seems to be quite fast -- so if you spot something you like, you had better snatch it up quickly.
The staff, while mildly pleasant, seems slightly standoffish in comparison to other vintage furniture retailers. The store is fairly small, so if there are several people in here, it can feel pretty crowded.
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Mint
Category:
Shoes
525 University Ave
San Diego, California 92103
(619) 291-6468
Mint is a funky shoe store in the Hillcrest neighborhood, adjacent to Babette Schwartz and the newsstand. It is a tiny, narrow store with shoes on the sides and running down the center aisle, which...
Mint is a funky shoe store in the Hillcrest neighborhood, adjacent to Babette Schwartz and the newsstand. It is a tiny, narrow store with shoes on the sides and running down the center aisle, which makes it difficult to browse if there are, say, more than four people in there.
There are a lot of shoes in here that you find anywhere else in San Diego (cool shoes seem to be tough to find here). A lot of fun (albeit semi-impractical) styles, and lots with heels or interesting patterns. Both men's and women's shoes can be found here.
The middle row seems to be mostly comprised of sale shoes, and the sizes are pretty limited on those styles. If you have a popular shoe size, you're pretty much out of luck, I'm afraid.
Prices are fairly reasonable, most shoes being in the $49-90 range, with a couple of pairs going over the $100 mark.
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I wandered into Lawrance one day after a shopping trip to Whole Foods (Lawrence is across the street). They had a sale sign and I was in the market for a new couch.
The furniture collection is...
I wandered into Lawrance one day after a shopping trip to Whole Foods (Lawrence is across the street). They had a sale sign and I was in the market for a new couch.
The furniture collection is an eclectic mix. A lot of it simply is not my style -- way too over the top or showy for me (very shiny laquered armoires, lots of glass and chrome tables, very expensive shiny leather couches). I am more of a simple, clean lines kind of girl. But there were several pieces that I did like here, including a sectional available in a microfiber.
The staff here is a little on the cheesy salesperson side -- by that I mean they can be a little fake and pushy. It turned out the sectional I was interested in had an order fulfillment time of over four months (!) and I did not think I could survive without a couch that long. Most of the pieces here are in sets, and there aren't a lot of the accessories (blankets, pillows, candles etc) that you find in a lot of furniture stores.
They do have sales here from time to time, and some of them have some good deals. You have to arrive first thing in the morning of the sale though because they are often swiped up within minutes.
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Zazou Home
Category:
Art Galleries & Dealers
2136 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, California 92101
(619) 234-3841
Zazou Home is in the "design district" on Kettner Blvd in Little Italy. "Design district" might be stretching the concept a little, as there really are only a handful of design type retail stores,...
Zazou Home is in the "design district" on Kettner Blvd in Little Italy. "Design district" might be stretching the concept a little, as there really are only a handful of design type retail stores, but maybe plans are underway to roll out some more.
The building Zazou Home is housed in is a really cool space -- like an old warehouse. In fact, one section of the store (which has been more or less empty the couple of times I've visited) would be the perfect spot to host a swanky party. The owner mentioned that she has actually hosted some events in there a couple of times.
The style here is hip and urban. The furniture is high-end, but not totally unaffordable. The sofas are in the 1-2k range which is on par with a lot of furniture retailers. There are some unique coffee tables, and the artwork for sale is usually intriguing. The display case near the cash register houses some interesting and funky jewelry, and there are small gift type items in the store as well, so it's not all large ticket items.
This is a fun place to go, especially on the special design nights where the stores stay open later.
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Surprisingly enough, it is hard to find comfortable shoes here. I say surprising since San Diego is kind of an outdoorsy sort of town. Sole Comfort is one of the places other than REI or Nordstrom...
Surprisingly enough, it is hard to find comfortable shoes here. I say surprising since San Diego is kind of an outdoorsy sort of town. Sole Comfort is one of the places other than REI or Nordstrom where you can find some comfortable shoes, and their selection far exceeds what you can find at the other retailers.
They stock all the major "comfortable shoe" brands, like Born, Birkenstock, Dansko, Simple etc. The staff is very attentive and polite. If you can't find what you are looking for, or for that matter, don't know exactly what you are looking for, they can make some good recommendations and suggestions. The back of the store has a small "sale" section and you can find some good deals here, although if you have a popular shoe size, you'll probably be out of luck when it comes to the sale.
Occasionally, they will have a coupon that appears in the flyers that are distributed around La Jolla, making any purchase there a pretty good deal.
The only drawback is that this store is located in the major thoroughfare of La Jolla, so it can be difficult getting here off the I-5, and parking sometimes can be tight.
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Warwick's a blast from the past. It feels like one of those old-fashioned pharmacies, except for the fact that it mostly has books and stationery. The store is divided in two -- the books are...
Warwick's a blast from the past. It feels like one of those old-fashioned pharmacies, except for the fact that it mostly has books and stationery. The store is divided in two -- the books are mostly on one side and the fine stationery is on the other.
The book selection is fairly good, certainly better than your local chain. The cards and stationery also are well-represented, and there are some fancy writing instruments and portfolios to be found in that section as well. The sales people tend to be, uhm, on the older side, so they aren't always the friendliest or most approachable. Perhaps "crusty" would describe the customer service I have experienced there.
Located on the main retail strip of La Jolla (Girard), it can be difficult on weekends to find nearby parking. Also the store sometimes gets swamped at those times making it hard to browse. They do host readings from time to time as well.
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I spotted Motorsport Scooters one time as I was zipping up 30th to make my left on El Cajon to get over to Fashion Valley. I was intrigued and wanted to see what their selection of scooters was...
I spotted Motorsport Scooters one time as I was zipping up 30th to make my left on El Cajon to get over to Fashion Valley. I was intrigued and wanted to see what their selection of scooters was like.
On my visit to the store, they had a good range of new and used scooters, some imported from Europe. They even had a couple of vintage Vespas on the floor, and more in the back garage that they were tinkering with. The sales staff was friendly and approachable and happy to just let you browse... unlike the Vespa stores where I have been ignored.
The store is not open on Sundays which is a bit bizarre to me since I would think most of their traffic would be on the weekend. Parking can also be a bit of pain in this area, as it is near a major intersection.
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Another cute shop in South Park -- The Grove boasts of a large, breezy space devoted to different interests. One corner functions as a small bookstore, another area is funky fashions from...
Another cute shop in South Park -- The Grove boasts of a large, breezy space devoted to different interests. One corner functions as a small bookstore, another area is funky fashions from Indonesia, another has small gifts, and the last is a knitter's corner (which has taken off as the activity of choice amongst 20 to 30 somethings lately). The selection of items is really good -- they have some great books and feature lots of local authors -- so the buyer must really know what they are doing. They also have nights where they feature local writers doing readings.
I wish I could say that I have had a better experience at this store than the reality of the situation. Since I live only a few blocks away, I have certainly given it many chances. I don't know if it's the way I look or bad luck or what, but almost every time I've gone in there, I have been glared and watched over as if I am a thief. One time I went in and said a cheery hello to the sales person and they just looked at me stonily. Okay. Another time I was waiting to purchase something and was completely ignored as the sales person chatted away to someone in the door way. Needless to say, I did not make a purchase.
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I am very lazy about washing and ironing shirts. In fact, I pretty much flat out refuse to do it, and if I could live in t-shirts the rest of my life, I'd probably gladly do it. Unfortunately,...
I am very lazy about washing and ironing shirts. In fact, I pretty much flat out refuse to do it, and if I could live in t-shirts the rest of my life, I'd probably gladly do it. Unfortunately, there are things such as job interviews that warrant the bane of my existence, crisp button-up shirts. For that, I slouch to the dry cleaners to unload my dirty, unwashed piles of shirts.
I've had bad experiences with dry cleaners in the past (can we say melted off buttons?), so I no longer shop by price alone. Of course, that doesn't mean that I want one of those chi chi places that charges you $15 to do pick up and delivery of one shirt either. Super Cleaner seemed like a good compromise, as their advertisements weren't misspelled (like some of their competitors), their prices were reasonable, the place seemed clean (albeit spartan) and their casher was friendly.
Their turn around time was very speedy and they didn't give me any attitude about using a credit card even when I have had small tabs. They also do minor alterations which I will definitely consider doing in the future.
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Champagne Taste is on the edge of one of the burgeoning intersections of South Park. It is a small shop filled to the brim with cute items for moms, infants, as well as general gifts. Among the...
Champagne Taste is on the edge of one of the burgeoning intersections of South Park. It is a small shop filled to the brim with cute items for moms, infants, as well as general gifts. Among the unique things they offer, they also host a "new moms" night, where moms can bring their newborns (or not) to browse, nibble on some goodies and chat (I discovered this accidentally one evening as I walked into the store -- they graciously allowed me to browse even though I am sans enfant).
I had not seen many of their products before in other stores. They had a super comfy, plush robe that was silky/ satiny on one side, and fluffy on the other. It felt heavenly to touch -- if only I knew someone who was in need of a robe! They also have styling diaper bags, which I am sure are hard to come by.
There are lots of things to browse here even if you are not in need of infant - related items: small coffee table type books, cool jewelry, and stationery. Champagne Taste is one of the participants of the quarterly South Park walkabout, so you can even shop there in the evening sometimes.
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